nrjriE^ 


Biographical  Record 


Livingston  and  Woodford  Counties, 


LLINOIS. 


A  people  thai  take  no  pride  in  the  noble  achievements  of  remote  ancestors  ii'ill  never  achieve 
anything  ■n.'orthy  to  be  remembered  with  pride  by  remote  generations.'^ — Macauley. 


CHICAGO; 

The  S.  J.  Clarke  Publishing  Company, 

1900. 


B57I 


PREFACK. 


^ZyilriL^   greaiest   oi     rviigiisn    nistonans,    imacaulay,  ana  one  ot    me    moi 

>vi     brilliant  writers  of  the  present  century,  has  said  :     "The  history  of 

'     country  is  best  told  in  a  record  of  the  lives  of  its  people."     In  cor 


-V^^ 


5;^^^^HE   greatest   of    English    historians,    Macaulay,  and  one  of  the    most 
^'  'The 

people.  "  In  con- 
/  tormity  with  this  idea,  the  Biographical  Record  has  been  prepared. 
(J  Instead  of  going  to  musty  records,  and  taking  therefrom  dry  statistical 
matter  that  can  be  appreciated  by  but  few,  our  corps  of  writers  have 
gone  to  the  people,  the  men  and  women  who  have,  by  their  enterprise 
and  industry,  brought  this  county  to  a  rank  second  to  none  among 
those  comprising  this  great  and  noble  State,  and  from  their  lips  have  the  story  of  their  life 
struggles.  No  more  interesting  or  instructive  matter  could  be  presented  to  an  intelligent 
public.  In  this  volume  will  be  found  a  record  of  many  whose  lives  are  worthy  the  imitation 
of  coming  generations.  It  tells  how  some,  commencing  life  in  poverty,  by  industrj-  and 
economy  have  accumulated  wealth.  It  tells  how  others,  with  limited  advantages  for  securing 
an  education,  have  become  learned  men  and  women,  with  an  influence  extending  throughout 
the  lengtli  and  breadth  of  the  land.  It  tells  of  men  who  have  risen  from  the  lower  walks  of 
life  to  eminence  as  statesmen,  and  whose  names  have  become  famous.  It  tells  of  those  in 
every  walk  in  life  who  have  striven  to  succeed,  and  records  how  that  success  has  usuallv 
crowned  their  efforts.  It  tells  also  of  many,  very  many,  who,  not  seeking  the  applause  of  the 
world,  have  pursued  the  "  even  tenor  of  their  way,"  content  to  have  it  said  of  them,  as  Christ 
said  of  the  woman  performing  a  deed  of  mercy — "  They  nave  done  what  they  could."  It 
tells  how  many,  in  the  pride  and  strength  of  young  manhood,  left  the  plow  and  the  anvil,  the 
lawyer's  office  and  the  counting-room,  left  every  trade  and  protession,  and  at  their  country's 
call  went  forth  valiantly  "  to  do  or  die,"  and  how  through  their  efforts  the  Union  was 
restored  and  peace  once  more  reigned  in  the  land.  In  the  life  of  every  man  and  of  every 
woman  is  a  lesson  that  should  not  be  lost  upon  those  who  follow  after'. 

Coming  generations  will  appreciate  this  volume  and  preserve  it  as  a  sucred  treasure,  from 
the  fact  that  it  contains  so  much  that  would  never  find  its  way  into  public  records,  and  which 
would  otherwise  be  inaccessible.  Great  care  has  been  taken  in  the  compilation  of  the  work, 
and  every  opportunity  possible  given  to  those  represented  to  insure  correctness  in  what  has 
been  written  ;  and  the  publishers  flatter  themselves  that  they  give  to  their  readers  a  work  with 
few  errors  of  consequence.  In  addition  to  biographical  sketches,  portraits  of  a  number  of 
representative  citizens  are  given. 

The  faces  of  some,  and  biographical  sketches  of  many,  will  be  missed  in  this  volume. 
For  this  the  publishers  are  not  to  blame.  Not  having  a  proper  conception  of  the  work,  some 
relused  to  give  the  information  necessary  to  compile  a  sketch,  while  others  were  indifferent. 
Occasionally  some  member  of  the  family  would  oppose  the  enterprise,  and  on  account  of  such 
opposition  the  support  of  the  interested  one  would  be  withheld.  In  a  few  instances  men 
never  could  be  found,  though  repeated  calls  were  made  at  their  residence  or  place  of  business. 


October,  1900. 


The  S.  J.  Clarke  Publishing  Co, 


"  Biograpriij  is  the  onlij  true  histonj."— Emerson. 


GEORGE  W.  PATTON. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


ox.  GEORC.E  W. 
PATTOX.  At  the 
present  time  it  is  sel- 
dom that  one  wins 
prominence  in  .se\- 
eral  lines.  It  is  the 
tendency  of  the  age 
to  devote  one's  en- 
tire energies  to  a  special  line,  continually 
working  upward  and  concentrating  his  efforts 
toward  accomplishing  a  desired  end ;  yet  in 
the  case  of  Judge  Patton  it  is  demonstrated 
that  an  exalted  position  may  be  reached  in 
more  than  one  line  of  action.  He  is  an  emi- 
nent jurist,  an  able  judge  and  a  leader  in 
political  circles.  For  several  years  he  was 
successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in 
Pontiac,  and  is  now  serving  as  judge  of  tlie 
eleventh  judicial  circuit. 

The  Judge  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  during  his  infancy  was  brought  to 
Woodford  county,  Illinois,  in  1851,  by  his 
parents,  Samuel  R.  and  Jane  (Haines)  Pat- 
ton,  who  were  also  natives  of  the  Keystone 
state.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  Rev. 
James  Patton.  and  his  great-grandfather. 
Rev.  John  Patton,  both  of  whom  achieved 
some  local  celebrity  as  Baptist  ministers  in 
western  Pennsvlvania.the  latter  having  been 


pastor  of  the  church  at  Smithheld,  Fay- 
ette county,  for  thirty  consecutive  years,  as 
the  inscription  on  his  monument,  erected  by 
his  church,  still  attests.  Judge  Patton's  ma- 
ternal grandparents  were  John  and  Marga- 
ret (Anderson)  Haines,  farming  people  of 
western  Pennsylvania.  The  latter  was  a 
tlaughter  of  James  Anderson,  a  native  of 
Ireland,  who  carried  a  musket  for  six  years 
in  General  Washington's  arm)'  during  the 
Revolutionary  war.  During  their  entire 
residence  in  this  state  the  parents  of  Judge 
Patton  made  their  home  in  Woodford  coun- 
ty, where  the  mother  died  in  1873,  the  father 
in  1886.  He  was  a  Diemocrat  in  politics,  a 
successful  farmer,  a  man  of  great  industry, 
indomitable  will  and  strong  common  sense, 
while  the  mother  was  a  woman  of  keen  wit,, 
remarkable  memory  and  forceful  intellect. 

Reared  un  the  home  farm  in  Woodfordl 
county,  Judge  Patton  attended  the  common 
schaols  of  the  neighborhood  until  twenty 
years  of  age,  and  then  took  a  three  years' 
course  at  Xormal,  Illinois,  completing  the 
same  in  1871.  During  the  following  two 
years  he  taught  school  in  Secor  and  El  Paso, 
Woodford  county,  and  with  the  money  thus, 
earned  he  commenced  the  study  of  law  with 
Hav,  Green  &  Littler  at  Springfield,  Illinois^ 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1875,  being 
a  member  of  the  same  class  as  W.  J.  Cal- 
houn, ex-Senator  T.  C.  Kerrick  and  George 
Torrance.  Subsequently  he  again  taught 
school  and  engaged  in  other  pursuits  until 
1 88 1,  following  farming  for  three  years 
to  regain  his  health.  In  1881  he  com- 
menced the  practice  of  law  at  Fairbury.  this 
county,  and  two  years  later  located  in  Pon- 
tiac,  where  he  formed  a  partnership  with  C. 
C.  Strawn,  which  was  dissolved  in  1888.  Af- 
ter that  time  he  was  alone  and  succeeded  in 
building  up  a  large  and  lucrative  practice. 
On  the  7th  of  June,  1897,  he  was  elected  one 
of  the  judges  of  the  eleventh  judicial  circuit, 
composed  of  Livingston,  Woodford,  Ford, 
McLean  and  Logan  counties,  and  is  now 
most  creditably  tilling  that  office.  His  mind 
is  analytical,  logical  and  inductive.  With 
a  thorough  and  comprehensive  knowledge  of 
the  fundamental  principles  of  law,  he  com- 
bines a  familiarity  with  statutory  law  and  a 
sober,  clear  judgment,  which  makes  him 
not  only  a  formidable  adversary  in  legal 
combat,  but  has  given  him  the  distinction 
of  being  one  of  the  ablest  jurists  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  state. 

Although  reared  in  a  Democratic  at- 
mosphere. Judge  Patton  has  never  voted 
that  ticket,  but  is  a  stanch  Republican.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  state  central  commit- 
tee of  his  party  from  1894  to  1896.  He  was 
made  a  Mason  at  Fairbury,  and  is  now  a 
member  of  Pontiac  lodge,  Xo.  294.  F.  & 
A.M. ;  Fairbury  chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  Chenoa 
council,  R.  &  S.  M. ;  and  St.  Paul  com- 
mandery,  K.  T.,  of  Fairbury.  He  also  be- 
longs to  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge  and  en- 
campment, and  both  he  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Pontiac  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church,  in  which  he  is  serving  as  an  offi- 
cer.    The   Judge   was   married,    September 


20,  1877,  to  Miss  Flo  Cook,  daughter  of 
James  and  Lucinda  Cook,  of  Fairbury,  and 
they  now  have  two  children,  Marie  and 
Proctor. 


HAMILTON  R.  STEWART. 

Hamilton  R.  Stewart,  who  for  the  last 
fifteen  years  has  successfully  operated  the 
farm  of  B.  M.  Stoddard  on  section  8,  Avoca 
township,  Livingston  county,  was  born  in 
county  Derry,  Ireland,  June  4,  1854,  and  is 
the  oldest  cliild  of  W^illiam  and  Mary  A. 
(McLaughlin)  Stewart,  also  natives  of 
county  Derry,  where  the  father  successfully 
engaged  in  farming  from  early  manhooil  un- 
til his  death  in  1868.  Subsequently  his 
widow  came  to  America  with  her  family  of 
five  sons  and  one  daughter,  namely ;  Ham- 
ilton R.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Joseph, 
a  farmer,  who  died  in  Iowa ;  Samuel,  a  resi- 
dent of  Avoca  township;  William,  a  laborer 
of  Ogden,  Iowa ;  John,  deceased ;  and  Han- 
nah, wife  of  William  Scott,  who  Ii\'es  near 
Rochelle,  Ogle  county,  Illinois.  On  their 
emigration  to  America  the  family  located  in 
Lexington,  Illinois,  where  they  made  their 
liome  for  four  years,  and  in  1872  moved  to 
La  Salle  county,  where  the  following  two 
years  were  passed,  coming  to  Livingston 
county  at  the  end  of  that  time.  While  in 
Lexington  the  mother  married  Thomas 
Clinton,  by  whom  she  had  one  son,  Thomas 
F.,  now  a  school  teacher  in  Swygart,  Illinois. 
Her  second  husband  died  in  Livingston 
county  and  she  is  now  living  with  our  sub- 
ject at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years. 

Hamilton  R.  Stewart  commenced  l^iis 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  na- 
tive land,  and  after  coming  to  America,  at 
the  age  of  fourteen  vears,  attended  school  in 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Lexington,  Illinois,  for  a  short  time.  Be- 
ii  g  the  oldest  of  the  family  he  had  to  go  to 
work  on  a  farm  that  he  might  aid  in  their 
support,  and  livetl  at  home  until  twenty - 
two.  While  in  La  Salle  county  he  worked 
in  a  coal  mine  in  Streator  for  two  years.  In 
1876  he  left  home  and  was  employed  as  a 
farm  hand  about  five  years,  at  tlie  end  of 
which  time  he  rented  land  and  embarketl  in 
farming  on  his  own  account. 

In  1883  Mr.  Stewart  married  Miss  Jane 
Blair,  who  was  born  in  Tazewell  county, 
this  state,  in  1862.  Her  parents,  William 
and  Mary  (Gillian)  Blair,  both  natives  of 
Ireland,  located  in  Tazewell  county  on  their 
emigration  to  the  L'nited  States,  and  after 
residing  there  for  a  few  years  moved  to  Mc- 
Lean county,  where  they  now  make  their 
home.  The  father  is  a  successful  farmer. 
In  the  fariiily  were  seven  children,  namely : 
Thomas,  a  farmer  of  McLean  county ;  Jane. 
wife  of  our  subject :  David,  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  McLean  county :  Annie,  wife  of 
11.  Gillian,  of  the  same  comity:  \\'iliiam. 
also  a  resident  of  McLean  county :  and  Lydia 
and  Addie.  both  at  home.  Of  the  nine  chil- 
dren born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stewart,  one  died 
if  infancy.  The  others  are  as  follows: 
William  J.  and  Mabel  M..  who  passed  tlie 
central  schcwM  examinations  at  the  ages  of 
fifteen  and  thirteen  years  respectively,  be- 
ing the  youngest  who  ever  passed  from  their 
school,  and  standing  high  in  rank  in  a  class  of 
forty:  Minnie  P..  Litta  G..  Ira  J..  Hamil- 
ton G..  Geneveive  and  Morris  M.  The  par- 
ents are  giving  their  cliildren  the  best  ptjssi- 
ble  educational  advantages. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Stewart  located 
en  a  farm  in  McLean  county,  where  he  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  general  farming  for  two 
years,  and  in  1885  mo^ed  to  the  farm  of  two 
hundred  acres  in  Avoca  township.  Livings- 


ton county,  where  he  now  resides.  He  is 
a  conscientious  man,  upright  and  honorable 
in  all  his  dealings,  as  is  shown  by  his  re- 
maining on  one  farm  so  long.  During  his 
residence  here  he  lias  been  prc:)minently  iden- 
tified with  local  politics.  He  was  justice  of 
the  peace  five  years,  school  trustee  si.x  years 
and  asses.sor  two  years,  being  re-elected'  for 
a  third  term,  and  serving  in  each  office  to 
the  best  of  his  ability  and  for  the  interests 
of  the  people  he  represents.  He  is  a  man 
who  does  not  draw  party  lines  in  local  af- 
fairs, but  supports  those  whom  he  believes 
best  qualified  to  fill  the  positions,  regardless 
of  party  affiliations.  For.  the  past  twelve 
years  in  national  elections  he  has  sup])orted 
the  nominees  of  the  Prohibition  party  and  at 
present  is  township  committeeman  of  that 
party.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  Fairbury 
Cam|).  Xo.  6.  M.  W.  A.,  and  religiously  is 
a  member  and  active  worker  in  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church  and  Sunday  school, 
serving  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees 
for  the  past  fourteen  years.  He  is  a  genial 
gentleman,  who  is  well  liked  by  a  large  circle 
of  friends  and  acquaintances. 


FREDERICK  DUCKETT. 

Success  is  determined  by  one's  ability  to 
recognize  opportunity,  and  to  pursue  this 
with  a  resolute  and  unflagging  energy.  It 
results  from  continued  labor  and  the  man 
who  thus  accomplishes  his  purpose  usually 
becomes  an  important  factor  in  the  business 
circles  of  the  community  with  which  he  is 
connected  and  also  prominent  in  pulilic  life. 
Through  such  means  Mr.  Duckett  has  at- 
tained a  leading  place  among  the  representa- 
tive men  of  Livingston  county,  which  he  is 
now  serving  as  county  clerk. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


A  son  of  Benjamin  and  Jane  (Redmond) 
Duckett,  he  was  born  November  lo,  1840, 
in  W'edmore,  Somersetshire,  England,  which 
place  has  been  the  ancestral  home  of  the 
family  for  many  generations.  There  the  fa- 
ther engaged  in  farming  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  when  our  subject  was  a  boy 
of  five  or  six  years.  The  mother  was  left 
with  six  children,  five  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter. She  spent  her  entire  life  in  her  native 
land  and  died  in  the  faith  of  the  Episcopal 
church.  Those  of  the  family  who  came  to 
America  were  Francis,  now  a  resident  of  Des 
Moines,  Iowa;  Daniel,  a  physician,  who  died 
ill  Forrest,  this  county,  in  1890;  Sarah,  wife 
of  Jesse  Arney.  of  Kent,  \\'^asliington ;  and- 
Frederick,  our  subject.  The  youngest  son, 
Gabriel,  is  a  resident  of  Australia. 

Frederick  Duckett  received  a  good  prac- 
tical education  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
Isnd.  In  1854,  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years, 
he  came  alone  to  the  United  States  and  spent 
two  years  in  New  York  state,  where  he  found 
employment.  In  1856  he  came  to  Illinois 
and  first  located  in  Henry.  Marshall  county, 
working  on  a  farm  near  thereuntil  fall,  when 
he  went  to  Peoria  county  and  obtained  a 
position,  where  he  worked  for  his  board  with 
the  privilege  of  attending  school.  He  re- 
mained in  that  county  until  the  Civil  war 
broke  out  and  in  the  spring  of  1862  enlisted 
in  Company  K.  Eleventh  Illinois  Cavalry. 
Going  immediately  to  the  front,  he  joined 
his  regiment  at  Memphis,  Telinessee,-''and 
was  first  under  fire  at  Lexington,  that' state. 
He  took  part  in  the  second  battle  of  Corinth 
and  the  siege  of  \'icksburg,  and  remained 
ir.  active  service  until  mustered  out  Septem- 
ber 30,  1865,  being  never  off  duty  a  single 
day.  He  was  serving  as  second  lieutenant 
at  the  time  of  his  discharge.  Returning  to 
I'eoria  county  he  remained  there  until  1867, 


when  he  removed  to  Forrest,  Livingston 
county,  and  entered  in  the  drug  business  with 
his  brother.  Later  he  became  sole  proprietor 
of  the  store,  and  though  he  began  in  a  small 
way  he  carried  a  large  and  well-selected 
Slock  and  had  built  up  an  excellent  trade  at 
the  time  of  disposing  of  his  business. 

On  the  19th  of  February,  1866,  Mr. 
Duckett  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Munhall. 
of  Peoria  county,  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
^lunhall,  and  to  them  have  been  born  six 
children :  Jeanette,  now  the  wife  of  H.  C. 
Amsbury,  of  Wellsville  New  York;  Arthur 
F.,  who  married  Grace  Still  well  and  resides 
ir-  Forrest ;  Jesse,  now  ser\-ing  as  deputv 
county  clerk  under  his  father;  Nellie  M. ; 
Mabel  M.,  wife  of  Everett  Tate,  of  Pontiac; 
and  Aldine,  at  home.. 

Mr.  Duckett  attends  and  supports  th.e 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  his 
wife  is  a  member.  He  is  a  very  active  and 
prominent  member  of  several  civic  societies, 
Vvas  one  of  the  organizers  of  Forrest  Post, 
G.  A.  R.,  and  served  as  its  first  commander. 
He  has  represented  it  in  the  state  encamp- 
ment several  times  and  was  a  memljcr  of  the 
commander's  staff  one  year.  He  was  a 
charter  member  of  Forrest  lodge.  No.  614, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he  was  master  about 
ten  years,  and  is  now  a  member  of  Pontiac 
lodge.  No.  294,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he  has 
been  secretary,  while  at  present  he  is  high 
priest  of  Pontiac  chapter,  R.  A.  !M..  and 
past  commander  of  St.  Paul  Commandery, 
K.  T.,  of  Fairbury.  He  also  belongs  to 
Chenoa  Council.  R.  &  S.  M.,  of  Forrest 
lodge,  K.  P.,  of  which  he  is  past  chancellor, 
and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  of 
which  he  is  past  venerable  consul. 

Since  attaining  his  majority  Mr.  Duckett 
has  been  an  active  Republican.  He  served 
as  collector  of  his  township  several  terms 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


13 


and  was  a  member  of  the  township  board  at 
different  times.  In  1894  he  was  elected 
county  clerk  by  a  gf6od  majority  and  after 
filling  that  office  for  four  years  was  renom- 
mated  by  acclamation  in  1898  and  elected 
b}-  an  increasing  majority,  which  sjieaks  \^■ell 
for  the  estimation  in  which  he  is  held  by  the 
people  of  the  county,  who  recognize  his  abil- 
ity and  iitncss  for  the  office.  His  present 
term  will  not  expire  until  December,  1902. 
As  a  citizen  he  has  always  been  found  true 
to  every  trust  rei)osed  in  him.  so  that  his 
loyalty  is  above  question,  being  manifest  in 
days  of  ])eace  as  well  as  when  he  folUnved 
the  old  flag  to  victory  on  southern  battle 
fields.  Since  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of 
liis  present  office  he  has  made  his  home  in 
Pontiac. 


JAMES  P.  DAHL. 

James  P.  Dahl,  who  is  successfully  en- 
g-aged  in  farming  on  section  3.Eppards  Point 
township.  Livingston  county.  Illinois,  two 
miles  from  Pontiac.  is  a  native  of  Denmark, 
born  on  the  P.altic  Sea  March  24.  1839.  and 
i.-  a  son  of  Lars  P.  and  Christina  (  Peter- 
son) Dahl,  who  s]ient  their  entire  li\cs  as 
farming  jjcople  in  that  country. 

Our  subject  was  reared  on  a  fruin  and 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  na- 
tive land.  His  knowledge  of  the  English, 
language  has  been  acquired  through  his  own 
imaided  efforts.  It  was  in  i860  that  he 
crossed  the  broad  .\tlantic.  sailing  from 
Liver])ofil,  England,  tt)  \ew  York,  and  land- 
ing in  the  latter  city  on  the  25th  of  May, 
that  year.  He  came  direct  to  La  Salle  coun- 
.t)',  Illinois,  where  he  had  friends  living. 
and  where  he  worked  on  a  farm  by  the 
month  for  some  time.  Later  he  was  similarlv 


employed  in  Putnam  county  for  five  vears, 
and  from  there  went  to  Peru.  Illinois,  where 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother-in- 
law,  John  Dixon,  and  engaged  in  fruit  grow- 
ing and  the  milk  and  dairy  business  for  nine 
}ears,  selling  out  on  coming  to  this  countv. 

On  the  10th  of  A])ril.  1877.  in  Peru.  Mr. 
Dahl  married  Miss  Lydia  Jensen,  a  native 
of  Copenhagen,  Deimiark,  and  a  daughter 
of  Paul  and  Louisa  (Otto)  Jensen,  who  were 
also  born  in  that  country.  The  father  was 
a  business  man  of  Co])enhagen.  ]\Irs.  Dahl 
was  well  educated  in  the  schools  oi  that  city 
and  came  to  the  new  world  in  1875.  To  our 
subject  and  his  wife  have  been  born  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  four  are  living,  namelv : 
.\nna  is  a  well  educated  young  lady,  who  is 
now  successfully  engaged  in  teaching  music 
and  also  serves  as  organist  of  the  McDowell 
Methodist  Episcopal  church:  William  assists 
liis  father  in  the  operation  of  the  farm ;  and 
Joseph  and  Clinton  are  also  at  home.  Carrie 
died  at  the  age  of  ten  years:  ]\lary.  at  the 
age  of  six  months. 

The  day  after  their  marriage  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dahl  came  to  Livingston  county  and  he 
]iurchased  eightv-four  acres  of  land  on  sec- 
l.on  3.  Eppards  Point  township,  where  he 
now  resides,  anfl  has  since  bonglil  forty 
acres  m'ore,  making  a  fine  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twentv-four  acres,  which  he  has 
tiled  and  jjlaced  under  a  high  state  of  cul- 
ti\-ation.  He  has  remodeled  the  house, 
planted  an  orchard,  erected  outbuildings  and 
made  many  other  useful  and  valuable  im- 
pro\ements  on  the  place  which  add  greatly 
t(,  its  attractive  appearance.  He  is  quite  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  general  farming  and 
slock  raising.  Originally  he  was  a  Repub- 
licrm  in  politics,  but  is  now  a  Prohibitionist, 
and  at  l(ical  elections  votes  for  the  men  whom 
he  believes  best  qualified  to  fill  the  offices, 


14 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


regardless  of  party  affiliations.  He  is  now 
an  efficient  member  of  the  school  board  and 
president  of  his  district.  Religiously  -Mr. 
Dahl  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  McDowell 
and  are  highly  respected  and  esteemed  by 
ai;  who  know  them. 


JAMES  H.  GAFF. 

James  H.  Gaff,  a  prominent  old  resident 
of  Pontiac,  Illinois,  who  is  now  serving  as 
justice  of  the  peace  and  deputy  sheriff  of 
Livingston  county,  was  born  in  Xenia, 
Greene  county,  Ohio,  March  23,  1827,  a  son 
of  David  M.  and  Hannah  (Mock)  Gaff. 
His  paternal  grandparents  were  John  and 
Martha  (  Scott )  Gaff,  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  Maryland  respectively,  the  birth 
place  of  the  former  being  not  far  from  Get- 
tysburg and  Hagerstown..  They  were  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent  and  members  of  the  old 
Covenanter  church.  The  maternal  grand- 
parents were  John  and  Mary  (Homey), 
natives  of  Xorth  Carolina.'  In  1801  they 
remo\-ed  from  that  state  to  Xenia,  Ohio,  in 
a  one-horse  wagon,  resting  always  on  the 
Sabbath  day  during  the  journey.  Mr.  Alock 
helped  build  the  first  house  ever  erected  in 
Xenia  and  owned  one  hvmdred  acres  of  heav- 
ily timbered  land  about  five  miles  south  of 
where  that  city  now  stands.  This  he  cleared 
and  transformed  into  a  good  farm.  Lea\'- 
ing  his  family  and  several  children  at  home, 
he  enlisted  in  the  war  of  18 12,  and  was  sta- 
tioned at  McPherson's  block  house  on  the 
line  between  Indiana  and  Ohio.  He  and 
his  wife  spent  their  last  days  upon  a  farm 
Avhich  he  improved  in  Fayette  county,  Ohio. 
She  was  of  Ouaker  descent  and  was  a  dausfh- 


ter  of  James  Horney,  who  had  charge  of  the 
train  of  seventeen  wagons  in  which  the  Mock 
family  moved  to  Ohio  from  Xorth  Carolina. 
They  became  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  old  Peter  Cartwright 
preached  in  their  house. 

David  M.  Gaff,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Maryland  near  the  Pennsylvania 
hue.  and  was  a  young  man  when  the  family 
moved  to  Xenia,  Ohio,  where  he  married 
Hannah  Mock,  a  native  of  Ohio.  He  fol- 
lowed farming,  but  died  at  the  early  age  of 
twenty-seven  years,  being  accidentally  killed 
Ixlarch  2~,  183 1.  when  our  subject  was  only 
four  years  old,  leaving  his  widow  with  three 
small  children  to  support.  This  she  did  bv 
engaging  in  weaving.  Later  she  married 
John  Calhoun  and  mo\'ed  to  Montgomery 
county,  Ohio,  locating  six  miles  south  of 
Dayton,  where  the  family  lived  until  about 
1857,  when  they  came  to  Illinois  and  settled, 
near  Decatur,  Macon  county.  Mr.  Calhoun 
died  in  Decatur  in  1866  and  his  wife  died 
near  Bloomington,  this  state,  in  1892,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-five  years.  At  an  early  day  John 
Gaff,  our  suliject's  paternal  grandfather,  who 
was  also  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  18 12,  floated 
down  the  Ohio  river  on  a  flat  boat  to  Cin- 
cinnati, and  from  there  drove  across  the 
country  to  Xenia,  where  in  the  midst  of  the 
forest  he  commenced  to  develop  a  farm, 
which  was  to  have  been  inherited  by  our 
subject's  father  had  he  not  been  killed  so 
early  in  life. 

Just  before  he  attained  his  eighth  year 
James  H.  Gaft'.  our  subject,  went  to  live  with 
an  uncle,  with  whom  he  remained  for  four 
3"ears.  and  then  made  his  home  with  his 
grandfather  j\Iock.  Lentil  eighteen  years  old 
ht  attended  school  not  to  exceed  thirty  days 
a  year,  his  first  books  being  an  elementary 
speller  and  testament,  which  were  later  sup- 


THE    BIOGRArmCAL    RECORD. 


15 


Ijlemented  by  the  American  reader  and 
Smith's  aritlimetic.  The  sclux)l  house  wiierc 
he  pursued  his  studies  was  a  primitive  struc- 
ture built  of  logs,  with  puncheon  floor  and 
seats  and  greased  paper  windows,  and  the 
little  room  often  had  to  accommodate  forty 
pu])ils. 

After  leaving  scliool  at  tlie  age  of  eiglit- 
een  years  Mr.  GafT  learned  the  blacksmith's 
trade  in  Teffersonville.  serving  a  three-year-; 
apprenticeship,  and  then  working  as  a  jour- 
neyman at  that  place  for  a  time.  \\'hile  there 
he  was  married.  December  ^3.  1850.  to  Miss 
Catherine  Powell,  a  native  of  Fayette  coun- 
ty. Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Harper  Powell, 
a  farmer.  They  have  one  child,  Ann  E., 
now  the  wife  of  Charles  Tanquary,  of  Chi- 
cago, by  whom  she  has  a  daughter.  Helen  G. 

On  leaving  Jefferson ville,  Ohio,  in  tlie 
fall  of  185 1.  Mr.  Gaff  moved  to  what  is  now 
Cooksville.  McLean  county.  Illinois,  where 
he  hfiught  eighty  acres  of  land  and  com- 
menced breaking  prairie  with  an  ox  team. 
In  18^4  he  moved  to  Pleasant  Hill  and 
opened  a  blacksmith  shop,  which  he  cnn- 
ductcd  for  five  years  and  then  sold.  Coming 
to  Pontiac  he  was  here  engaged  in  general 
blacksmithing  until  after  the  Civil  war 
broke  out. 

In  the  fall  of  iSfij  Mr.  Gaff  enlisted  in 
C<impany  G,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  and  first 
went  to  Louisville,  Kentucky.  He  was  at 
the  engagements  at  Bowling  Green,  Gallatin 
and  Nashville  and  later  started  on  the  Chat- 
tanooga and  .\tlanta  campaign,  his  regi- 
ment being  one  of  the  first  to  enter  Atlanta 
after  the  evacuation.  They  were  on  the  left 
wing  of  the  army  in  the  march  to  the  sea 
and  up  through  the  Carolinas  to  Goldsboro 
and  Raleigh.  The  war  having  ended  they 
continued  their  march  through  Richmond  to 


\\'ashington,  D.  C,  where  they  participated 
ill  the  grand  review.  They  were  mustered 
out  at  Washington  June  8,  1865,  and  dis- 
charged at  Chicago  on  the  21st  of  that 
month.  Mr.  GafY  had  four  half-brothers  and 
one  step-brother  in  the  service,  not  one  of 
whom  was  ill  or  wounded  while  in  the  army, 
although  their  aggregate  service  amounted 
to  over  nineteen  years. 

Returning  to  his  home  in  Pontiac,  Mr. 
Gaff  resumed  blacksmithing.  at  which  he 
worked  until  the  fall  of  1866,  when  he  was 
elected  sheriff  of  the  county  for  a  term  of 
two  years,  and  the  folUnving  two  years 
served  as  deputy  sheriff,  having  charge  of 
the  office  for  his  successor.  After  clerking 
i:i  a  store  for  one  year  he  again  opened  .t 
Ijlacksmith  shop  and  built  up  an  extensive 
l<usiness.  furnishing  employment  to  four 
men.  During  President  Hayes'  administra- 
f.on  he  was  appointed  postmaster,  having 
always  been  an  active  Repulilican  and  chair- 
man of  the  central  committee  during  the 
Hayes  campaign.  He  had  previously  filled 
the  office  of  assessor  for  a  number  of  terms. 
While  serving  as  postmaster  the  jxjstage  on 
a  letter  was  reduced  from  three  to  two  cents, 
which  naturally  affected  the  re\enue  of  the 
ofiice.  He  was  reappointed  by  President 
Arthur  and  for  eight  years  devoted  his  time 
exclusively  to  the  dutie  s  of  his  position. 
Later  he  spent  a  year  and  a  half  in  Kansas, 
returning  to  Pontiac  in  1890.  He  has  served 
as  constable  four  years,  justice  of  the  peace 
three  years  and  deputy  sheriff  since  1891, 
liaving  charge  of  the  circuit  court.  His 
official  duties  have  always  been  discharged 
in  a  prompt  and  able  miumer.  wh-'ch  has 
won  the  commendation  of  all  concerned. 

Mr.  Gaff  is  one  of  the  oldest  members  of 
T.  Tyle  Dickey  Post,  No.  105.  G.  A.  R.. 
and    has    servetl    as    its    commander.      He 


i6 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


is  one  of  tlie  oldest  Masons  lielonging  to 
Pontiac  lodge,  No.  294.  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  is  a  member  of  Fairbury  Chapter, 
R.  A.  ]\I.  For  forty  years  he  and  his 
^vife  have  held  membership  in  the  ]\Ieth- 
odist  Episcopal  chnrch  and  dnring  that 
entire  time  he  has  served  as  steward  or  in 
other  official  positions.  He  has  also  been 
class  leader  for  some  time  and  takes  an  acti\e 
and  prominent  part  in  church  work.  Dur- 
ing the  long  years  of  his  residence  in  Liv- 
ingston county  he  has  been  one  of  its  most 
influential  and  popular  citizens — a  man  hon- 
ored and  respected  wherever  known. 


GEORGE   TORRANXE. 

Whatever  else  may  be  said  of  the  legal 
fraternity,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  mem- 
bers of  the  bar  have  been  more  important 
actors  in  public  affairs  than  any  other  class 
of  the  American  people.  This  is  but  the 
natural  result  of  causes  which  are  manifest 
and  require  no  explanation.  The  ability 
and  training  which  qualify  one  to  practice 
law  also  Cjualify  him  in  many  respects  for 
duties  which  lie  outside  the  strict  path  of 
his  profession  and  which  touch  the  general 
interests  of  society.  The  subject  of  this 
record  is  a  man  who  has  brought  his  keen 
discrimination  and  thorough  wisdom  to 
bear  not  alone  in  professional  paths,  but  also 
for  the  benefit  of"-his  fellow  citizens  and  the 
community  in  which  he  lives.  He  is  now 
most  efficiently  and  satisfactorily  serving  as 
superintendent  of  the  Illinois  state  reform- 
atory at  Pontiac. 

Mr.  Torrance  was  born  in  Lancaster, 
Ohio,  May  15,  1847,  a  son  of  David  and 
Sarah    (Kerns)    Torrance,   both  natiN'es  of 


Penns}'lvania,  and  the  former  of  Scotch- 
Irish  and  the  latter  of  German  descent.  The 
parents  removed  from  their  native  state  to 
Lancaster,  Ohio,  and  in  1863  came  to  Illi- 
nois, locating  in  Danville.  Vermilion  county, 
where  for  some  time  the  father  engaged  in 
business  as  a  contractor  and  builder,  being  a 
carpenter  by  trade.  He  died  in  that  city. 
While  a  resident  of  Ohio  he  took  quite  an 
interest  in  educational  affairs,  and  always 
attended  and  supported  the  Pi'esbyterian 
church,  though  not  a  member.  His  wife 
still  survives  him  and  continues  to  make 
her  home  in  Pontiac. 

During  his  boyhood  George  Torrance 
attended  the  common  schools  of  his  birth- 
place. He  removed  with  the  family  to  Dan- 
ville, Illinois,  and  there  enlisted,  in  1864,  in 
Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Forty-ninth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was  with 
his  command  in  Tennessee,  Georgia  and  Ala- 
bama. He  remained  in  the  service  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  being  mustered  out  at 
Dalton,  Georgia,  and  discharged  at  Camp 
Butler,  Illinois.  At  the  age  of  twenty 
}ears  I\Ir.  Torrance  began  his  business  ca- 
reer as  clerk  in  a  grocery  store,  and  was 
later  in  the  United  States  express  office  and 
a  clothing  store  of  Danville.  He  came  to 
Chatsworth,  this  county,  as  a  dry-goods 
clerk,  and  held  that  position  for  some  time, 
after  which  he  was  employed  as  a  commer- 
cial traveler.  He  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace  and  read  law  with  the  firm  of  Fosdick 
&  AVallace,  the  latter  being  now  Judge  Wal- 
lace, of  Pontiac.  Later  he  studied  for  a 
time  with  A.  M.  \\'yman,  and  was  admitted 
to  practice  by  examination  January  9,  1875. 
He  was  engaged  in  practice  at  Chatsworth 
until  the  spring  of  1881,  when  he  came  to 
Pontiac.  Here  he  began  practice  alone,  but 
later  was  in  partnership  with  R.  S.  Mclll- 


GEORGE  TORRANCE. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


19 


<luf.  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Mclllduf  & 
Torrance,  and  when  that  was  dissolved  he 
•  was  alone  for  some  years.  Subsequently 
he  was  engaged  in  practice  with  his  son  im- 
der  the  firm  name  of  Torrance  &  Torrance. 
He  would  never  accept  criminal  cases,  but 
as  a  civil  lawyer  met  with  most  excellent 
success  in  his  chosen  profession. 

On  the  9th  of  June,  1869,  Mr.  Torrance 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eliza  M. 
Fenn,  of  Chatsworth,  a  daughter  of  Elam  P. 
Fenn,  a  farmer,  from  Connecticut,  and  to 
ihem  have  been  born  two  children  :  Herbert 
E.,  now  an  attorney  of  P'ontiac;  and  Grace 
Tren.  Tlie  family  attend  the  Presbyterian 
churcli.  of  which  Mrs.  Torrance  is  a  mem- 
ber. 

As  a  Republican  Mr.  Torrance  has 
taken  an  active  and  influential  part  in  po- 
litical affairs,  and  has  been  chairman  of  the 
county  committee.  In  the  fall  of  1880  he 
was  elected  to  the  state  senate  and  served 
two  terms  of  four  years  each  with  credit  to 
himself  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his 
constituents.  During  this  time  he  was  one 
of  the  one  hundred  and  three  who  helped  to 
elect  General  Logan  to  the  United  States 
senate. 

Mr.  Torrence  was  appointed  superin- 
tendent of  the  Illinois  State  Reformatory, 
March  i,  1897.  Realizing  that  if  it  was 
to  properly  perform  the  work  designed  for 
it  many  changes  must  be  made  in  its  build- 
ings, schools,  etc.,  he  immediately  began  his 
labors  along  that  line.  This  institution, 
with  the  great  outlay  of  money  necessary  to 
its  building,  and  the  wants  of  fifteen  hun- 
dred inmates  to  look  after,  including  their 
schooling  and  discipline,  would  be  a  tax 
upon  the  strength  of  any  man,  but  with  this 
additional  work  has  been  a  heavy  burden, 
which  he  has  borne  with  wonderful  forti- 


tutle.  Though  critised  and  condemned  at 
times,  he  has  never  faltered,  but  patiently 
awaited  the  time  which  he  felt  sure  must 
come  when  his  work  would  meet  with  pub- 
lic approval.  It  has  now  arrived  and  the 
discipline  of  the  inmates,  the  success  of  its 
trade  and  common  school  work,  and  the 
beauty  of  the  grounds  are  generally  com- 
mentled  and  the  institution  is  recognized  as 
among  the  most  successful  of  its  kind  in  the 
world.  Mr.  Torrance  has  been  told  that 
he  expected  to  leave  the  institution  as  a 
monument  to  his  work  in  this  state,  and  if 
gi\en  time  would  place  it  in  such  a  position 
tiiat  it  could  not  be  surpassed  by  any  other 
in  the  near  future.  That  he  has  succeeded 
is  now  conceded  and  his  former  critics  are 
loud  in  his  praise,  and  the  doubting  yet  hope- 
ful friends   jubilant  over  his  success. 

The  discipline  is  excellent,  yet  without 
apparent  severity.  Tiiere  seems  to  be  a  hope- 
ful, contented  air  permeating  the  whole  in- 
stitution, and  he  has  not  elsewhere  and  prob- 
ably never  will  have  better  friends  than  can 
be  found  among  the  boys  in  his  custody. 
They  speak  kindly  of  him,  are  very  respect- 
ful to  him  and  obey  his  requests  or  com- 
mands as  cheerfully  as  if  he  was  paying 
them  salaries.  One  by  one  the  former  modes 
of  punishment  have  been  abolished  until  the 
shackle,  hand-cuff,  ball  line,  solitary,  etc., 
are  relegated  to  the  things  that  were.  Pa- 
rade and  assembly  grounds  have  been  ar- 
ranged, fine  lawns,  cement  walks  and  flower 
l)eds  constructed,  until  tiie  mner  yard  is  a 
beautiful  park,  the  admiration  of  all  that 
see  it.  Great  attention  has  been  paid  by 
him  to  the  training  of  inmates  in  both  in- 
strumental and  vocal  music  until  the  insti- 
tution has  one  of  the  best  bands  in  the  state. 
A  military  organization  has  lieen  perfected, 
and  it  is  unsurpassed  anywhere,  outside  of 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


West  Point.  To  insiruct  tlie  inmates  he 
has  about  twenty-two  common  and  twenty- 
live  trade  schools,  classes  in  ethics,  Sunday 
school,  chapel  services,  lectures,  concerts 
and  entertainments  of  various  kinds. 

With  him  the  work  is  not  performed  for 
the  salary  alone ;  it  has  become  a  work  into 
which  he  throws  his  entire  energy  and 
ability.  A  visit  to  the  institution  is  very 
instructive  and  interesting,  and  hundreds 
inspect  it  e\'ery  week,  as  many  as  fifteen  hun- 
dred being  conducted  through  it  in  one 
week  last  summer.  In  the  handling  of  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  dollars,  the  making 
and  looking  after  many  contracts  with  build- 
ers, machinists  and  plumbers,  not  one  word 
of  scandal  has  ever  been  heard,  not  a  dif- 
ference ever  existed  but  has  been  adjusted 
without  discord.  The  same  is  true  in  re- 
gard to  his  officers ;  differences  often  exist, 
but  under  his  direction  they  are  harmonized 
t)r  he  takes  hold  with  a  firm  hand  and  set- 
tles them  beyond  further  controversy.  One 
employe  said :  "T  have  worked  at  other 
institutions  and  found  much  trouble  among 
the  officers  always  existing.  This  one  runs 
without  friction.'"  As  an  organizer  and  di- 
rector, he  is  unsurpassed.  He  possesses  ex- 
ecutive ability  of  a  high  order,  has  had  great 
experience  in  public  matters,  is  an  excellent 
lawyer,  an  extensive  reader  and  possesses  a 
brain  that  works  rapidly.  Probably  no  man 
in  the  state  is  required  to  promptly  pass 
upon  so  many  matters  embracing  all  the 
lines  of  industry  and  education  as  he  is,  or 
that  could  do  so  with  less  deliberation. 

For  nearly  six  years  Mr.  Torrance  has 
been  officially  connected  witli  the  high  school 
of  Pontiac,  and  was  president  of  the  board 
almost  five  years,  during  which  time  the 
school  was  opened  and  raised  to  its  present 
high  standing  among  similar  institutions  in 


the  state.  Other  official  honors  would  have 
been  conferred  upon  him  had  he  not  de- 
clined, refusing  to  allow  his  name  to  go  far- 
ther on  the  party  ticket.  Upright,  reliable 
and  honorable,  his  strict  adherence  to  prin- 
ciple commands  the  respect  of  all,  and  as  a 
pleasant,  affable  gentleman  he  makes  many 
friends. 


JOHN  K.  OLESON. 

John  K.  Oleson,  who  resides  on  section 
8,  Pontiac  township,  is  one  of  the  success- 
ful farmers  of  Livingston  countv.  He  is 
a  native  of  Norway  and  was  born  June  20, 
1 83 1,  just  sixty-nine  years  from  the  day  the 
notes  for  this  sketch  were  taken.  He  grew 
to  manhood  on  a  farm  in  his  native  country 
and  until  about  thirteen  years  old  attended 
the  parochial  schools.  He  then  had  to  begin 
making  his  own  living  and  engaged  in  farm 
labor. 

The  life  of  a  poor  man  in  Norway  is 
not  one  for  envy,  and  the  opportunity  for 
advancement  is  not  such  as  is  afforded  in 
the  L'nited  States.  Realizing  this  fact,  Mr. 
Oleson  determined  to  emigrate  to  this  coun- 
try, and  accordingly,  in  1858,  he  took  pas- 
sage in  a  sailing  vessel,  crossed  the  Atlantic, 
and  landed  in  Quebec.  From  that  city  he 
came  west  to  Chicago,  and  from  there  to 
La  Salle  county.  Illinois,  where  he  com- 
menced work  on  a  farm  by  the  month,  and 
continued  to  be  thus  employed  for  several 
years,  saving  as  much  of  his  wages  as  possi- 
ble. 

\Miile  yet  living  in  La  Salle  county,  Mr. 
Oleson  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Elsie  Olson,  by  which  union  two  children 
were  born.  Ole  R.,  the  eldest  is  now  mar- 
ried and  has  one  son.     He  is  enaged  in  farm- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


ing  in  Livingston  county.  Emma  is  the  wife 
of  Ole  Knudson  and  they  have  four  sons. 

In  1870  Mr.  Oleson  came  to  Livingston 
county  and  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres 
and  also  rented  a  place  on  which  was  an  old 
log  house.  The  place  had  formerly  heen 
worked,  but  when  he  obtained  possession  it 
had  mostly  grown  up  to  grass  and  weeds 
and  only  about  fifteen  acres  was  fenced. 
Life  in  Livingston  county  was  commenced 
under  very  discouraging  circumstances,  but 
he  had  grit  and  determination,  and  the  un- 
sightly weeds  soon  disappeared  and  the  land 
was  placed  under  cultivation.  A  small  house 
was  first  erected,  which  in  due  time,  gave 
place  to  a  larger  and  better  one,  and  the 
area  of  the  farm  was  increased  until  the 
farm  now  comprises  two  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  all  of  which  is  under  cultivation  and 
the  land  tilled  and  well  drained  throughout. 

Politically  Mr.  Oleson  is  a  Republican, 
with  which  party  he  has  been  identified  since 
coming  to  this  country.  On  his  arrival  the 
slavery  question  was  being  agitated  and  the 
country  was  almost  in  the  midst  of  the  throes 
of  a  revolution.  Lincoln  and  Douglas  were 
holding  their  great  debate,  and  the  young 
Norwegian  naturally  took  his  place  on  the 
side  of  those  who  were  fighting  for  freedom. 
His  first  presidential  vote  was  cast  in  1864 
for  Abraham  Lincoln,  while  his  last  was 
cast  for  William  McKinley.  He  was  reared 
in  the  Lutheran  faith  and  is  yet  a  member  of 
that  church.  His  wife  is  also  a  member  of 
the  same  church. 

Mr.  Oleson  was  a  poor  man  when  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  and  for  several 
years  he  had  a  hard  struggle  to  obtain  a 
foothold,  but  he  persevered,  with  the  result 
that  he  now  has  one  of  the  best  improved 
farms  in  Pontiac  township,  within  three 
miles  of  the  countv  seat,  and  he  can  calmlv 


look  the  future  in  the  face,  knowing  that  he 
has  sufficient  to  carry  him  through  old  age 
in  comfort,  if  not  in  luxury.  His  forty-two 
years  in  this  country  have  served  to  broaden 
his  views  and  to  make  him  progressive  and 
thoroughlv  American  in  all  things.  All  who 
know  him  have  for  him  the  utmost  respect.- 


JOEL  ALLEX.  M.  D. 

Joel  Allen.  M.  D..  a  prominent  and  suc- 
cessful physician  of  Pontiac,  Illinois,  is  a 
native  of  this  state,  born  on  his  father's  farm 
in  Jefiferson  county.  Xovember  13,  1827.  and 
is  a  son  of  Abel  and  Prudence  ( Wilkey) 
Allen,  naties  of  Kentucky  and  Georgia,  re- 
spectively. His  paternal  grandfather,  James 
Allen  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  wiien  quite 
young  moved  to  Kentucky,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  some  years,  coming 
to  Illinois  about  1819.  locating  in  Jefiferson 
county,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  dying  about  1830.  The  Doctor's  father, 
who  was  a  prosperous  farmer,  lived  in  his 
native  state  until  about  thirty-five  years  of 
age,  when  he  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in 
Jefferson  county,  where  he  continued  to  fol- 
low his  chosen  occu])ation  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  at  his  home  March  29,  1869, 
at  the  aee  of  seventy- four  years.  His  wife 
survived  him  about  six  years  and  died  on 
the  old  homestead  in  Jefferson  county,  June 
3,  1875.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  she 
was  a  great  invalid  and  for  the  last  ten  years 
of  her  life  was  also  entirely  helpless,  requir- 
ing much  care  and  attention.  The  Doctor 
has  one  brother  in  this  county.  Christopher 
Columbus  Allen,  a  farmer  of  Pontiac  town- 
ship. 

Dr.  .Mien  obtained  h's  early  education 
in  the  district  schools  of  Jefferson  county. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


and  assisted  his  father  with  tlie  farm  wiirk 
until  twenty-two  years  of  age.  He  had  a 
great  fondness  for  tlie  study  of  medicine 
and  for  some  time  read  witli  his  uncle,  Dr. 
Carter  Wilkey.  with  a  view  of  fitting  himself 
for  the  medical  profession. 

On  the  14th  of  Novemher,  1849,  Dr. 
Allen  was  united  in  marriage  with  Aliss 
Martha  Trowhridge.  a  daughter  of  Philo 
and  Martha  Trowbridge  of  Jefferson  county, 
AA'here  her  father  was  successfully  engaged 
in  farming  until  his  deatli,  about  1855.  By 
this  union  were  four  children,  all  of  whom 
are  li\ing.  namely:  Hardin  A.,  liorn  in  Jef- 
ferson county,  wedded  Mary  Kinnehan,  of 
Livingston  county,  and  is  now  a  pa\-ement 
and  concrete  walk  contractor  of  Streator, 
Illinois ;  Lydia  A.  is  the  wife  of  A.  C.  Scott, 
<i  prominent  farmer  of  Eppard's  Point  town- 
ship, Livingston  county ;  Laura  is  the  wife  of 
T.  C.  Taylor,  a  dealer  in  hardware  and  ag- 
ricultural implements  of  Pendleton  Oregon ; 
and  J.  Brown  married  Lizzie  Labourn  and 
is  a  street  car  conductor  of  Den\er,  Colo- 
rado. 

After  his  marriage  Dr.  Allen  continued 
farming  for  some  years  in  Jefferson  county 
and  then  went  to  Lincoln,  Logan  county, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  brick  until  the  death  of  his  wife,  which 
occurred  January  15,  1858.  He  then  came 
to  Livingston  county  and  again  took  up 
farming,  at  the  same  time  continuing  his 
medical  studies,  being  thus  employed  until 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war.  He  was  again 
luarried,  December  6,  i860,  his  second  union 
being  with  Emily  Tromh',  by  whom  he  had 
two  children :  Gertrude,  born  in  La  Salle 
county,  August  2^.  1861.  resides  at  home, 
and  Jessie  P.,  born  in  this  county,  July  17, 
1866,  is  the  wife  of  Robert  Harms,  a  farmer 
of  Rock  Island,  Illinois. 


In  August,  1862,  Dr.  Allen  enlisted  at 
]\linonk,  Woodford  county,  in  Company  H, 
Seventy-seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
as  hospital  steward  and  remained  in  the  serv- 
ice three  years,  having  charge  of  his  regi- 
ment as  physician  and  surgeon  the  last  two 
years.  He  was  serving  as  second  assistant 
surgeon  at  the  time  he  was  mustered  out 
with  his  regiment  at  Mobile,  July  25,  1865. 
They  participated  in  sixteen  battles,  the  first 
being  at  Chickasaw  Bluft',  in  the  rear  of 
Yicksburg,  and  for  forty  days  was  m  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg.  The  following  winter 
was  passed  in  New  Orleans  and  in  the  spring 
the  command  took  Fort  Gaines  on  Mobile 
Bay,  also  Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  Blakeley. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  Dr.  Allen  re- 
turned to  Livingston  county.  While  in  New 
Orleans  he  took  a  course  of  medical  lectures 
and  on  his  return,  as  a  representative  of  the 
Pxlectic  School  of  Medicine,  he  commenced 
practice  in  this  county,  and  was  not  long 
ni  securing  a  liberal  patronage.  In  the  fall  of 
1882  he  moved  to  Graymont,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  practice  and  also  conducted  a  drug 
store  until  coming  to  Pontiac,  in  October, 
1888.  He  has  his  office  at  his  handsome 
residence.  No.  307  East  North  street,  and 
although  well  advanced  in  years  continues 
to  engage  hx  active  practice. 

For  his  third  wife  Dr.  Allen  married 
Mrs.  Mary  Hallam,  of  Livingston  county, 
a  daughter  of  James  Carson,  a  farmer  of  this 
county,  now  deceased.  She  died  in  Pontiac, 
December  5,  1888,  leaving  no  children.  On 
the  1 2th  of  November,  1889,  in  Pontiac, 
the  Doctor  married  ]\Irs.  Addie  E.  Pound, 
oldest  daughter  of  John  S.  and  Eunice 
(Packer)  Lee.  The  father,  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  and  a  blacksmith  by  trade, 
came  to  Illinois  in  1857  and  settled  at  Pleas- 
ant Ridge,  near  Lexington,  where  he  fol- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


23 


lowed  his  trade  for  two  years,  and  tlien 
came  to  Pontiac.  He  now  makes  his  home 
with  the  Doctor  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  Lee 
having  died  at  her  home  in  Pontiac  in  1896. 
They  had  tliree  cliildren  besides  Mrs.  Allen, 
namely:  Hattie,  wife  of  Josepli  Roggy,  a 
farmer  of  Nebraska ;  Frank  P.,  who  is  em- 
ployed in  a  pork  packing  establishment  in 
Chicago,  and  Charles,  agent  on  the  Ilinois 
Central  Railroad  at  Riverdale,  Illinois. 

Mrs.  Allen  was  born  in  Connecticut.  De- 
cember 24,  1850,  and  was  seven  years  of  age 
when  she  came  to  this  state  with  her  par- 
ents. She  is  a  lady  of  refinement,  iiighly 
educated,  and  after  the  death  of  her  first 
husband  she  was,  for  a  number  of  years, 
successfully  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  this  county,  and  for  a  period 
pf  eight  years  in  the  public  schools  of  Pon- 
tiac. Her  first  husband  was  Joseph  Pound, 
a  farmer  living  near  McDowell,  Livingston 
county,  by  whom  she  had  two  children,  Mary 
and  Alfred,  both  now  deceased.  The  Doc- 
tor and  Mrs.  Allen  have  one  child.  Wayne 
Lee,  who  was  born  in  Pontiac,  May  10,  1892. 
Li  his  political  views  Dr.  Allen  is  a  Republi- 
can, but  has  never  sought  or  desired  public 
office,  preferring  to  devote  his  entire  time  and 
attention  to  his  professional  duties.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  church  of  Pon- 
tiac, and  is  honored  and  respected  l)y  all 
who  know  him.  Mrs.  Allen  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Metliodist  Episopal  church. 


REV.  E.  F.  WRIGHT. 

Rev.  E.  F.  Wright,  who  for  six  years 
has  been  the  beloved  pastor  of  the  Congre- 
gational church  at  Dwight.  Illinois,  was 
born  July  21,  1842,  in  Shoreham,  \'ermont, 


adjoining  Whiting,  where  Senator  Sawyer 
was  born.  His  paternal  grandfather  was 
Andrew  Wright,  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
and  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  who 
after  that  struggle  migrated  to  Shoreham, 
\  ermont.  and  took  up  a  large  tract  of  land. 
He  was  married  twice  and  reared  a  large 
tamily.  The  youngest  of  his  children  by  the 
second  marriage  was  Samuel  Wright,  our 
subject's  father,  who  in  early  life  followed 
the  sea,  sailing  first  on  a  whaling  vessel  and 
later  on  a  merchantman.  After  giving  up 
the  sea  he  made  his  home  in  \'ermont  for 
some  time,  but  spent  the  last  three  years  of 
his  life  in  Jackson  county,  Michigan,  where 
he  died  when  our  subject  was  only  four 
}ears  old.  He  was  twice  married,  but  his 
first  wife  died  young,  leaving  no  children. 
His  second  wife  was  Minerva  Knowlton,  a 
native  of  New  York  state,  by  whom  he  had 
three  children,  namely:  E.  F.,  our  subject; 
Florence,  wife  of  C.  W.  Piatt,  of  North 
Adams,  Massachusetts;  and  Charles  T.,  a 
resident  of  Crow  Point,  New  York.  The 
motlier  survived  her  husband  many  years, 
dying  in  Rutland,  \'ermont. 

Our  subject  was  reared  by  his  father's 
sister  and  her  husband,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lu- 
cius Robison,  and  his  early  education  was 
acquired  in  the  district  schools  of  Vermont, 
which  he  attended  during  the  winter  months. 
He  was  eighteen  years  of  age  when  tiie  civil 
war  broke  out  and  was  one  of  the  first  from 
his  state  to  enlist,  joining  Company  K,  Sec- 
ond Vermont  Volunteer  Infantry,  May  17, 
1861.  He  was  mustered  into  the  United 
States  service  at  Burlington,  and  in  June 
went  to  the  front,  participating  in  his  first 
battle — that  of  Bull  Run — on  the  nineteenth 
anniversary  of  his  birth,  July  21,  1861.  His 
regiment  was  in  the  Peninsular  campaign, 
the  siege  of  Yorktown,  the  battles  of  Lee's 


24 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Mills  and  Williamstown,  and  the  seven  days' 
battle  in  front  of  Richmond.  He  was  ill 
and  off  duty  from  August,  1862,  until  Jan- 
uary, 1863,  and  after  rejoining  his  command 
took  part  in  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville. 
The  regiment  gained  distinction  the  follow- 
ing day  by  making  a  famous  charge  on  St. 
Mary's  Height,  and  later  participated  in  the 
battle  of  the  Wilderness,  where  they  lost 
three  hundred  and  thirty-six  men.  The 
brigade  of  which  Mr.  Wright  was  a  mem- 
ber probably  lost  more  than  any  other  in 
the  service.  He  was  mustered  out  June 
29,  1864,  and  returned  home. 

Previous  to  leaving  the  army  Mr.  Wright 
was  converted,  and  soon  after  his  return 
home  entered  the  academy  at  Barry,  Ver- 
mont, where  he  spent  two  years.  The  fol- 
lowing year  he  was  a  student  at  Newbury, 
Vermont,  and  in  the  summer  of  1866  en- 
tered Middlebury  College,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1870,  with  the  degree  of 
A.  B.,  receiving  the  degree  of  A.  M.  three 
years  later.  In  the  autumn  of  1870  he  com- 
menced teaching  in  the  academy,  where  he 
remained  two  years,  and  in  1872  was  called 
to  the  pastorate  of  the  Congregational 
church  at  Danby,  Vermont,  where  he  was 
ordained  and  installed  in  1873. 

On  the  nth  of  November,  1871,  Mr.. 
Wright  married  Mrs.  'Ellen  M.  Marsh,  of 
Norwich,  Vermont,  who  died  July  4,  1874, 
leaving  one  son,  Robert  Hopkins,  who  is 
now  married  and  in  the  employ  of  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad  at  Dubuque,  Iowa. 
After  the  death  of  his  wife,  Mr.  Wright  en- 
tered the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1876.  While 
attending  that  institution  he  had  served  as 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Des 
Plaines,  Illinois,  and  later  was  in  charge  of 
the  church  at  Seward,  Winnebago  county, 


eight  years ;  .Rockton  three  years,  and  Crys- 
tal Lake,  Illinois,  for  a  time.  From  the  last 
named  place  he  came  to  Dwight,  where  he 
has  now  been  for  the  past  six  years,  during 
which  time  he  has  built  up  the  church  and 
has  ministered  faithfully  to  the  spiritual 
needs  of  his  people.  He  is  not  only  well 
liked  by  his  own  congregation,  but  is  hon- 
ored and  esteemed  by  all  who  have  wit- 
nessed his  devotion  to  his  noble  calling. 

Mr.  Wright  was  again  married,  Septem- 
ber 7,  1876,  his  second  union  being  with 
Miss  M.  S.  Stone,  of  Pecatonica,  Winne- 
bago county,  Illinois,  by  whom  he  has  two 
children,  namely :  Florence,  who  is  now 
bookkeeper  and  stenographer  for  the  Dwight 
Star  and  Herald ;  and  Clarence.  Both  re- 
side at  home. 


ARCHIE  CRABB. 

The  early  home  of  this  well-known  and 
honored  citizen  of  Pike  township  was  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  and  on  com- 
ing to  the  new  \\'orld  he  was  in  limited  cir- 
cumstances, but  so  successful  has  he  been 
in  his  business  undertakings  that  he  is  now 
able  to  lay  aside  all  labor  and  live  a  retired 
life  upon  his  farm  on  section  4,  Pike  town- 
ship, Livingston  county,  about  eight  miles 
from  Chenoa. 

Mr.  Crabb  was  born  in  Arbroath,  For- 
farshire. Scotland,  June  18,  1833,  a  son  of 
James  and  Cecelia  (Monroe)  Crabb,  also 
natives  of  that  county,  \\here  the  mother 
died.  The  father,  who  followed  the  sea  in 
early  life,  came  to  the  United  States  after 
the  death  of  his  wife  and  spent  his  last  years 
with  a  daughter  in  Illinois.  During  his 
boyhood  and  youth  our  subject  had  limited 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


25 


school  advantages,  and  is  mostly  self-edu- 
cated. In  1854  he  took  passage  on  a  sail 
vessel  bound  for  Montreal,  Canada,  and  was 
seven  weeks  in  crossing  the  Atlantic,  dur- 
ing which  time  the  ship  encountered  some 
severe  storms.  On  their  arrivfal  in  Quebec 
they  were  quarantined  for  two  weeks,  there 
being  some  twenty  cases  of  smallpox  on 
board.  Mr.  Crabb  spent  about  six  months 
in  the  city  of  Montreal,  where  he  worked  at 
his  trade,  that  of  a  blacksmith. 

In  1854  he  came  to  Illinois,  and  first  lo- 
cated in  Tazewell  county,  where  he  worked 
for  his  uncle,  William  Monroe,  as  a  farm 
hand,  for  about  two  years  and  a  half,  at 
ten  dollars  per  month.  He  next  engaged 
in  farming  for  himself  upon  rented  land  in 
the  same  county,  where  he  continued  to 
make  his  home  until  1866,  and  in  the  mean- 
time purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Pike 
township,  Livingston  county,  where  he  now 
resides.  He  located  here  in  1866,  and  com- 
menced immediately  to  break  the  virgin  soil, 
upon  which  he  built  a  small  house.  Later 
he  purchased  an  adjoining  eighty-acre  tract, 
and  still  later  another  eighty-acre  tract,  and 
today  has  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  which  he  has  placed  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation  and  improved  with 
good  and  substantial  buildings,  which  stand 
as  monuments  to  his  thrift  and  enterprise. 
After  years  of  faithful  toil  he  can  now  well 
afford  to  lay  aside  all  business  cares  and  en- 
joy a  well  earned  rest. 

In  Tazewell  county.  December  25,  1861, 
Mr.  Crabb  married  Miss  Mary  Ann  Dor- 
ward,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  the  same 
neighborhood  in  Scotland  as  her  husband 
and  came  to  the  new  world  in  1853,  locat- 
ing in  Illinois.  To  them  have  been  born 
six  children,  namely:  Florence,  now  the 
wife  of  William  Snethen,  of  Pike  township; 


John  Henry,  who  is  married  and  engaged  in 
farming  in  the  same  township;  Robert,  also 
an  agriculturist  of  Pike  township;  Marga- 
ret, wife  of  Lewis  Brinkman,  of  Rooks 
Creek  township;  Cecelia,  wife  of  Louis  Salz- 
man.  of  the  same  township;  and  Agnes,  wife 
of  C.  B.  Rollins,  who  operates  the  Crabb 
farm. 

Mr.  Crabb  voted  for  Abraham  Lincoln 
in  i860,  but  since  1868  has  been  independent 
in  politics,  giving  his  suport  to  the  men  and 
measures  that  he  believes  will  best  advance 
the  interests  of  the  public  regardless  of  party 
lines.  He  has  taken  <iuite  an  active  part 
in  local  politics,  and  is  now  serving  his  sixth 
term  as  supervisor,  and  is  now  a  member  of 
the  committees  on  public  buildings,  county 
house  and  farm,  fee;^  and  salaries.  He  has 
also  served  as  township  clerk,  assessor  and 
treasurer,  which  office  of  treasurer  he  now 
holds,  and  as  township  trustee  eighteen 
years.  He  and  his  wife  are  active  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  his  public 
and  private  life  are  alike  above  reproach,  for 
his  career  has  ever  been  one  characterized 
by  the  utmost  fidelity  to  duty.  He  and  his 
family  receive  and  merit  the  high  regard  of 
the  entire  communitv. 


THE  LESLIE  E.  KEELEV  CO. 

Time  tests  the  merit  of  all  things,  and 
the  years  with  unerring  accuracy  set  their 
stamp  of  approval  upon  all  that  comes  be- 
fore the  public  notice,  or  cause  to  sink  into 
oblivion  that  which  is  not  worthy  of  atten- 
tion. Only  truth  is  eternal,  while  "error 
wounded,  writhes  in  pain  and  dies  among 
her  worshippers."  There  is  no  escape  from 
such  results;  the  ages  have  proven  this,  and 
the  law  will  hold  good  throughout  all  time. 


26 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


In  the  face  of  the  most  bitter  opposition 
tliere  was  given  to  the  world  a  wonderful 
discovery  by  Dr.  Leslie  E.  Keeley,  of 
Dwight,  Illinois.  He  early  met  the  ridicule 
and  persecution  of  the  medical  fraternity,  of 
which  he  was  a  member,  and  the  amused  and 
oftentimes  abusive  disbelief  of  the  world,  but 
time  proved  the  efficacy  and  vaUie  of  his 
discovery,  and  today  he  is  known  as  one 
of  the  greatest  benefactors  that  America 
produced  in  the  nineteenth  century. 

Although  the  founder  has  passed  away 
his  living  record  forms  an  epitaph  time  will 
never  efface,  and  the  work  he  created  is  con- 
tinued under  the  corporate  name  of  The 
Leslie  E.  Keeley  Company,  the  leading  mem- 
bers being  Major  Curtis  J.  Judd  and  John  R. 
Oughton,  the  latter  the  present  mayor  of 
Dwight,  while  the  former  for  several  years 
was  a  successful  merchant  and  filled  posi- 
tions in  the  e.xecutix'e  departments  of  the 
village.  The  history  of  the  Keeley  Insti- 
tute forms  the  most  important  chapter  in 
the  history  of  Dwight,  for  prior  to  its  es- 
tablishment the  little'  village  was  scarcely 
h^ard  of  outside  of  a  radius  of  a  few  miles, 
and  seemed  to  have  little  business  or  com- 
mercial prosperity  outside  of  the  farming 
industry  before  it.  Today  no  city  of  equal 
size  in  the  Union  is  as  widely  known. 

In  1866  Dr.  Leslie  E.  Keeley  was  grad- 
uated from  Rush  Medical  College,  of  Chi- 
cago, and  in  seeking  a  location,  determined 
upon  this  little  village  in  Livingston  county, 
Illinois.  He  soon  won  an  enviable  repu- 
tation, and  enjoyed  a  large  practice  which 
came  to  him  from  miles  around ;  but  while 
he  successfully  performed  his  daily  duties 
as  a  general  practitioner,  he  became  inter- 
ested in  the  cjuestion  of  a  possible  cure  for 
inebriety.  He  ga\-e  careful  thought,  study 
and  investigation  to  the  matter,  prompted  by 


a  love  of  scientific  research,  but  more  than 
all  by  the  great  humanitarian  principles 
which  ever  formed  a  basic  element  in  the 
character  of  Dr.  Keeley.  At  length  he  be- 
came convinced  that  drunkenness  was  a  dis- 
ease just  as  surely  as  a  fever  or  any  other 
disease  which  comes  under  the  care  of  the 
physician.  He  became  convinced  that  there 
was  nothing  in  the  claim  that  heredity  had 
anything  tu  do  with  either.  He  believed 
that  while  a  neurosis  might  be  entailed  upon 
descendants,  they  were  not  from  necessity 
liquor  or  drug  users.  He  defined  drunken- 
ness as  "a  conditon  wherein  the  nerve  cells 
have  become  so  accustomed  to  performing 
their  duties  and  functions  under  the  in- 
fluence of  alcohol  that  they  are  dependent  on 
it  and  will  no  longer  perform  those  duties 
and  functions  jjroperly  and  painlessly  e.x- 
cept  when  under  its  influence."  This 
theory  has  long  been  accepted  by  physicians 
throughout  the  country,  and  is  taught  in  the 
leading  text-books  on  physiology  and  hy- 
giene in  our  public  schools,  but  at  the  time 
Dr.  Keeley  advanced  it  he  met  with  the 
greatest  opposition  from  the  medical  frater- 
nity. Hoping  to  perfect  a  cure  for  this  con- 
dition of  the  nerve  cells,  he  wrote  to  several 
well-known  physicians  to  ascertain  what 
they  knew  about  the  effects  of  salts  of  gold. 
A  few  responded  and  their  information  was 
meager,  but  Dr.  Keeley  continued  to  investi- 
gate and  experiment,  and  as  a  result,  per- 
fected not  only  the  cure  but  the  system  of 
treatment.  1  he  storm  of  abuse  and  oppo- 
sition which  he  brought  down  upon  him- 
self can  hardly  be  imagined.  The  president 
of  a  prominent  medical  college,  with  whom 
he  took  counsel,  advised  him  thus :  "Main- 
tain the  secret  of  your  discovery  if  you 
think  it  of  use  to  humanity,  but  the  pro- 
fession will  not  leave  a  shred  of  your  medical 


Till-:    iUOCRArillCAL    RECORD. 


27 


reputation."  Tliis  was  painfully  true,  hut 
he  fought  his  and  humanity's  hattle  nohiy, 
imtil  now  tliousands  have  hecn  henctited  l)y 
Iiis  treatment,  the  number  reachini;-  nmre 
than  three  hundred  thousand. 

It  was  in  1880  that  Dr.  Keeley  ahamloned 
general  i)ractice  and  began  gi\ing  his  en- 
tire attention  to  the  cure  of  those  wlio  had 
become  slaves  to  alcohol,'  opium  and  other 
very  injurious  drugs.  He  early  associated 
with  him  Major  Judtl  and  Mr.  Oughlon.  iuu\ 
the  connection  was  maintained  until  the 
Doctor's  death.  These  gentleman  were 
prominent,  popular  and  reliable  business 
men  of  Dwight,  and  their  faith  in  Dr.  Kee- 
ley and  his  discoveries  did  much  to  gain  for 
him  the  confidence  of  his  home  comnnmit\'. 
Major  Judd  is  now  the  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  company,  and  Mr.  Oughton  is 
president  and  chemist.  Soon  after  the  part- 
nershi])  was  formed  Mr.  Oughlon  was  given 
the  f(jrmulae  and  being  an  e.xpert  chemist 
has  comi)ounded  the  Keeley  remedies  to  the 
l)resent  time. 

With  three  such  men  as  Dr.  Keeley.  Ma- 
jor Judd  and  Mr.  Oughton  at  the  head  of 
the  Institute  its  success  was  assured,  al- 
though it  was  almost  a  decade  before  it 
gained  the  recognition  and  assistance  of  the 
press.  (Gradually  pulilic  opijosition  was 
lessened,  as  those  who  came  to  the  Institute 
under  the  curse  of  inebriety  went  away  sober, 
intelligent  citizens,  ready  to  lake  their  places 
again  in  the  work  of  the  world.  Their  tes- 
timony and  influence  lead  to  the  u;rowth  of 
the  work,  the  luunber  of  patients  gradually 
yet  constantly  increased,  and  it  is  estimated 
that  twenty-five  thou.sand  t(jok  the  treatment 
])rior  to  1891,  when  J(jseph  Meilill  became 
its  champion  and  advocated  tiie  cause 
through  the  colmnns  of  the  Chicago  Tribune. 
Before  .so  doing,  however,  he  thoroughlv  in- 


vestigated the  cure.  In  an  editorial  in  the 
Chicago  Tribune  he  said:  "1  tested  this 
cure:  1  selected  a  half-dozen  of  the  toughest 
])roducts  of  alcoholi.sm  that  the  Chicago  sa- 
loons had  been  able  to  turn  out,  and  the 
drunkard-making  shops  in  no  other-city  can 
beat  them  in  their  line  of  workmanship.  The 
experimental  cases  were  .sent  down  to 
Dwight.  one  at  a  lime,  extending  over  a 
period  of  several  weeks,  and  in  due  time 
they  were  all  returned  to  me,  looking  as  if 
a  veritable  miracle  had  Ijeen  wrought  upon 
them.  The  change  for  the  better  was  so 
great  thai  I  scarcely  recognized  them.  They' 
went  away  .sots  and  returned  gentlemen.  It 
was  amazin.g,  and  coinerted  me  to  a  belief 
in  the  cfticacx  of  the  "(jold  Cure'  for  alco- 
holism and  opium.  Well,  I  did  not  stop 
with  the  half-dozen  specially  selected  cases, 
but  sent  down  to  Dwight  a  number  of  ine- 
briate ac(iuainlauces  to  take  the  treatment, 
as  I  was  anxious  to  reclaim  those  old  friends 
who  had  been  res])ected  and  useful  citizens 
before  the  'drink  liabii'  had  ruined  their 
li\es.  When  1  had  thus  become  fully  con- 
vinced that  drunkenness  was  a  disease,  the 
result  of  imbibing  poison,  and  that  a  mcfli- 
cine  had  been  discov'ered  which  releasetl  the 
\  ictim  from  the  irrepressible  thirst  for  alco- 
hol, and  that  it  rest()red  the  man  to  normal 
health  of  bodv  and  mind,  I  felt  it  to  be  a 
duty  which  I  owed  to  humanilv  to  make 
known  the  virtue  of  the  Keeley  Cure  as  fast 
antl  as  far  as  in  mv  power,  and  I  rejoice  that 
the  control  of  a  widely-read  journal  enabled 
me  to  reach  the  minds  of  a  multitude  of  in- 
telligent people.  I  opened  the  columns  of 
my  i)aper  freely  to  the  rescued  victims  (jf  al- 
cohol, who  related  their  experience  and  tes- 
tified to  what  the  Keeley  Cure  hafl  done  for 
them."  The  Tribune's  exam])Ie  was  imme- 
diately   followed    by    that   of   other    leading 


28 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


journals  in  Chicago,  and  then  throughout 
the  country,  until  the  Keeley  Institute  of 
Dwiglit  became  largely  known  throughout 
the  length  and  breadth  of  the  lau 

Jt  was  soon  found  that  the  accommoda- 
tions at  Dwight  were  totally  inadequate,  so 
greatly  did  the  number  of  patients  increase. 
Dr.  Keeley,  Major  Judd  and  Mr.  Oughton 
lield  consultation  and  it  was  determined  that 
the  congestion  at  Dwight  should  be  relieved 
at  once  by  the  openiing  of  branch  institutes. 
The  first  one  was  established  at  Des  ^Moines, 
Iowa,  soon  others  were  started  in  New  \  ork 
and   Pennsylvania,   and   after  this   branches 
sprang  up  in  various  places  until  at  the  pres- 
ent time  there  are  one  or  more  in  nearly  eve-\- 
state  and  territory.     The  most  notable  work 
perliaps   was   accomplished   at   the   Lea\-er.- 
worth    branch  of    the    National    Soldiers" 
Home,  where  nearly  fifteen  hundred  \eter- 
ans  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  were  treated 
with  the  most  gratifying  results,  and  the  re- 
port of  the  board  of  managers  to  congress 
and  the  secretary  of  war  spoke  of  the  great 
good    accomplished.        The    treatment    was 
also  administered  in  the  Soldiers"  Home  at 
Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  Hampton,  Virginia, 
Los  Angeles,   California,   and  others,  Avith 
excellent   results.     ]Many   men   and    officers 
of  the   regular   army   have   also   taken   the 
treatment,  sixty  Indians  from  the  Cherokee 
and    Osage   reservations   were   sent   to    the 
branch  in  Kansas  Citv,  and  the  results  were 
so  favorable  to  the  cure  as  to  prompt  the 
writing  of  a  letter  by  Chief  Justice  Connor, 
of  the  Indian  Territory,  to  Dr.  Keeley,  prais- 
ing the  treatment  in  the  highest  terms.  Sixty- 
ii\e  men  in  tlie  work-house  of  Minneapi.ilis 
were  sent  by  the  mayor  of  that  cit\'  to  the 
branch  institute  there,  and  a  large  majority 
of  them,  although  they  had  been  \'ictims  of 
inebriety,    convicted    from   two    to    twenty- 


nine  times,  were  enabled  to  leave  the  work- 
house, and  were  changed  from  wards  of  the 
state  to  self-supporting,  self-respecting  citi- 
zens. To  cite,  either  collectxely  or  indi- 
xidually,  the  wonderful  ciu'es  effected  by 
the  SN'stem  inaugurated  by  Dr.  Keeley  would 
fill  a  large  \-olume ;  suffice  it  to  say  that 
more  than  three  hundred  thousand  have 
taken  the  cure,  and  the  greater  number  have 
remained  sober,  useful  citizens. 

The  cure  for  drunkenness  is  usually  ef- 
fected in  four  weeks.  1  here  is  no  sickness 
attendant  upon  the  treatment,  and 'the  phys- 
ical condition  impro\es  from  the  start.  Men 
are  also  freed  from  the  opium,  morphine, 
laudanum,  cocaine  and  chli>ral  habits.  The 
patients  are  left  absolutely  free,  there  being 
ri(j  restraining  influences  other  than  those 
of  law-abiding  citizenship.  All  patients 
are  treated  alike  and  stand  on  the  same 
footing.  It  is  interesting  to  note  the  many 
exhibitions  of  kindness  and  good  will  of 
the  patients  towards  each  other.  A  useful 
lesson  is  ta:ught  by  this  democracy  of  the 
Keeley  Institute — a  man  of  humble  station 
is  lifted  up  and  given  a  new  trend,  whereas 
a  man  of  high  position  is  convinced  more 
than  ever  of  the  leveling  qualities  of  drink 
toward  the  lowest  strata  of  society. 

The  Livingston  Hotel  of  Dwight  is 
owned  and  conducted  by  the  Leslie  E.  Kee- 
ley Company,  and  is  an  excellently  conducted 
hostelry,  with  pleasantly  arranged  rooms, 
well  lighted  and  ventilated,  and  tastefully 
furnished.  The  laboratory  is  one  of  the 
finest  and  best  equipped  in  the  country,  and 
the  offices  are  models  of  convenience. 

Dwight  certainly  owes  her  prosperity 
in  \-erv  large  measure  to  the  Leslie  E.  Kee- 
ley Company.  Prior  to  the  establishment 
of  the  institute  it  was  an  ordinary  country 
town,  without  electric  lights,  without  water- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


29 


works  and  without  drainage.  Today  it  has 
all  the  accommodations  and  improvements 
of  cities  many  times  its  size,  this  result  being 
largely  obtained  through  the  efforts  of  the 
members  of  the  Keeley  Company.  Jt  is 
safe  to  say  that  no  private  institution  in  the 
entire  country  is  so  well  known  as  the  insti- 
tute at  Dwight,  nor  is  there  one  whose  in- 
fluence and  efforts  ha\e  been  so  beneficial 
and  far  reaching. 

The  business  of  the  Leslie  E.  Keeley 
Cnmpan\-  is  conducted  upon  a  liberal  prin- 
ciple and  most  approved  business  methods. 
']  he  sNstem  is  the  result  of  years  of  expe- 
rience and  intelligent  work,  and  cannot  be 
improved  upon.  Visitors  to  Dwight  inva- 
riably inspect  the  general  ofifices  as  one  of 
the  sights  of  the  village.  While  it  has  been 
a  paying  investment  to  its  owners,  it  cer- 
tainly deserves  to  be  ranked  among  the 
greatest  institutions  for  good  that  the  nine- 
teenth centurv  has  known. 


.MATTHIAS  TO.MBAL'GH. 

Matthias  Tumbaugh,  deceased,  was  one 
of  the  most  prominent  of  the  early  educators 
of  this  county,  and  served  as  county  super- 
intendent of  schools  for  several  years,  dur- 
ing which  time  there  was  a  marked  im- 
l)rovement  made  in  the  educational  sys- 
tem then  in  vogue  here.  He  was  born  near 
Washington,  Washington  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, June  II,  1835,  and  there  grew  to 
manhood.  His  parents  were  Mathias  aiul 
Rachel  (Spohn)  Tombaugh,  life-long  resi- 
dents of  that  county  and  of  German  descent. 
The  mother  survived  her  husband  several 
years,  dying  about   1890. 

Our  subject  completed  his  literary  edu- 


cation at  Mt.  Union  College,  and  then  com- 
menced teaching  school  in  his  native  county, 
serving  as  superintendent  of  schools  at 
Monongahela  City  for  a  time.  While  there 
he  married  Miss  Elivira  J.  Lethern'ian.  who 
was  born  lune  1 1,  1838,  a  daughter  of  John 
ami  Christina  Lethermaii.  of  Washington 
county,  Pennsylvania,  ami  nf  German  de- 
scent. Her  father  was  a  soldier  of  the  war 
of  181J,  and  a  fanner  by  occupation.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  TomlKuigh  were  born  seven 
children,  ti\e  of  whom  are  still  living,  name- 
ly: Charles  K.,  who  is  represented  on  an- 
other page  of  this  volume;  Alice  I.,  wife  of 
E.  F.  Pound,  of  Glen  Elder,  Kansas ;  Dr. 
Frank  M.,  medical  examiner  for  the  Chi- 
cago, Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  at 
Burlington,  Iowa;  Nettie  Z.,  wife  of  W.  V. 
Worthley,  of  Odell,  Illinois";  and  John  L., 
a  student  in  the  Chicago  Medical  College. 
Raymond  R.,  the  third  in  order  of  birth, 
died  June  25,  1886,  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
years.  Horace  Rcicl,  the  tifih  child  died 
in  infancy. 

In  1865  Mr.  Tombaugh  came  to  Living- 
ston county,  Illinois,  and  purchased  land  in 
Reading  t(jwnship,  when  this  country  was 
(|uite  new  and  but  slightly  improved.  Af- 
ter making  his  home  there  for  three  years 
he  moved  to  Sunbury  township  and  bought 
another  farm.  While  living  there  he  served 
as  principal  of  the  schools  of  Odell  for  one 
year,  and  in  18873  ^^'^^  elected  county  su- 
])erintendent  of  scht/ols,  which  important 
])osition  he  held  until  i88j,  the  term  at  that 
time  being  four  years.  While  in  office  a 
change  was  made  in  the  election  laws  and 
he  was  elected  by  the  board  of  supervisors 
for  one  year.  During  his  incumbency  he 
made  many  important  changes  in  the  schools 
which  have  been  of  permanent  \alue.  and  it 
is    conceded    that  he  was  a  verv    effective 


3° 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


scliool  officer.  Selling  his  farm  in  Sun- 
bury  township,  in  1876,  he  bought  property 
in  Odell  township,  and  successfully  en- 
gaged in  farming  there  u])  to  the  time  of 
his  death. 

After  1882  Mr.  Tombaugh  served  as  su- 
pervisor of  his  township  and  was  also  a 
member  of  the  Odell  school  board.  He 
was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  held  membership  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  took  an  active  part 
in  its  work.  He  served  as  superintendent  of 
the  Sunday  schools  twelve  years ;  was  presi- 
dent of  the  County  Sunday  School  Associa- 
tion ;  and  was  also  steward,  trustee  and 
church  secretary,  in  fact  was  one  of  the  pil- 
lars of  his  church.  While  one  of  a  fishing 
party  at  ]\Iarseilles.  Illinois,  May  13,  1887, 
he  was  drowned  while  attempting  to  rescue 
another  member  of  the  party  who  had  fallen 
in  the  ri\-er.  He  was  highly  respected  and 
esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him  on  accoimt 
of  his  sterling  worth  antl  true  nobility  of 
character,  and  his  death  was  widely  and 
deeply  mourned.  His  estimable  wife  still 
survives  him  and  makes  her  home  in  Odell. 


CHARLES  R.  TOMBAUGH. 

Charles  R.  Tombaugh,  the  present  counts- 
superintendent  of  schools,  was  born  near 
AVashington,  Washington  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, October  i,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of  Mat- 
tliias  and  Elvira  J.  (Letherman)  Tom- 
liaugh,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears  on  another 
page  of  this  work.  He  was  about  three 
vears  old  when  brought  by  his  parents  to 
Livingston  comity,  Illinois.  He  began  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  Sunburv  town- 


ship, later  attended  the  common  cIuk.iIs  of 
Odell  and  then  taught  school  for  fi\e  win- 
ters in  this  comity,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  entered  the  Northwestern  Unixersity  at 
Evanston,  Illinois.  After  his  return  "home 
he  resumed  teaching  and  taught  for  six 
years,  during  which  time  -he  was  principal 
of  the  East  Side  School  at  Dwight,  and  also 
])rincipal  of  the  schools  at  Chebanse  and 
Odell.  While  at  Odell  he  was  president  of 
the  Li\'ingston  County  Teachers'  Associa- 
ti<.)n  for  two  years,  and  also  an  instructor 
in  the  County  Teachers'  Institute.  After 
the  death  of  his  father,  in  1S87,  he  took 
charge  of  the  home  farm  and  carried  it  on 
until  he  assumed  the  duties  of  his  present 
position  as  county  superintendent  of  schools. 
He  was  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket, 
and  in  1898  was  renominated  by  acclama- 
tion and  again  elected  to  that  office.  The 
educational  meetings  held  during  his  term 
have  been  most  successful,  and  he  has  the 
entire  confidence  and  respect  of  the  people. 

On  his  election  to  his  present  office  Pro- 
fessor Tombaugh  moved  to  Ponliac,  and 
now  has  a  pleasant  home  at  No.  311  South 
Vermilion  street.  On  the  20th  of  January, 
1892,  he  married  Mrs.  Anna  L.  Bradrick, 
a  daughter  of  Rev.  Samuel  Deach,  of  the 
Central  Illinois  Methodist  Episcopal  con- 
ference. Re\-.  and  Mrs.  Deach  were  in 
Kansas  for  a  time  on  account  of  his  health, 
and  Mrs.  Tombaugh  was  educated  in  Sa- 
lina,  that  state.  By  a  former  marriage  she 
has  one  child,  Margaret  L.  Bradrick,  and 
she  has  borne  our  subject  three  children: 
Alice  v.,  Glen  D.  and  Stella  M. 

Professor  Tombaugh  was  ma<le  a  Ma- 
son in  Odell  Lodge,  No.  401,  F.  &  A.  M.. 
in  which  he  served  as  warden,  but  has  since 
(lemitted  to  Pontiac  lodge.  No.  2c)4,  where 
he  is  now  sering  his   fourth  year  as  mas- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


31 


ter.  Bcitli  he  an<l  liis  wife  are  acti\e  nieiii- 
liers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  cluirdi.  and 
lie  is  now  a  member  of  the  offical  hoard  of 
the  churcii  and  president  of  the  Livingston 
County  Sunday  School  Association.  While 
a  resident  uf  Dwight.  Chehanse  and  Oilell. 
he  was  su]ierintendent  of  the  Sunda\-  schimls 
there,  having  like  his  father  devoted  much 
time  to  Sunday  school  work.  He  has  fol- 
lowed clnsely  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father, 
having  held  practically  all  of  the  local, 
county  and  cluuxh  offices  held  l>y  the  latter. 
As  a  citizen  he  ever  stands  ready  to  dis- 
charge any  duty  devolving  upon  him.  and 
as  an  educator  he  stands  dcservcdK-  hii;h. 


EMILK  A.  SIM.MOXS. 

1  he  man  who  achieves  success  in  the  le 
gal  profession  is  even  more  strictly  the  "ar- 
chitect of  his  own  fortunes"  than  is  the 
average  self-made  man.  there  being  in  the 
keen  competition  of  the  lawyer's  life,  with 
its  constantly  recurring  mental  duel  be- 
tween eager  and  determined  antagonists,  no 
chance  fur  the  operatinn  df  influences  which 
may  be  called  to  the  aid  uf  the  merchant,  the 
manufacturer  or  the  financier,  .\mong  the 
men  of  Livingston  count\'  who  ha\e  demon- 
strated their  abilites  in  this  difficult  field 
Emile  A.  Simmons  holds  a  leading  place, 
being  one  of  the  jjroiuinent  attorneys  of 
Pontiac. 

A  native  of  Illinois.  Mr.  Simmons  was 
born  in  Avon,  October  19,  1865,  and  is  a 
son  of  (ieorge  and  Charlotte  L.  J.  (  Mail- 
liard )  Simmons.  The  father  was  born, 
reared  and  educated  in  Hamilton.  Madison 
county.  Xew  York,  and  as  a  young  man 
removed  to  .Avon.  Illinois,  about  iS^o.  where 


he  followed  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  also 
engaged  in  farming,  making  his  home  there 
until  his  death.  He  held  different  local 
offices,  includmg  those  of  justice  of  the 
])eace,  assessor  and  collector,  and  was  a  Re- 
])ublican  in  jjolitics.  having  been  an  aboli- 
tionist in  .\'ew  N'ork.  His  father  was  a 
soldier  of  the  war  of  iSij.  and  a  life-long 
resident  of  Hamilton.  Xew  ^'ork.  where  he 
followed  the  occujiation  of  fariuing.  The 
lUiHher  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Elor- 
ence,  Italv.  of  French  parentage,  and  was 
reared  in  I'rance  until  twelve  years  of  age, 
when  she  came  to  America  with  her  family 
and  settled  in  .\vou.  Illinois.  Her  father 
was  Ely  Mailliard.  She  is  still  living,  but 
the  father  of  our  suliject  died  in  ]Hi)j. 

During  his  boyhood  and  youth  I'^mile  .\. 
Simmons  attended  the  ])ublic  schools  of 
.\von.  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  commenced 
teaching,  .\fter  following  that  profession 
for  six  years,  he  became  a  student  at  the 
Xormal  School  in  X'ormal,  Illinois,  and  af- 
ter leaving  that  institution  again  taught 
school  for  two  years,  being  princi])al  of  the 
school  at  Vermont,  Illinois.  In  December, 
i88q,  he  came  to  Pontiac  and  entered  the 
office  of  A.  C.  r.all.  studying  law  with  him 
two  years,  and  also  teaching  the  latter  year. 
The  following  year  he  was  in  the  office  of 
Mcllduff  &  Torrance,  and  in  May.  1892, 
was  appointed  deput\-  circuit  clerk.  While 
in  that  position  seeing  the  practice  of  lead- 
ing lawyers  was  of  great  benefit  to  him.  In 
August.  1892,  he  was  examined  at  Mt.  \'er- 
non  by  the  judges  of  tlie  appellate  court, 
and  a  certificate  issued  at  the  next  session  of 
the  supreme  court  at  that  place  the  follow- 
ing Xovember.  In  December  he  left  the 
clerk's  office  and  entered  the  oftice  of  Mr. 
Mcllduff.  remaining  with  him  until  .Vugust, 
18(^4.  when  he  o])ened  an  otiice  of  his  own. 


32 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


He  is  now  successfully  engaged  in  practice 
before  all  the  courts  of  the  state. 

On  the  31st  of  December,  1894,  Mr. 
Simmons  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Katherine  M.  Smith,  of  Avon,  a  daughter 
of  P.  H.  Smith,  and  to  them  has  been  born 
one  child,  Louise  A.  They  hold  member- 
ship in  St.  Hilary's  Catholic  church,  of  Pon- 
tiac,  and  fraternally  Mr.  Simmons  is  a 
member  of  Crescent  Lodge,  K.  P.,  is  clerk 
of  the  Camp,  I\I.  ^\'.  A.,  of  Pontiac,  and  is 
president  of  the  Pontiac  Colony  Pioneer  Re- 
serve Association.  He  is  also  director  and 
treasurer  of  associated  charities  of  Pontiac. 
tor  some  time  he  has  been  secretary  of  the 
Pontiac  Loan  &  Building  Association — a 
home  loan  building  concern,  whose  assets 
amount  to  one  hundred  and  twelve  thou- 
sand dollars.  He  is  also  a  luember  of  the 
company.  By  his  ballot  he  supports  the  men 
and  measures  of  the  Republican  part}',  and 
takes  an  active  and  prominent  pait  in  local 
politics.  He  still  retains  an  interest  in  edu- 
cational aitairs,  and  in  April,  1900,  was 
elected  to  the  Pontiac  township  high  school 
board.  He  is  also  serving  his  second  term 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
Pontiac  public  library,  receiving  his  appoint- 
ment from  the  mayor,  and  as  a  progressive 
and  public-spirited  citizen,  he  takes  a  deep 
interest  in  every  enterprise  calculated  to  ad- 
A-ance  the  UKjral,  social  and  educational  wel- 
fare of  his  communitv. 


COLONEL  FRAXK  L.  SMITH. 

Colonel  Frank  L.  Smith,  of  Governor 
Tanner's  staff,  is  one  of  the  leaders  of  the 
Republican  party  in  Livingston  cnuntv,  his 
large  acquaintance    and    unbounded  popu- 


larity giving  him  an  influential  following, 
while  his  shrewd  judgment  of  men  and  af- 
fairs make  his  counsel  of  value  in  all  im- 
portant movements.  In  business  circles  he 
also  takes  a  foremost  rank,  his  success  as  a 
real  estate  dealer  being  all  the  more  notable 
from  the  fact  that  it  has  been  secured  by  his 
own  judicious  management. 

This  prominent  citizen  of  Dwight,  a 
member  of  the  well-known  firm  of  Romber- 
ger  &  Smith,  was  born  in  that  citv  Xovem- 
ber  24,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  J.  and 
Jane  E.  (Ketcham)  Smith,  natives  of  Ger- 
many and  New  York,  respectively.  The 
father  was  only  four  years  old  when  brought 
to  America  by  his  parents,  who  located  in 
Pennsylvania,  but  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he 
came  to  Dwight,  Illinois,  which  continued 
to  be  his  home  until  1891,  when  he  removed 
to  Chicago,  where  he  died  in  1894.  His 
Avife  (lied  nine  years  previous.  In  their 
family  were  three  children. 

Colonel  Smith  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Dwight,  and 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  taught  school  in 
Round  Grove  township  for  about  one  year, 
after  which  he  accepted  a  position  in  the 
freight  department  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
Railroad  at  Dwight,  remaining  with  them  ii; 
a  clerical  capacity  about  four  vears.  In 
1887  he  went  to  Chicago  and  acceiited  n 
similar  position  with  the  Rock  Island  Rail- 
road, being  located  at  the  Englewood  sta- 
tion two  years.  Subsequently  he  ser\-ed  as 
cashier  with  P.  H.  Bolton  &  Company,  c^im- 
mission  merchants  on  South  ^^'ater  street, 
Chicago,  until  1890,  when  he  returned  to 
Dwight  and  entered  into  partnership  with 
W.  H.  Ketcham  in  the  real  estate  and  loan 
business.  W'hen  that  firm  was  dissolved 
April  I,  1895,  Colonel  Smith  became  con- 
nectetl  in  business  with  C.  L.  Roniberoer  un- 


THIC    BlOGKAPlllCAL    KKCURIX 


33 


der  the  name  of  Romberger  &  Sinitli.  their 
specialty  being  real  estate  and  real  estate 
work,  although  they  do  a  private  banking 
business  for  the  accommodation  of  friends 
and  acquaintances.  Without  question  the 
firm  does  one  of  the  largest  loan  and  real  es- 
tate businesses  in  central  Illinois,  this  fact 
being  conceded  by  all  other  firms  in  their 
line.  At  present  they  are  extensively  inter- 
ested in  Mississippi  and  Louisiana  lands. 
Their  holdings  in  the  latter  state  are  tim- 
ber lands,  which  the  firm  purchased  with  the 
view  of  enhancing  their  \alue,  and  in  Jan- 
uary, 1900,  they  sold  one  tract  of  twelve 
thousand  acres  in  Madison  pari.sh.  This  is 
desiralile  property,  being  accessible  to  steam- 
boats and  the  \'icksburg,  Shreveport  &  Pa- 
cific Railroad.  The  Mississippi  land  is  in 
the  Delta  country,  and  is  also  covered  witii 
hard  wood  timber,  principally  oak,  pecan  and 
gum.  When  cleared  this  will  become  ex- 
cellent cotton  land.  Besides  this  property, 
the  firm  has  about  fifteen  hundred  acres  of 
fine  farming  land  in  Lee  county,  Illinois, 
which  is  well  improved  and  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  and  also  operate  largely 
in  Iowa  and  Indiana  lands. 

On  the  8th  of  February.  1893.  ^I"". 
Smith  was  united  in  marriage  with  iMiss 
Erminie  Ahern,  of  Dwight,  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Margaret  Ahern.  who  are  at  pres- 
ent living  in  Ogden,  L'tah.  Mrs.  Sniitii  is 
a  member  of  St.  Patrick's  Catholic  church, 
of  Dwight,  and  the  Colonel  belongs  to  He- 
bron lodge,  Xo.  j^.  K.  P.,  and  Dwight 
Camp,  iM.  W.  A.  Since  attaining  his  ma- 
jority he  has  affiliated  with  the  Republican 
party,  and  has  taken  a  very  active  and  promi- 
nent part  in  political  affairs,  always  attend- 
ing the  county  conventions  and  serving  as 
a  delegate  to  the  state  conventions  tiiree 
times.     In  the  spring  of  1900  he  was  offered 


the  nomination  for  state  senator  on  his  party 
ticket,  but  would  not  accept  on  account  of 
his  business  interests,  though  the  nonfina- 
tion  was  equivalent  to  an  election  in  his  dis- 
trict, which  is  strongly  Republican.  Early 
in  his  career  he  served  as  city  clerk  in 
Dwight.  but  since  then  he  has  never  been 
prevailed  upon  to  accejH  office.  In  January, 
1897.  he  was  appointed  coLmel  on  Governor 
Tanner's  staff,  and  in  that  capacity  has  par- 
ticipated in  many  important  functions,  being 
present  at  the  inauguration  of  President  Mc- 
Kinley  at  Washington.  D.  C.  in  March, 
1897:  the  unveiling  of  the  Grant  monument 
at  Xew  York;  the  unveiling  of  Logan's 
monument  at  Chicago ;  the  christening  of  the 
battleship  Illinois  at  Newport  Xews,  Vir- 
ginia; and  the  dedication  of  the  Illinois 
iiiniiument  at  Chattanooga,  Tennessee. 


HOX.  XELSOX  J.  MVER. 

There  are  in  every  community  men 
of  great  force  of  character  and  exceptional 
ability,  who  by  reason  of  their  capacity  for 
leadership  become  recognized  as  foremost 
citizens,  and  take  a  very  important  i)art  in 
public  affairs.  Such  a  man  is  Mr.  Myer, 
who  is  now  so  efficiently  surving  as  superin- 
tendent of  the  Livingston  county  farm  in 
Eppards   Point  township. 

He  was  born  in  that  townshi[).  July  30, 
185 1,  and  is  a  son  of  Judge  Eli  Myer,  who 
was  born  ami  reared  in  Marvland.  and  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  years  moved  to  Licking 
county,  Ohio,  locating  near  Xewark.  There 
he  married,  and  continued  to  make  it  his 
home  until  after  the  birth  i^f  several  of  his 
children.  In  1850  he  came  to  Livingston 
county,  Illinois,  and  purchased  a  tract  of 
raw    laml   in    Eppards    Point    township,    to 


34 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


the  cultivatiim  and  iniprdNement  o\  whicli 
he  at  once  turned  liis  attention.  Later  he 
bought  more  land  and  at  <Hie  time  ownetl 
five  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he 
l^laced  under  a  high  state  of  cultixation  and 
improved  witii  a  good  set  of  farm  l)uilchngs. 
He  was  a  man  of  good  business  ab!Hty.  and 
was  one  of  tlie  most  prominent  and  intluen- 
tial  citizens  of  his  community,  being  called 
upon  t(i  serve  as  associate  judge,  and  town- 
ship treasurer  and  clerk  for  some  years  each. 
He  died  upon  the  old  home  place  December 
28,  1868.  and  his  wife  passed  awav  June  t. 

1875- 

Xelson  J.  Alyer  grew  to  manhood  upon 
the  farm  and  attended  the  local  schols,  but 
the  knowledge  there  acquired  has  been 
greatly  supplemented  by  reading  and  study 
in  later  years.  Eor  some  time  he  and  his 
brother  operated  the  old  homestead  together, 
and  in  1875  Air.  Aloyer  purchased  eighty 
acres  in  sections  21  and  16,  on  which  he 
lived  and  there  made  his  home  until  1895, 
when  he  took  charge  of  the  Li\ingston 
count}-  farm.  He  has  been  \ery  successful 
in  the  management  of  this  place,  and  has 
gained  an  enxiable  reputation  as  one  of  its 
most  efficient  superintendents.  When  he 
took  charge  of  the  farm  it  had  fifty-one  in- 
mates, but  the  numlier  has  since  been  in- 
creased to  eighty-four,  which  includes  a 
number  of  insane,  old  and  decrepit  persons. 
In  the  management  of  the  place  and  the 
care  of  the  inmates,  he  has  been  greatly  as- 
sisted by  his  estimable  wife. 

In  this  county,  December  17,  1S71,  Mr. 
Myer  married  Miss  Helen  E.  McElhiney. 
who  was  born  in  Green  county.  Wisconsin, 
but  was  reared  and  educated  in  Stephenson 
county.  Illinois.  Her  father  was  James 
McElhiney.  To  our  subject  and  his  wife 
liave  been  l)orn  two  children:      Xelson   D.. 


who  is  attending  the  Pontiac  High  School, 
and  James  O..  a  student  in  the  home  school. 
In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Myer  is  a 
pronounced  Republican,  and  cast  his  first 
presidential  vote  for  General  L'.  S.  Grant 
in  1872.  He  has  taken  a  very  active  and 
prominent  part  in  political  affairs,  and  has 
been  electeil  to  several  offices,  serving  as 
township  ct)llector  several  vears,  and  was 
justice  of  the  peace  f(jr  eight  \ears  from 
1876.  In  1 881  he  was  elected  supervisor, 
and  filled  that  office  continuously  f(.ir  ten 
years,  during  which  time  he  was  chairman 
of  a  numl)er  of  important  committees.  He 
was  elected  to  the  state  legislature  in  1888, 
and  so  acceptably  did  he  fill  that  office  that 
he  was  re  elected  for  another  term,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  committees  on  state 
instituti(_nis.  re\enue  and  others.  In  1893 
he  was  again  elected  supervisor,  was  re- 
elected two  years  later  and  made  chairman 
of  the  county  board.  He  resigned  that 
office  to  accejit  his  present  position  as  su- 
l)erintendent  of  the  county  farm.  His  ofti- 
cial  duties  have  always  been  discharged  with 
a  fidelity  and  promptness  worthy  of  the 
highest  commendation,  and  he  is  today  one 
of  the  best-known  and  most  popular  citizens 
of  the  county.  Religiously  both  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Center  Methodist 
Episco^jal  church. 


CHRISTOPHER  W.  STERRV. 

Christopher  W.  Sterry,  of  Pontiac,  was 
l)orn  in  Somerset  county,  Maine.  August  12, 
iS2b.  His  father,  Samuel  Sterry.  also  a 
nati\e  of  Maine,  was  born  in  1782,  married 
Hannah  Harding,  in  1807.  and  served 
through  the  war  of  1812.  dying  at  his  home 
in  Somerset  county  in   1827.  when  Christo- 


C.  W.  STERRY. 


THE    LULK.kAl'HlCAl,    KECORI). 


37 


plier  was  less  than  one  year  nld.  The  pater- 
nal grandfather,  David  Sterry.  was  one  of 
the  heroes  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  and 
dieil  at  his  iionie  in  Maine  at  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty-eight  years  and  eight  months. 
The  mother,  Hannah  Harding  Sterry, 
\vas  a  devoted  Christian  woman.  She  was 
born  in  1788,  and  died  in  Maine  in  1871, 
when  eightv-two  years  old.  At  the  death 
of  her  husband  she  was  left  with  five  sons, 
the  eiilest  less  than  eighteen  years  old  and 
tlic  youngest,  Christopiier,  not  a  year  old. 
to  face  the  stern  realities  of  life  with  but 
scant  means  of  supix)rt.  The  devoted 
mother,  after  a  heroic  struggle  for  several 
years  In  keep  her  family  of  boys  together, 
found  it  necessary  to  find  homes  for  them. 
1  bus  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  when  but 
eight  years  of  age,  was  placed  among 
strangers,  where  he  remained  under  harsh 
treatment  and  bard  work,  and  but  few  op- 
portunities for  sciiool  privileges  for  four 
years,  when  lie  could  endure  it  no  longer, 
and  ran  away.  When  fifteen  be  worked 
si.x  months  for  twenty-fi\e  dollars,  and  at 
eighteen  he  went  intu  Massachusetts  and 
commenced  wurk  at  twelve  dollars  and  a 
half  per  montii  on  a  farm.  Then  he  be- 
came engaged  in  manufacturing  business, 
in  which  he  continued  until  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois in  1852,  and  located  in  Chicago,  where 
be  remained  four  years,  having  charge  of  the 
stone  sawing  works  of  A.  S.  Sherman  & 
Company.  In  1856  be  was  engaged  as 
bookkeeper  of  the  Sheffield  Mining  &  Trans- 
portation Company,  of  Sheffield,  Bureau 
county.  It  was  in  this  year.  1856,  that  Mr. 
Sterry  came  into  Livingston  county  and 
settled  in  Ksmen  township,  where  he  bought 
a  farm  of  one  lumdred  and  si.xty  acres  of 
raw  i)rairie  land,  seven  miles  north  of  Pon- 
tiac.     This  be  improved,  erecting  buildings 


and  making  of  it  a  jileasant  home,  on  which 
be  lived  for  many  years,  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising.  During  this  time  be 
added  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  to 
the  homestead,  which  he  still  retains  in  the 
highest  degree  of  cultivation,  and  became 
jjossessed  of  large  business  interests  and 
prftperty  holdings  in  Xew  Orleans,  Louis- 
iana. The  latter  re(iuired  so  much  atten- 
tion that  he  left  bis  farm  in  1884  and  moved 
into  Pontiac.  Securing  one  of  the  finest  lo- 
cations in  the  city  on  tlie  north  bank  of  pic- 
tures(|ue  \'ermillion.  Mr.  Sterry  erected  on 
it  one  of  the  most  elegant  modern  residences 
in  Pontiac.  It  is  located  on  East  Water 
street,  in  the  midst  of  spacious  grounds  ex- 
tending back  to  the  river,  and  is  shaded  by 
grand  old  oaks  and  native  forest  trees.  Here 
be  makes  his  home,  though  bu.siness  as  well 
as  comfort  calls  him  south  during  the  win- 
ter months. 

Soon  after  becoming  a  citizen  of  Pon- 
tiac, Mr.  Sterry  became  identified  with  the 
business  interests  of  the  city,  first  by  es- 
tablishing the  jewelry,  drug,  book  and  wall 
paper  firm  of  John  S.  Murphy  &  Company. 
.\  little  later  be  was  one  of  the  principal  or-  ' 
ganizers  of  the  Pontiac  Slioe  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  which  was  incorporated  in 
1889,  taking  one-third  of  the  stock  and  fur- 
nishing financial  backing  to  a  much  greater 
extent.  He  has  been  a  director  and  presi- 
dent of  the  company  from  its  organization. 
It  is  the  chief  industry  of  Pontiac,  and  is 
consi<lered  a  prime  factor  in  itsprosperityand 
growth.  Starting  up  in  October,  1889,  it 
has  grown  to  a  capacity  of  two  thousand 
pairs  of  shoes  per  day,  and  furnishes  em- 
jiloyment  to  three  hundred  men  and  women, 
the  majority  of  whom  are  skilleil  workmen. 
The  product  of  the  factory  is  disposed  of 
throughout  the  territory  from  Ohio  to  the 


38 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Pacific  coast  on  tlie  west  and  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  on  the  south. 

In  1897  Mr.  Sterry  purchased  Ri\-erside 
Park,  adjoining  the  city  on  the  east,  and 
almost  encircled  by  the  \'erniilliim  river. 
shaded  by  stately  native  forest  trees,  thus 
securing-  its  use  for  the  Pontiac  Chautauqua 
Association,  which  he  assisted  in  organizing, 
and  in  which  he  was  the  largest  stockholder. 
He  is  also  largely  interested  in  the  Pontiac 
State  Bank,  of  which  he  has  been  director 
and  \ice-president  since  its  organization. 
\Miile  he  does  not  give  special  attention  to 
the  details  of  this  business,  yet  the  mere 
fact  of  his  connection  with  its  has  served 
to  increase  the  confidence  of  the  business 
community  in  its  conservative  management. 
He  is  also  president  and  largest  stockholder 
of  the  Riverside  Irrigation  Company,  of 
Idaho,  which  controls  some  fifteen  thousand 
acres  of  arable  land  in  that  state.  About 
thirtv  miles  of  canal  have  been  constructed 
and  is  in  operation  for  irrigation  purposes. 
In  1899  he  erected  the  four-story  office 
building  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Court 
House  square.  It  is  known  as  the  Sterry 
block,  and  will  tloubtless  be  a  landmark  for 
years  to  come  as  its  equal  has  not  appeared 
in  any  city  the  size  of  Pontiac.  It  fronts 
eiglity  feet  on  Washington  street  and  one 
hundred  feet  on  South  Mill  street,  and  is 
four  stories  above  the  basement.  It  con- 
sists of  two  stores  and  the  Pontiac  Stale 
Bank  lielnw.  and  of  sixty  suites  of  offices 
a!)o\e,  which  are  made  accessible  by  an  elec- 
tric-power passenger  elevator,  heated  In- 
steam  and  supplied  with  city  water  and  with 
electric  lighting. 

As  a  citizen  Mr.  Sterry  has  ever  been 
ready  to  accept  the  responsibilities  and  per- 
form his  duty  in  the  most  conscientious  way. 
\\'hile  as  a  matter  of  choice  he  would  ha\-e 


avoided  the  cares  of  public  office,  yet  he  has 
served  many  years  in  various  official  posi- 
tions. In  Esmen  township  he  served  as 
school  director,  trustee,  school  treasurer, 
justice  of  the  peace  and  supervisor.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  board  of  supervisors  of 
Livingston  county  for  several  terms,  and 
as  such,  aided  in  securing  the  location  of 
the  State  Reform  School  at  Pontiac. 

Having  been  a  strong  advocate  of  anti- 
slavery  principles  even  as  an  abolitionist,  on 
the  organization  of  the  new  part}-,  he  be- 
came a  stanch  Republican,  and  during  the 
war  of  the  Rebellon  was  an  active  member 
of  the  Union  League.  He  continued  to 
act  with  the  jiartx-  until  the  old  issues  were 
settled,  and  he  became  convinced  that  the 
new  and  greater  issue  of  temperance  could 
expect  no  real  support  from  the  old  party. 
He  then  gave  the  Prohibition  party  his  lib- 
eral support  and  became  an  ardent  supporter 
of  that  party. 

Realizing  in  his  own  life  \\-hat  he  missed 
through  want  of  school  privileges,  he  has 
been  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  public  school 
system  and  also  of  higher  education.  He 
has  been  a  supporter  especiallv  of  Xew  Or- 
leans L'niversity,  of  which  he  is  a  trustee,  of 
^\'heaton  College,  and  of  Illinois  \\'esleyan 
L'niversity. 

In  1847  -^^1'-  Sterry  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Day,  who  lived  with  him  seven 
years,  bearing  to  him  three  children,  all  of 
whom  died  in  infancy,  while  her  death  oc- 
curred March  25,  1855. 

In  1858  he  married  iVIiss  Amanda  Had- 
lev.  daughter  of  the  late  James  P.  Hadley,  a 
prominent  farmer  of  Sunbury  township, 
this  county.  One  child  was  born,  and  lived 
but  a  short  time,  and  the  wife  also  was  taken 
awav  after  a  union  of  a  little  more  than  one 
vear.     In   1861   he  was  united  in  marriage 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


39 


with  Mrs.  Mary  C.  Beeler.a  (laughter  of  Jolin 
Ross,  of  Sangamon  county,  and  she  has 
been  spared  to  hve  with  him  until  tlie  pres- 
ent time.  To  them  have  been  born  six 
children :  Lida,  wife  of  Dr.  C.  H.  Long,  of 
Pontiac,  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in 
this  volume;  John  L.,  the  only  son,  a  young 
man  of  great  promise  who  died  at  the  ai^o  of 
twenty  years,  in  1884,  while  attending  the 
Illinois  W'esleyan  University  at  Blooming- 
ton,  where  he  was  preparing  himself  for  the 
ministry ;  Hattie  and  Josephine,  who  both 
died  in  infancy;  Mary  E.,  wife  of  E.  M. 
Kirkpatrick,  a  prominent  grain  merchant  of 
Chenoa,  Illinois;  and  Jessie,  wife  of  Clar- 
ence B.  Hurtt,  now  a  resident  of  Roswell, 
Idaho,  where  he  is  serving  as  secretary  of 
the  Riverside  Irrigation  Company.  They 
have  also  four  grandchildren,  Christopher 
Sterry  Long,  Mary  Catherine  Long.  John 
Nelson    Hurtt   and    Baby   Hurtt. 

Mr.  Sterry  early  identified  himself  witii 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  for 
many  years  has  served  in  official  capacity  as 
steward,  trustee  and  Sunday  school  super- 
intendent. \\'hile  in  Esmen  he  was  instru- 
mental in  securing  the  erection  of  the  Es- 
men Center  church.  On  moving  to  Pon- 
tiac he  was  immediately  chosen  as  a  trustee 
of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  on  the  destruction  of  the  old  church  by 
fire  in  1885.  he  aided  in  the  building  of  the 
present  church  edifice.  He  is  president  of 
the  board  of  trustees,  having  held  that  office 
for  a  number  of  years. 

For  almost  half  a  century  Mr.  Sterry 
has  been  a  resident  of  Livingston  county. 
On  his  arrival  here  the  greater  part  of  its 
rich  land  was  yet  unbroken,  its  inhabitants 
were  few  in  number,  widely  scattered  and 
the  improvements  were  not  of  the  best.  He 
lias  certainly  done  well  his  part.        Thor- 


oughly honest  and  conscientious  in  all  he 
does,  he  has  won  the  respect  and  confidence 
of  all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in 
contact,  and  his  lifework  is  worthy  of  emu- 
lation bv  the  generations  to  follow. 


CAPT.MX  S1L.\S  MILTOX  WITT. 

Captain  Silas  Milton  Witt,  an  honored 
veteran  of  the  civil  war  and  a  prominent 
resident  of  Pontiac,  Illinois,  who  is  now  liv- 
ing a  retired  life,  was  born  in  Lebanon, 
Boone  county,  Indiana,  February  1,  1842, 
and  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Lohama  (Wall) 
Witt,  the  former  a  native  of  Guilford  coun- 
ty. North  Carolina,  of  which  state  his  fa- 
ther, a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  war, 
was  an  early  settler.  The  maternal  grand- 
father,. Elisha  Wall,  also  fought  for  the  in- 
dependence of  the  colonies.  He  was  a 
relative  of  Daniel  Boone,  who  was  a  fre- 
(luent  visitor  at  his  home,  and  they  often 
hunted  and  trapped  together.  Later  Mr. 
Wall  went  with  Boone  and  a  number  of 
others  to  Kentucky,  becoming  pioneers  of 
that  state. 

Michael  Witt,  our  subject's  father,  grew 
to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  his  native 
state,  and  from  there  entered  the  service  of 
his  country  during  the  war  of  1812,  serv- 
ing as  captain  of  a  company.  Later  he 
was  commissioned  colonel  in  the  North 
Carolina  militia,  and  after  his  removal  to 
Indiana  was  an  officer  in  the  state  militia 
there.  Our  subject  well  remembers  seeing 
him  on  horseback  on  general  training  days, 
which  at  that  time  were  the  important  days 
Lif  the  year.  Soon  after  his  marriage  Mi- 
chael Witt  and  his  wife  removed  to  the  ter- 
ritory of  Indiana,  and  she  was  the  first  white 
woman  to  locate  in    Leljanon,   the    countv 


40 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


seat  of  Bi)one  county.  Tliere  lie  engaged  in 
farming  for  a  time,  and  after  the  town  was 
started  opened  out  an  old  fashioned  general 
store,  liaiding  his  goods  first  from  Cincinnati 
and  later  from  IndianapoHs  and  Lafayette. 
He  became  one  of  the  successful  men  of 
that  locality,  owning  large  tracts  of  land, 
and  part  of  the  town  of  Lebanon  was  built 
on  the  first  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
Avhich  he  purcha.'^ed.  He  held  much  of  this 
property  until  his  death,  the  land  later  be- 
coming \-ery  \-aluable.  As  a  ^^'hig  he  took 
quite  an  active  and  prominent  part  in  local 
politics,  and  held  a  number  of  offices,  in- 
cluding those  of  county  judge  and  coroner. 
He  left  the  south  on  account  of  slavery, 
and  also  because  he  believed  that  men  of 
moderate  means  could  do  better  in  the  north. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  are  devout  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  his 
home  was  always  the  stopping  place  for  the 
ministers.  His  first  house  in  Lebanon  was  a 
sort  of  hotel  for  traxelers  journeying  be- 
tween Lafayette  and  Cincinnati,  and  in  those 
days  he  was  tlic  man  of  the  town.  He  died 
'  there  March  2,  1861,  and  was  buried  the 
day  President  Lincoln  was  first  inaugurated. 
Our  subject's  mother  died  in  Dwight,  this 
county,  in  1874.  They  left  a  family  of  six- 
teen children,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the 
youngest.  Both  had  been  marriett  before, 
the  mother's  first  husband  lieing  a  Mr. 
Blair,  of  Kentuck}-. 

Captain  Witt  recei\ed  a  good  practical 
education  in  the  schools  of  Lebanon,  and 
aided  his  father  in  the  work  of  the  farm 
and  store  until  the  civil  war  broke  out.  On 
the  night  of  the  surrender  of  Fort  Sumter, 
April  13.  1861,  he  enlisted  f(ir  three  months 
as  a  private  in  Company  1,  Tenth  Indiana 
\  olunteer  Infantry,  at  the  president's  first 
call   for  se\entv-fi\'e  thousand   men.     Thev 


joined  (ieneral  McClelland  in  West  \'ir- 
ginia,  and  with  him  participated  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Rich  Mountain,  July  11,  which  was 
followed  by  the  engagement  at  Phillippi 
Tunnel  Hill.  When  his  term  of  enlistment 
expired,  Captain  Witt  returned  home  and 
was  made  recruiting  officer  at  Lebanon, 
where  he  helpeil  recruit  the  Tenth,  Fortieth, 
Eighty-sixth  and  One  Hundred  and  Six- 
teenth Indiana  Regiments,  raising  two  ct)m- 
panies  for  the  Eighty-sixth.  In  the  spring 
of  1863  he  enlisted  as  orderly  sergeant  in 
Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth 
Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  first 
ordered  to  Dearborn,  Michigan,  to  guard  the 
arsenal  there  during  the  time  of  the  Vallan- 
dingham  trouble.  Crossing  the  lake  to 
Clexeland.  he  proceeded  to  Camp  Nelson. 
Kentucky,  where  he  joined  his  brigade,  and 
later  was  through  the  east  Tennessee  and 
Knoxville  campaign,  capturing  Cumberland 
Cap  the  last  time.  This  was  followed  by  the 
siege  of  Knox\ille  and  the  engagement  at 
Walker's  Ford  and  Tazewell,  Tennessee, 
where  his  regiment  was  on  the  extreme  left 
of  Burnside's  army.  In  March,  1864,  he 
was  mustered  out  and  appointed  deputy 
provost  marshal  with  headquarters  at  La- 
fayette, Indiana,  where  he  helped  the  deputy 
proxost  marshal  organize  a  regiment,  then 
went  to  Indianapolis,  where  he  secured 
arms  and  ammunition  and  started  in  pursuit 
of  Morgan.  He  spent  sixty  days  on  this 
expedition,  and  assisted  in  capturing  some 
of  Morgan's  forces  at  Mt.  Vernon.  When 
the  president  called  for  troops  to  push  the 
Atlanta  campaign,  he  helped  organize  Com- 
pany E,  One  Hundred  and  Thirtv-fifth  In- 
diana \^olunteer  Infantry  and  was  commis- 
sioned second  lieutenant.  They  were  on 
duty  in  Kentucky,  Alabama  and  North  Caro- 
lina, and  participated  in  the  battle  of  Look- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


41 


out  Mountain.  Captain  Witt  was  always 
with  liis  regiment  with  tlie  exception  of 
three  days  when  ill  with  fever  after  the  hat- 
tie  of  Tazewell,  hut  was  never  in  the  hos- 
pital. After  lieing  mustered  out  in  the  fall 
of  1864  he  returned  to  Lehanon.  Indiana. 

.\t  Lebanon  Captain  Witt  was  married, 
November  10,  1864,  to  Miss  Maria  L.  Lan- 
don,  a  daughter  of  Myron  and  Martha 
( Jeffers)  Landon.  Her  father  removed 
from  Ohio  to  Indiana  at  an  early  day,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  teachers  in  his  locality. 
He  was  a  prominent  Mason.  He  died  when 
Mrs.  Witt  was  only  a  year  old  and  her 
mother  died  two  years  later.  Their  eldest 
siin,  Albert  Landon,  was  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  Humane  Society,  of  Chicago,  and 
was  the  publisher  of  the  Humane  Journal 
until  his  death,  a  period  of  over  thirty  years. 
Mrs.  Witt  spent  her  early  life  in  Shelbyville, 
Indianapolis  and  Lebanon,  Indiana.  To 
the  captain  and  his  wife  were  born  three 
children,  namely:  Hattie  A.,  now  the  wife 
of  L.  S.  Baldwin,  of  Xoblesville.  Indiana; 
Jessie  M.,  wife  of  Philip  Piper,  a  dentist  of 
Pontiac:  and  Albert  M..  at  home,  who  has 
been  a  member  of  the  National  Guard  for 
three  years,  and  served  as  corporal  in  Com- 
l)any  I',  Third  Illinois  \"olunteer  Infantry, 
during  the  Spanish-American  war. 

On  the  13th  of  November,  1864.  Cap- 
tain Witt  removed  to  Dwight.  Illinois, 
w  here  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business 
one  year,  dealing  first  in  farm  and  later  in 
\illage  property.  In  1866  he  was  appointed 
marshal  of  that  town,  and  held  the  office 
thirteen  years;  was  also  deputy  sheriff  ten 
years  and  constable  nineteen  years.  Fur  a 
}ear  and  a  half  he  engaged  in  the  harness 
business,  but  at  length  was  forced  to  give  it 
u])  as  his  various  official  duties  re(|uired  his 
entire  time.     At  the  same  time  he  als  j  held 


other  local  offices,  such  as  school  director, 
street  commissioner,  and  was  fire  marshal 
fourteen  years.  As  a  Republican  he  has 
always  taken  an  acti\e  part  in  political  af- 
fairs. In  1866  on  the  first  organization  of 
the  (irand  .\rmy  Po.st  at  Dwight.  under  the 
oUl  dispensation  Captain  Witt  became  one 
of  the  charter  members,  but  the  organiza- 
tion afterward  went  down.  Since  1880  he 
has  been  a  member  of  T.  Lyle  Dickey  Post, 
of  Pontiac,  of  which  he  is  now  past  com- 
mander, and  which  he  has  represented  in 
the  state  encampment,  and  was  also  elected 
U}  represent  his  district  to  the  national  en- 
campment at  Chicago  in  the  fall  of  1900. 
He  was  a  member  of  Dwight  Lodge,  I.  O.  O. 
!•'.,  antl  admitted  to  Pontiac  Lodge,  No. 
ji^j.  in  which  he  has  filled  all  the  chairs.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  encampment,  anil 
was  the  organizer  and  cai)tain  of  the  Canton 
for  three  years.  lH)r  many  years  he  was 
an  active  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Good  Templars,  and  was  an  officer  in  the 
same  until  the  lodge  disbanded. 

Tor  ten  years  Captain  Witt  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Illinois  National  Guard,  and  rose 
from  second  lieutenant  to  captain  of  his 
company,  thus  gaining  his  title.  During  the 
strike  of  1877  he  was  in  active  service  with 
his  company  for  three  months,  being  sta- 
tioned at  Braid  wood.  After  his  election 
to  the  office  of  sheriff  he  had  to  disband  the 
company  as  his  men  refused  to  elect  another 
captain,  so  well  was  he  loved  by  them,  and 
he  was  given  permission  to  disband  them 
by    Governor   Cullom. 

It  was  in  1882  that  Captain  Witt  was 
elected  sheriff  of  Livingston  county,  which 
office  he  filled  for  four  years  with  credit  to 
him.self  and  satisfaction  to  his  constituents. 
.\t  one  time  he  had  thirty-two  prisouers  in 
the  jail.     Later  he  was  appointed  an  officer 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


ill  the  Illinois  State  Refurmatory  under  Dr. 
Scouller,  but  resigned  after  holding  the  po- 
sition for  two  years  and  four  months,  and 
returned  to  Dwight,  Avhere  he  was  engaged 
ill  business  for  a  year  and  a  half.  Subse- 
quently he  conducted  a  bakery  in  Pontiac, 
but  is  now  living  retired,  enjoying  a  well 
earned  rest.  His  beautiful  home  at  No.  603 
AVest  Grove  street,  is  pleasantly  located  on 
the  banks  of  the  \'ermilion  river  in  what  is 
now  the  best  portion  of  the  city,  and  the 
lawn  and  garden  surrounding  it  co\er  one 
acre  of  ground.  The  Captain  and  his  wife 
are  leading  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  of  Pontiac,  and  are  highly  re- 
spected and  esteemed  by  all  who  know 
them,  while  their  circle  of  friends  through- 
out the  countv  is  extensive. 


\\ILLIAM  KIMBER. 

William  Kimber,  a  thorough  and  skill- 
ful farmer  residing  on  section  10,  Esmen 
township,  Livingston  county,  six  m.les  west 
of  Odell,  was  born  near  the  city  of  London, 
England,  October  10,  1853,  a  son  of  Jesse 
and  Alice  (Hacket)  Kimber,  natives  of  the 
same  country.  In  1873  he  crossed  the 
broad  Atlantic  with  his  parents,  and  on  land- 
ing in  Xew  York  proceeded  at  once  to  La 
Salle  county,  Illinois,  where  his  brother 
and  sister  had  located  four  years  previously. 
There  the  father  rented  land  and  engaged 
in  farming  for  several  years,  but  finally 
came  to  Livingston  county  and  spent  his  last 
days  on  a  farm  in  Esmen  township  with  our 
subject,  dying  here  May  11,  1885.  The 
wife  and  mother  departed  this  life  October 
19,  1883,  ^"d  both  were  laid  to  rest  in  Es- 
men  township   cemetery.     In    their    familv 


were  tliree  children :  Mar\-,  wife  of  Samuel 
Mills,  of  Grundy  county ;  Percival,  a  farmer 
of  Esmen  township,  Livingston  county;  and 
\\'illiam. 

Our  sul)ject  was  given  good  educational 
advantages  in  his  native  land.  On  the  emi- 
gration of  the  familv  to  America,  he  assisted 
his  parents  and  worked  as  a  farm  hand  by 
the  month  for  six  years.  He  was  married 
in  De  Kalb  county.  January  i,  1880,  to  Miss 
Caroline  Rose  Tomlin,  a  native  of  Adams 
township,  La  Salle  county.  Her  father, 
James  Tomlin,  was  born  in  England,  and 
came  to  America  in  1 842  when  a  young  man, 
and  located  in  Illinois.  To  Mr.  ajid  Mrs. 
Kimlier  were  born  seven  children,  namely: 
Bertha  Alay.  now  the  wife  of  Henry  War- 
ner, of  La  Salle  county ;  Jesse  Arthur,  Ella 
Alice,  Edward  James,  Dora  Ann,  Caroline 
Eliza  and  William  Andrew,  all  at  home. 

For  ti\e  years  after  his  marriage  Mr. 
Kimber  operated  a  rented  farm  adjoining 
liis  present  place,  and  in  1884  bought  eighty 
acres  where  he  now  resides,  but  did  not  lo- 
cate thereon  until  a  year  later,  though  he 
had  engaged  in  its  cultivation  for  two  years. 
To  the  original  purchase  he  has  since  added 
a  forty-acre  tract,  and  now  has  a  fine  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  which  he 
has  placed  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation 
and  impro\ed  with  good  and  substantial 
buildings.  He  is  an  industrious,  enterpris- 
ing and  progressi^•e  man,  and  to  these  char- 
acteristics ma}^  be  attributed  his  success, 
for  he  received  no  outside  aid. 

By  his  ballot  Mr.  Kimber  supports  the 
men  and  measures  of  the  Prohibition  party, 
and  he  served  one  term  as  a  member  of  the 
school  board,  but  has  never  cared  for  offi- 
cial honors.  Religiously  both  he  and  his 
wife  are  earnest  and  faithful  members  of 
the   Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Esmen 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


43 


Center,  of  which  he  is  a  trustee.  In  the 
Sunday  school  he  lias  servetl  se\eral  \ears 
as  superintendent. 


WILLI. \.M  W.  W.VSSU.M. 

W  illiani  W.  W'assoni  is  one  of  Pontiac's 
highly  respected  citizens,  wliose  useful  and 
well-spent  life  has  not  only  _q;ained  for  him 
the  confidence  of  his  fellow  men.  hut  has 
also  secured  for  him  a  comfMrtahle  compe- 
tence which  enahles  him  lo  lay  aside  al! 
business  cares  and  live  retired.  .\  native  of 
Illinois,  he  was  born  in  Spring  Valley,  Bu- 
reau county,  December  i,  1848,  ar.d  is  a  son 
of  Jacob  and  Jane  (Scott)  Wassom.  The 
fatiier  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  but  when 
a  small  boy  accompanied  his  parents  on  their 
removal  to  lennessee,  where  he  was  reared, 
and  as  a  young  man  came  to  this  state,  lo- 
cating in  Bureau  county.  There  he  was 
married,  and  subsequently  removed  to  Bur- 
lington, Iowa,  where  he  purchased  a  farm 
and  successfuU)'  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising,  where  he  remained 
seven  years.  Then  returning  lo  Bureau 
county  he  purchased  a  farm  on  the  site  of 
the  present  village  of  Spring  Valley.  He 
was  a  prominent  man  in  his  community  and 
took  an  active  interest  in  the  early  schools. 
He  died  there  August  25,  1879.  The  wife 
and  mother  died  when  our  subject  was  only 
four  years  old.  Both  were  earnest  mem- 
bers of  the  Metliodi.st  Episcopal  church.  She 
was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  a  daugiiter  of 
Robert  Scott,  of  Scotch  descent,  who  was 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  and  most  pros- 
perous farmers  of  P)ureau  county.  He 
manufactured  the  Ijrick  of  wliich  his  house 
was  constructed,  and  that  building  is  still 


standing,  lie  was  i)robal)ly  the  tirst  nianu- 
facturer  of  brick  in  that  comity. 

\\  ilhaiii  W.  Wassom  was  educated  in  the 
schoo.s  oi  ilall  townsmp,  and  remained 
With  hiS  lather  untd  cum.ng  to  Luiiigston 
county  m  18O8,  when  he  took  up  his  resi- 
dence ill  Nevada  township.  \\  liile  living 
there  he  was  marrietl,  June  J9,  1871,  to 
iNliss  Hannah  Sharp,  a  native  of  Farm 
Ridge,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  George 
and  Catherine  (SpenceJ  Sharp.  Her  father 
was  born  m  Ireland  of  English  parentage, 
be.ng  a  son  ot  Aohle  bliarp,  who  never  em.- 
graied  to  America.  George  Sharp  was 
married  in  Ireland,  and  later  crossed  the  At- 
lantic to  Toronto,  Canada,  whence  he  re- 
moved to  Farm  Kidge,  Illino.s.  Subse- 
quently he  took  up  his  residence  in  Dwight, 
and  laier  upon  a  tarm  in  Nevada  township, 
this  couiiiy.  He  was  highly  respected  and 
was  called  ujion  to  fill  different  township 
offices.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wassom  have  a  fam- 
ily (if  six  children,  namel\' :  Jacob,  a  resi- 
dent of  Marengo,  Iowa;  Chaiies  Bert,  who 
is  living  on  the  Blackstone  farm,  in  Sun- 
bury  township;  Fannie,  who  married  Ev- 
erett Ferguson,  of  Saunemin,  this  county, 
and  has  two  children,  Laurine  and  Lela; 
.\(la,  who  resides  at  home  and  is  success- 
fully engaged  in  teaching  in  the  schools  of 
this  county ;  George,  who  was  graduated 
from  the  I'ontiac  Higli  School  in  1900;  and 
Catherine,  who  is  still  attending  the  high 
scIk.ioI. 

On  locating  in  this  county,  Mr.  Wassom 
found  C(Jiisiderable  wikl  game  and  much  of 
the  land  was  still  in  its  jirimitive  condition. 
He  purchased  eighty  acres  of  raw'  prairie 
in  Nevada  township,  which  he  at  once  com- 
menced to  break,  fence  and  improve.  Pros- 
])ering  in  his  new  home,  he  purciiased  more 
land  until  he  owneil  five  eighty  acre  tracts, 


44 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


which  he  tik'il  and  put  in  first  class  condi- 
tioii,  making  one  of  tiie  best  improved 
farms  in  the  township.  He  also  owned  an- 
other eighty-acre  tract  in  Sunbury  town- 
ship, and  in  connection  with  the  operation 
of  his  land  was  engaged  in  stock  raising. 
He  always  kept  a  giiod  grade  and  had  con- 
siderable registered  stock  on  hand,  being 
among  the  first  to  introduce  it.  In  1895  he 
moved  to  Pontiac  and  bought  a  pleasant 
home  at  No.  608  North  Mill  street,  where  he 
lias  since  lived  retired. 

Politically  Mr.  W'assom  has  always  been 
identified  with  the  Republican  party,  but 
has  never  held  office,  his  home  being  in  a 
strong  Democratic  township  where  his  party 
could  get  nothing  that  the  Democrats  would 
take.  He  \vas  an  efiicient  member  of  the 
school  board  for  some  time,  and  helped  to 
erect  the  school  buildings  in  his  township. 
He  and  his  wife  are  acti\-e  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  .church,  and  while  liv- 
ing in  the  country  he  served  as  superintend- 
ent of  the  Sunday  school  one  year  and  took 
a  leading  part  in  church  work,  filling  all  of 
the  different  official  positions.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  building  committee  when  the 
church  was  erected  in  Nevaila  in  1873,  and 
hauled  the  first  load  of  stone  for.  its  founda- 
tion. He  is  now  ciinnected  with  the  church 
in  Pontiac.  \\'here\er  known  he  is  held  in 
high  regard,  and  justly  merits  the  confi- 
dence and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens. 


HON.  ROBERT  R.  WALLACE. 

In  the  legal  profession,  which  embraces 
some  of  the  finest  minds  in  the  nation,  it  is 
difficult  to  win  a  name  and  place  of  promi- 
nence.    In  commercial   life  one  mav   start 


out  on  a  more  advanced  plane  than  otliers; 
he  may  enter  into  a  business  already  estab- 
lished and  carry  it  further  forward,  but  in 
the  legal  profession  one  must  commence  at 
the  beginning  and  work  his  way  upward  by 
ability,  gaining  his  reputation  and  success  by 
merit.  People  do  not  place  their  legal  busi- 
ness in  unskilled  hands,  and  those  who  to-day 
siand  at  the  head  of  their  profession,  must 
-merit  their  position.  Among  the  most  promi- 
nent lawyers  of  Livingston  county  is  Robert 
R.  Wallace,  of  Pontiac,  who  served  as  coun- 
ty judge  for  the  long  period  of  twenty-one 
years. 

'i  he  Judge  was  born  in  Belmont  county, 
Ohio,  March  13,  1835,  a  son  of  David  and 
Prances  (Ross)  Wallace.  His  paternal 
grantl father  was  David  \Vallace,  who  came 
to  this  country  from  the  north  of  Ireland 
and  was  a  strong  United  Presbyterian  in  re- 
ligious belief.  The  maternal  grandfather, 
Robert  Ross,  was  of  Scotch  descent,  and  also 
a  stanch  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church.  The  Judge's  father  was  born  in 
western  Pennsylvania,  and  reared  there  and 
in  eastern  Ohio,  while  the  mother  was  born 
near  Chambersburg.  in  eastern  Pennsylvania, 
and  when  young  remo\ed  to  the  western 
part  of  that  state.  During  his  active  life 
Da\id  Wallace  engaged  in  farming  in  Bel- 
mont and  (iuernse)-  counties,  Ohio,  and  in 
1869  came  to  Illinois,  locating  near  Biggs- 
\ille,  Henderson  county,  where  he  continued 
to  engage  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  his 
death  in  1875.  His  wife  still  survives  him 
aiid  is  now  living  with  a  daughter  in  Kansas 
at  the  age  of  ninety-one  years. 

During  his  boyhood  Judge  Wallace  at- 
tended the  common  schools  of  liis  nati\e 
county  and  completed  his  education  at  Mon- 
mouth, Illinois,  where  he  received  the  de- 
.grees  of  A.  E.  and  .\.  M.  and  was  graduated 


R.  R.  WALLACE. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


47 


^vith  the  class  of  1861.  In  Deceniher  oi 
tiiat  year  he  responded  to  his  country's  call 
for  troops,  enlisting  in  Company  K,  Seventy- 
fourth  Ohio  \'olunteer  Infantry.  He  was 
first  sent  to  Xenia,  Ohio,  and  from  tiiere  to 
Camp  Chase,  Columhus,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  guarding  prisoners  for  a  time,  and 
later  with  the  .\rniy  of  the  CumberlantI  he 
participated  in  all  the  battles  from  Nashville 
to  Atlanta,  and  after  the  fall  of  the  latter 
city  took  part  in  the  defense  of  Nashville. 
Later  he  was  on  post  duty  near  there  and 
^^lemphis  until  the  close  of  his  term  of  enlist- 
ment. He  had  re-enlisted  in  the  same  regi- 
ment and  was  promoted  to  captain  during 
the  summer  oi  1864,  remaining  in  the  ser- 
vice  until    1866. 

Judge  Wallace  had  previously  com- 
menced the  study  of  law,  and  after  the  war 
continued  his  studies  at  Ottawa,  Illinois, 
being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  April,  18&7. 
\n  the  fall  of  that  year  he  located  in  Chats- 
worth,  Livingston  county,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  general  practice  until  his  remoxal 
to  Pontiac  in  the  spring  of  1874,  having  the 
previous  fall  been  elected  county  judge  on 
what  was  known  as  the  anti-monopoly  ticket. 
He  took  the  office  in  December,  1873,  and 
held  it  live  consecutive  terms — a  longer 
period  than  other  county  officer  has  been 
retained  in  one  position.  This  fact  clearly 
indicates  his  efficiency,  popularity  and  fidelity 
to  duty.  During  all  this  time  he  continued 
to  engage  in  active  practice,  and  is  to-day 
one  of  the  leading  general  practitioners  of 
the  county.  He  is  an  honored  member  of 
T.  Lyie  Dickey  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and  is  past 
commander  of  the  same. 

On  the  3d  of  June,  1867,  Judge  Wal- 
lace was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  C. 
Louise  Strawn,  a  daughter  of  Isaiah  and 
Elizabeth  (Champlain)   Strawn,  of  Ottawa, 


Illinois,  and  to  them  were  born  four  chil- 
dren :  Ross  S.,  now  chief  engineer  of  the 
People's  Gas  &  Electric  Company,  of  Peoria ; 
Francis;  Lucile,  and  Grace,  a  teacher  in  the 
schools  of  Joliet.  The  family  have  a  pleas- 
ant home  at  No.  303  East  Howard  street, 
and  are  prominent  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  of  Pontiac. 


MILLER  HOTALIXG. 

Miller  Hotaling,  a  successful  farmer  and 
land  owner  on  section  31,  Avoca  township, 
and  a  resident  of  Livingston  county  since 
1876,  was  born  in  Greene  county,  New 
"^'ork,  July  30,  1850,  and  is  a  son  of  Rich- 
ard and  Helen  (Miller)  Hcjtaling,  both  na- 
tives of  that  state  and  of  German  descent. 
The  father  died  in  New  York  in  1882,  where 
he  had  followed  farming  since  early  man- 
hood. His  wife  survives  him  and  lives  on 
the  old  Miller  homestead,  which  was  occupi- 
ed by  her  father  for  sixty  years,  never  pass- 
ing out  of  the  family.  She  is  now  seventy- 
three  years  of  age,  and  has  always  been  act- 
We.  Our  sul)ject's  jiaternal  grandfather 
served  as  lieutenant  through  the  war  of  181 2. 
The  family  were  formerly  Whigs,  and  upon 
the  formation  of  the  Republican  party  joined 
its  ranks.  To  Richard  Hotaling  and  wife 
were  born  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are 
still  living,  namely:  Annie,  wife  of  John 
Jacobs,  of  Hazelton,  Pennsylvania;  Augusta, 
wife  of  Harry  Herr,  of  Athens,  New  York; 
William,  who  lives  with  his  mother  on  the 
old  Miller  homestead;  Van  Allen,  a  pros- 
])erous  farmer  and  lantl  owner  of  Livingston 
county,  Illinois;  and  Miller,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  Jacob,  the  oldest  son,  was  a 
member  of  the  Seventh  New  York  /Artillery 


48 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


(luring  tlie  ci\i!  war,  was  taken  prisoner  and 
sent  til  Andersonville.  where  he  was  incar- 
cerated twent\'-tw()  months  before  ex- 
clianged.  and  contracted  cHsease  from  which 
he  died  in  1865,  just  as  he  was  released. 

Miller  Hotaling  received  a  common 
school  education  in  his  native  state  ami 
grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm.  On 
leaving  the  parental  roof  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen years  he  came  to  Illinois  and  worked 
as  a  farm  hand  for  two  years  in  McLean 
countv.  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  rented 
a  farm  anil  carried  on  farming  (juite  suc- 
cessfully in  that  way  for  a  numlier  of  years. 
In  1885  he  purchased  fifty  acres  of  rich  and 
arable  land  on  section  31,  Avoca  tow^nship, 
Livingston  county,  and  has  since  engaged 
i."  general  farming  here  with  marked  suc- 
cess. He  has  added  to  the  original  pur- 
chase another  fifty-acre  tract;  has  matle 
many  valuable  improvements  on  the  place 
and  to-day  has  a  most  desirable  farm.  He 
gives  his  entire  time  and  attention  to  the 
improvement  and  culti\ation  of  his  land. 

Li  1874  ]\Ir.  Hotaling  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Flora  Pulsipher,  a  na- 
tive of  Oneida.  Knox  county,  Illinois,  and 
to  them  were  born  four  children :  Lewis, 
who  graduated  at  Eureka  College  and  is 
now  a  Christian  minister  at  Kentland,  In- 
diana ;  P'hilip.  who  was  graduated  at  the 
same  institution,  and  is  now  assisting  his  fa- 
ther on  the  farm ;  Leah  and  Cliloe,  who 
are  both  at  home.  The  wife  and  mother 
■died  at  their  home  in  Avoca  township  in 
1887,  and  in  1890  ^Ir.  Hotaling  married 
Miss  Alartha  Van  Wormer,  a  nati\e  of 
Brimfield.  Peoria  county,  by  whom  he  has 
three  children,  Edna,  Millie  and  Leola.  2\Iis. 
Hotaling  is  a  daughter  of  \\'illiam  and  Mar- 
tha (Shepherd)  Van  \\'ormer,  her  father 
bein"-  a  veteran  of  theCi\'il  war.  anil  w  ho  for 


years  was  engaged  in  farming.  F]oth  he 
anil  his  wife  are  yet  living,  and  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

As  a  Republican  Mr.  Hotaling  has  al- 
ways been  an  active  worker  in  the  interests  of 
his  party,  and  has  held  several  minor  offices 
in  the  township,  faithfully  fulfilling  every 
trust  reposed  in  him.  In  1899  he  was 
electeil  supervisor.  He  has  been  a  school 
dn-ector  fifteen  years,  always  taking  a  stand 
for  good  schools  and  teachers.  Re- 
ligiously he  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church,  in  which  he  is  serving  as  elder,  and 
socially  is  a  member  of  the  Court  of  Honor 
of  Fairbury.  He  is  a  man  of  rather  un- 
pretentious nature,  but  is  well  liked  by  all 
who  know  him.  Mrs.  Hotaling  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Christian  church. 


HENRY  C.  JONES. 

Henry  C.  Jones,  a  well-known  citizen  of 
Pontiac.  Illinois,  was  born  in  Cicero,  Ham- 
ilton county,  Indiana,  February  11,  1838,  a 
son  of  Henr}"  Jones,  who  was  born  near 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  during  his  youth 
he  learned  the  blacksmith's  traile.  When 
a  young  man  he  removed  to  Cicero,  Indiana, 
and  turned  his  attention  to  mercantile  busi- 
ness. Here  he  married  Emily  De  Moss,  a 
daughter  of  James  De  Moss,  a  French  Hu- 
guenot and  a  carpenter  by  trade,  who  passed 
his  last  da_\s  as  a  farmr  in  Livingston 
ciiunt}'.  Illinois.  The  parents  of  our  subject 
came  to  this  county  in  1845,  but  after  a 
short  time  spent  here  they  removed  to  the  ter- 
ritory of  Iowa,  locating  at  Bellevue,  where 
our  subject  began  his  education.  In  1847 
the  family  returned  to  this  county,  and  after 
following:  farminq;  for  a  short  time  the  fa- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


49 


ther.  in  1849,  went  to  California,  where  for 
several  year.s  lie  was  engag^ed  in  mining  and 
mercantile  pursuits.  Re  turning  to  Pontiac 
in  1855  he  again  engaged  in  mercantile  busi- 
ness here,  and  was,  in  1857,  elected  county 
judge.  In  1859.  resigning  his  office  of  coun- 
t\'  judge  here,  he  returned  to  the  Pacific 
slope  in  company  with  our  subject  and  fif- 
teen young  men.  He  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  in  Shasta,  California,  and  became 
one  of  the  most  prominent  and  prosperous 
men  of  that  place.  He  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  board  of  supervisors,  and  was  also 
alcalde(  or  mayor)  of  Shasta.  In  connec- 
tion with  his  other  business  he  was  (juite 
extensively  engaged  in  gold  mining.  He 
did  much  to  build  up  the  town  and  was  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  its  most  influential  and 
prominent  citizens.  After  the  Civil  war 
he  supported  the  Republican  party  and  took 
a  leading  part  in  public  affairs.  He  died  in 
Shasta  in  1893,  and  the  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject died  in  the  same  place  in  1868,  leaving 
ti\e  chiklren.  of  whom  Henry  C.  was  third 
in  onler  of  birth. 

During  his  boyhood  our  subject  attended 
the  public  sdiools  of  Pontiac,  and  when  his 
education  was  completed  clerked  in  his  fa- 
ther's store  until  going  to  California  in  1859. 
They  made  the  trip  overland  with  horseless 
vehicles  (o.k  teams)  and  were  six  months 
upon  the  way.  They  passed  through  St. 
Joseph,  Missouri,  went  up  the  Platte  when 
the  Indians  in  that  region  were  quite  hostile, 
and  passed  through  what  is  now  Ogden, 
Ctah,  and  through  Nevada.  Arriving  at 
Shasta.  California,  which  was  a  good  min- 
ing town,  father  and  son  opened  a  store  and 
as  merchants  soon  built  up  a  good  trade. 
For  some  vears  they  were  interested  in 
])lacer  and  later  in  quartz  mining.  Our  sub- 
iect   continued   in   business   with   his    father 


until  i8()4.  when  he  enlisted  in  the  volun- 
teer service  and  was  elected  lieutenant  of  his 
company,  but  when  they  were  put  in  bar- 
racks and  the  regulars  sent  to  the  front,  he 
resigned,  'l  hat  he  might  see  some  active 
service  he  went,  X'ia  Panama,  to  \ew  York 
with  the  intention  of  enlisting  there,  but 
the  war  ended  before  he  found  the  opi)or- 
lunity. 

Returning  to  Livingston  county,  Illinois, 
.Mr.  Jones  entered  the  newspaper  field,  and 
with  Mr.  Renoe  established  the  Eree  Press 
at  Pontiac.  Later  he  bought  the  Sentinel, 
the  oldest  newspa[)er  in  the  county,  from 
James  Stout,  and.  consolidating  the  two, 
published  a  paper  known  as  the  Sentinel  and 
Press.  Mr.  Renoe  was  a  Democrat,  while 
he  was  a  Republican,  but  Mr.  Renoe  later 
withdrew,  leaving  Mr.  Jones  as  sole  editor 
and  proprietor,  and  the  paper  resumed  its 
old  name  as  Sentinel.  He  continued  the 
publication  of  the  Sentinel  for  nine  years, 
during  which  time  he  built  up  a  good  cir- 
culation and  made  it  the  leading  Republi- 
can j)aper  in  the  county.  Selling  out  in 
1875,  he  went  to  Texas,  and  engaged 
jn  the  au.xiliary  newspaper  business  in  Dallas, 
getting  out  patent  insides.  In  this  enter- 
prise he  was  remarkably  successful,  having 
a  list  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-two  local 
]japers  to  supply.  He  also  published  the 
Planter  and  Farmer,  and  in  that  undertaking 
was  also  successful,  but  on  account  of  the 
ill  health  of  his  wife,  he  disposed  of  his  in- 
terests in  Texas  and  removed  to  Santa  Cruz, 
California,  where  he  owns  a  valuable  prune 
ranch. 

In  1S9J  Mr.  Jones  returned  to  Pontiac 
and  acipiired  a  three-fifths  interest  in  the 
electric  light  plant,  having  helped  to  develop 
the  enterprise.  This  company  was  incor- 
porated as  the  Pontiac  Light,  Heat  &  Power 


so 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Company,  and  has  grown  to  large  propor- 
tions. Mr.  Jones  ser\-e(l  as  its  president  for 
seven  vears,  though  he  recently  sold  his 
interest  in  the  same.  He  has  been  a  tax- 
payer in  Pontiac  for  over  thirty  years  and 
is  recognized  as  one  of  her  most  progressive 
citizens,  giving  his  support  to  those  objects 
■which  he  believes  will  prote  of  public  bene- 
fit. Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Pontiac 
Lodge,  Xo.  294,  F.  &  A.  j\I. 

On  the  25th  of  September,  1873,  ^^i'- 
Jones  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mary  A.  Bancroft,  a  native  of  New  York, 
and  a  daughter  of  Luther  Bancroft,  of  Pon- 
tiac. They  have  one  daughter,  Nellie  A.. 
\vh(j  with  her  mother  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Pontiac. 


LUTHER  C.  HAYS. 

Luther  C.  Hays,  a  practical  and  enter- 
prising agriculturist  of  Eppards  Point  town- 
ship, owns  and  operates  two  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  of  land  on  section  2,2,  constitut- 
ing a  valuable  and  highly  improved  farm, 
pleasantly  located  nine  miles  south  of  Pon-. 
tiac  and  three  and  a  half  miles  northeast 
of  Chenoa.  His  possessions  have  been  ac- 
quired through  his  own  efiforts,  and  as  the 
result  of  his  consecutive  endeavor  he  has 
won  a  ]:Iace  among  the  substantial  citizens  of 
his  community. 

]\Ir.  Havs  was  born  in  Brown  county, 
Ohio.  July  27,  1836,  and  is  descended  from 
an  old  Connecticut  family  of  Scotch-Irish 
origin.  His  great-grandfather,  Celia  Hays, 
was  a  native  of  that  state  and  a  pioneer  of 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolutionary  war.  while  the  grandfather, 
Warren  Hays,  aided  in  the  defense  of  his 
countrv  during  the  war  of  181 2.     The  lat- 


ter was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  married 
a  Miss  Stark,  a  cousin  of  Rev.  Lorenzo  Dow. 
Abiel  Hays,  father  of  our  subject,  was  bnrn 
in  New  York,  in  1813,  and  from  that  state 
remo\ed  to  Kentucky  and  later  to  Brown 
county,  Ohio,  where  in  the  midst  of  the  for- 
est he  cleared  and  improved  a  farm.  There 
he  wedded  Mary  Kennedy,  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  a  daughter  of  James  and  Mar- 
garet Kennedy.  In  1855  he  brought  his 
family  to  Illinois,  driving  across  the  coun- 
try- with  an  ox  team  and  locating  first  in 
\\'oodford  county,  but  a  year  later  he  re- . 
moved  to  Chenoa  township,  ^iIcLean  countv, 
where  he  bought  land  and  improved  a  farm, 
making  his  home  there  for  some  years.  He 
helped  organize  that  township,  which  was 
l)reviously  only  a  voting  precinct.  His  last 
days  were  spent  upon  a  farm  in  southern 
Illinois,  where  he  died  in  1890,  at  the  ripe 
old  age  of  seventy-seven  years,  and  his  wife 
died  in  1884,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years. 
Our  subject  is  the  oldest  of  their  family  of. 
seven  children,  two  sons  and  fi\-e  daughters, 
all  of  whom  reached  years  of  maturity,  the 
others  being  as  follows:  Arminda  J.,  de- 
ceased wife  of  E.  C.  Hyde;  Clarissa  A.,  who 
married  John  G.  Dodge  and  died  in  1898; 
Ellen,  deceased  wife  of  Elijah  Cole ;  I^Iinerva 
E.,  wife  of  A.  D.  Polk,  of  Minneapolis,  I\Iin- 
nesota;  Eva,  who  died  when  a  young  lady, 
and  Thomas  J.,  a  resident  of  San  Diego, 
California. 

Luther  C.  Hays  was  a  young  man  of 
nineteen  years  on  the  remo\'al  of  the  family 
t"  this  state,  and  he  aided  his  father  in  open- 
ing up  and  developing  the  farm  in  McLean 
county,  remaining  with  him  until  his  mar- 
riage. He  was  educated  in  common  and  se- 
lect schools  of  his  native  state.  \\'ith  the 
exception  of  the  oldest,  all  his  sisters  engaged 
in  teaching  school  in  McLean  county. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


51 


In  CIiica,s^<i.  Illinois,  Septenil)er  26.  i860. 
Mr.  Hays  married  Miss  Matilda  Eraser,  a 
native  of  Canada  and  a  daughter  of  Louis 
and  Mary  Eraser,  who  were  born  in  that 
country  of  Erench  ancestry,  and  removed 
to  Chicago  during  the  childhood  of  Mrs. 
Hays.  They  began  their  domestic  life  upon 
a  farm  of  forty  acres  in  McLean  county,  to 
which  our  subject  added  until  he  had  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres.  Jlc  continued 
to  operate  that  farm  until  1888,  when  he 
l)urchased  the  two-hundred-and-fifty-acre 
tract  of  land  in  Eppards  Point  township. 
Livingston  county,  where  he  now  resides. 
It  was  known  as  the  'Stiuire  Payne  farm, 
being  entered  by  him  in  1852.  Since  tak- 
ing possession  of  this  place,  Mr.  Hays  has 
remodeled  the  residence,  built  a  good  barn, 
set  out  fruit  and  ornamental  trees,  and  made 
many  other  improvements  which  add  greatly 
to  its  value  and  attractive  appearance. 

Mr.  Hays"  first  wife  died  in  McLean 
county,  in  1872,  leaving  four  children, 
namely:  Samuel  L.,  who  is  married  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Oregon;  Mary  Erances, 
wife  of  C  L.  Howard,  of  Byron,  Nebraska; 
Jessie,  wife  of  Andrew  Vercler.  of  Salem, 
Oregon,  and  W.  C,  who  is  married  and  fol- 
lows farming  in  this  county.  Mr.  Hays 
was  again  married,  in  Li\ingston  county, 
in  1874,  to  Mrs.  Erances  A.  Clark,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Almon  Rhodes,  an  early  settler,  first 
of  La  Salle  county  and  later  of  Livingston 
county.  She  was  first  married  in  the  former 
county  to  Wilson  M.  Clark,  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  war,  who  died  in  1870,  leaving  two 
daughters :  Alda,  a  teacher  of  Black  Hawk 
county,  Iowa,  and  Laura  B.,  wife  of  J.  C. 
Rainbow,  of  Pottawattamie  county,  Iowa. 
By  his  second  union  our  subject  has  six  chil- 
dren, namely:  George  M.,  who  assists  in  the 
operation  of  the  home  farm:  Xellie.   Pearl 


M.,  Eva  E..  John  S.  and  Lottie  L.,  all  at 
liome. 

I'olitically  Mr.  Hays  was  identifieil  with 
the  Republican  party  until  1896,  when  he 
voted  for  W.  J.  Bryan  and  free  silver.  He 
cast  his  first  presidential  ballot  for  Abraham 
Lincoln  in  i860.  He  has  been  a  delegate 
to  numerous  conventions;  ser\ed  as  com- 
missioner of  highways  in  McLean  couiity 
tor  six  years,  and  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board  for  over  thirty  years,  ha\ing  always 
taken  an  active  interest  in  educational  af- 
fairs. Mrs.  Hays  and  her  daughter  are 
members  of  the  Baptist  church  and  the  fam- 
il\-  is  one  of  prominence  in  the  community 
w  here  lhe\-  reside. 


C.VPTAIX  HEXRY  B.  REED. 

Captain  Henry  B.  Reed,  an  honored  cit- 
izen of  Pontiac,  now  living  a  retired  life  at 
Xo.  504  South  Mill  street,  is  a  veteran  of 
the  Civil  war  and  bears  an  honorable  record 
for  brave  service  in  the  cause  of  freedom 
and  union,  and  in  the  paths  of  jjeace  has  won 
an  enviable  reputation  through  the  sterling 
i|ualities  which  go  to  the  making  of  a  good 
citizen. 

The  Captain  was  born  near  Pottsville, 
Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania,  January 
29,  1833,  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth 
(  Barley)  Reed.  The  father  was  also  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania  and  a  son  of  Thomas 
Reed,  who  was  born  in  the  North  of  Ire- 
land and  came  to  this  country  six  years  prior 
to  the  Revolutionary  war,  in  which  he  took 
])art.  He  first  settled  near  Philadelphia,  and 
throughout  life  followed  farming,  dying  at 
about  the  age  of  eighty  years.  (Jur  sub- 
ject's father  was  a  life-long  resident  i>f  Penn- 


M.  OF  II  .  UB. 


52 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


sylvania  and  a  carpenter  l)y  trade.  l)ut  at  the 
time  of  liis  death  was  following  farming  in 
Schuylkill  county.  He  died  in  February. 
1833,  when  our  subject  was  only  three  weeks 
old.  and  the  mother,  who  long  survived  him, 
departed  this  life  in  1873.  They  had  eleven 
children,  of  whom  the  Captain  is  the  young- 
est. Onlv  three  are  now  living.  Elijah, 
now  seventy-six  years  of  age,  is  living  re- 
tired in  Schylkill  Haven,  Pennsylvania, 
after  having  served  for  twenty-two  years  as 
superintendent  of  the  car  shops  at  that  place. 
His  wife  died  leaving  five  children  that  are 
still  living.  Rebecca  is  the  wife  of  Jacob 
Zimmerman,  who  also  worked  in  the  car 
shops  at  that  place  for  a  great  many  years, 
but  is  now  living  retired  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-five years,  while  his  wife  is  sixty-nine 
years  of  age.  They  ha\'e  a  family  of  three 
sons  and  three  daughters. 

Captain  Reed  remained  with  his  mother 
in  his  native  county  until  nine  years  of  age. 
and  then  lived  with  a  married  brother  on 
his  farm  in  the  same  county  until  twelve 
years  of  age,  when  he  commenced  learning 
the  shoemaker's  trade  in  Schuylkill  Haven, 
serving  a  three-years  apprenticeship.  The 
following  year  he  was  foreman  in  the  shoe 
factory  of  Frederick  Millett.  at  Tamaqua. 
Pennsyh'ania.  and  then  started  in  business 
for  himself  at  that  place,  remaining  there 
until  1852  and  building  up  a  large  business 
for  those  times.  Receiving  a  good  offer 
from  the  firm  of  Packer  &  Olewine,  shoe 
manufacturers  of  Mauch  Chunk.  Pennsyl- 
vania, he  accepted  the  position  as  foreman 
for  that  company,  and  was  in  tlieir  employ 
a  year  and  a  half,  after  which  he  returned 
to  Tamaqua.  He  was  elected  constable  and 
Iield  that  ofiice  until  coming  to  Illinois  in 
1853.  He  first  located  in  Du  Page  c<~iunty. 
where  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  a  time. 


and  later  -was  foreman  for  John  Wallace, 
at  Joliet,  for  about  a  year  and  a  half,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  removed  to  Blooming- 
ton.  During  the  Lincoln  campaign  of  i860, 
he  was  captain  of  the  W'ide-Awakes,  and 
came  to  this  count\-  with  that  political  or- 
ganization. Being  pleased  with  this  locality 
he  decided  to  remain  and  was  engaged  in 
the  shoe  business  in  Pontiac  until  the  Civil 
war  broke  out. 

At  the  President's  first  call  for  troops, 
Captain  Reed  responded,  being  the  first  to 
enlist  in  Pontiac,  and  he  helped  organize 
the  first  company  from  that  city,  which  was 
mustered  in  as  Company  D.  Twentieth  Illi- 
nois Volunteer  Infantry.  He  went  to  the 
front  as  second  sergeant,  but  after  the  battle 
of  Fort  Donelson  was  promoted  to  second 
lieutenant,  his  commission  citing  that  his 
promotion  was  for  meritorious  conduct  on 
February  14.  15  and  16,  1862,  at  Fort  Don- 
elson. Returning  home  June  30,  1862,  he 
organized  a  company  under  the  large  call  of 
that  year,  and  again  entered  the  service  as 
captain  of  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-ninth  Volunteer  Infantry,  which 
was  under  General  Sherman's  command 
on  the  march  to  the  sea,  and  from  there 
marched  on  to  Washington.  D.  C.  Our  sub- 
ject was  mustered  out  at  Chicago,  in  June, 
1865.   as  captain. 

After  the  war  Captain  Reed  returned 
to  his  family  in  Pontiac,  and  was  here  en- 
gaged in  the  boot  and  shoe  business  for  a 
number  of  years,  but  finally  retired  on  ac- 
count of  ill  health.  He  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Oglesby  as  custodian  of  memorial 
hall  at  Springfield,  and  was  re-appointed  by 
Governor  Fifer.  Since  1894  he  has  led  a 
quiet,  retired  life  at  his  home  in  Pontiac. 
By  his  ballot  he  supports  the  men  and  meas- 
ures of  the  Republican  party,  but  has  never 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


53 


siiught  political  lioiKirs.  Ueliginusly  lie  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  cluircli.  and  so- 
cially belongs  to  Pontiac  Ltxlge.  Xo.  294. 
F.  &  A.  M..  and  T.  Lyle  Dickey  Post.  Xo. 
105.  (;.  A.  R..  of  I'ontiac,  of  which  he  is 
l)ast  commander.  His  loyalty  as  a  citizen 
and  his  devotion  to  his  country's  interests 
have  ever  been  among  his  marked  charac- 
teristics, and  the  community  is  fortunate 
that  numbers  him  among  its  citizens. 

On  the  jyth  of  September.  1850,  in 
'J"ama(|ua.  Pennsylvania.  Captain  Reed  was 
iniited  in  marriage  with  Miss  Esther  Beck, 
a  daughter  of  George  and  Mary  (  Barbary ) 
Beck.  o{  Carbon  county,  who  were  farming 
jieople  and  life-long  residents  of  that  state. 
'I  he  father  died  on  his  farm  in  Carbon  coun- 
ty at  the  age  (jf  eighty-five  years,  his  wife 
at  eighty-six.  Mrs.  Reed's  paternal  grand- 
lather  A\as  a  native  of  Germany  and  came  to 
this  country  at  an  early  date.  To  the  Cap- 
tain and  his  wife  were  born  nine  children, 
six  of  whom  are  now  living,  namely:  George 
O.,  born  in  Tamatiua.  Pennsylvania,  is  now 
engaged  in  the  boot  and  shoe  business  in 
Pontiac:  Katie  L.,  I)orn  in  Du  Page  county, 
Illinois,  is  the  wife  of  Thomas  Kay.  a  dry- 
goods  merchant  of  Pontiac;  Eilward  O.. 
born  in  Bloomington,  in  i860,  is  now  serv- 
ing as  county  treasurer  of  this  county,  and 
is  a  prominent  citizen  of  Pontiac;  Harry  B., 
born  in  Pontiac,  March  17,  1862.  lias  been 
mail  clerk  on  the  Chicago  &  .Alton  Railroad 
for  fourteen  years,  running  between  Chica- 
go and  St.  Louis,  and  makes  his  home  in  his 
birthplace;  Josepii  S.,  born  in  Pontiac.  in 
1864,  is  now  a  groceryman  of  that  city  and 
lias  served  as  alderman  from  tlie  second 
ward ;  Cora  E.  is  the  widow  of  Frederick 
O.  Scrivens,  late  of  Pontiac.  and  is  assist- 
ant county  treasurer  at  the  present  time. 
The  other  children  died  at  an  earlv  asre. 


FREDERICK  SCI  1()1-:XBECK. 

I'redcrick  Schoenbcck  is  one  of  the 
worthy  citizens  that  Germany  has  furnished 
to  Livingston  comity,  and  is  today  one  of 
her  most  prosi)erous  and  successful  farmers. 
He  resides  on  section  15,  Pike  township, 
where  he  has  a  line  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  and  besides  this  jjroperty 
he  owns  two  other  farms  of  similar  size  on 
sections  10  and  20.  respect i\el\'. 

Mr.  Schocnbeck  was  born  in  the  king- 
dom i>f  Prussia,  CJermany,  b'ebruary  26, 
1850,  and  attended  the  .schools  of  his  native 
land  for  eiglit  years.  His  knowledge  of 
luiglish  has  mainly  been  acquired  through 
his  own  unaided  efforts.  In  1867,  at  the 
age  of  se\enteen  years,  he  crossed  the  ocean 
with  his  mother,  brother  and  sister  and 
joined  an  luicle  in  Peoria,  where  the  mother 
subsec|uently  married  John  Rutz.  who  later 
came  to  Livingston  county  and  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Pike  townshij).  Our  subject  worked 
for  an  uncle  in  \\'oo(lford  county,  and  then 
spent  a  year  in  Peoria  county.  In  1871  he 
came  to  Livingston  county,  and  after  work- 
ing for  others  two  years  he  rented  a  farm, 
which  he  operated  for  the  same  length  of 
tine.  .\t  the  end  of  that  period  he  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  in  section  15,  Pike  town- 
ship, where  he  now  resides.  The  improve- 
ments u])on  the  place  at  that  time  were  of 
a  very  inferior  order,  but  he  has  since  erected 
a  pleasant  residence,  good  barns  and  out- 
buildings, has  buiU  fences,  planted  fruiit 
and  ornamental  trees  and  to-day  has  one  of 
the  best  imijroved  farms  in  the  township. 
He  has  extended  its  Ixnindaries  until  it  now 
contains  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  his 
other  farms  are  Iioth  \aluable  places  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  each. 

On  the  _>5th  of  March.  1873.  Mr.  Schoen- 


54 


OGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


beck  was  married,  in  I'eoria,  Illinois,  to 
Miss  Frederica  Wenke,  a  native  of  Olden- 
burg, Germany,  and  a  daughter  of  John  F. 
Wenke,  who,  on  his  emigration  to  America, 
settled  in  Peoria  and  purchased  a  farm  ad- 
joining the  cit}'.  where  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  dying  there  in  1875. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schoenlieck  ha\e  four  chil- 
dren, namely:  Frederick.  Jr..  at  home: 
Katie,  wife  of  Jnhn  ]).  Klein,  a  son  of  John 
Klein,  who  is  represented  on  another  page 
of  this  volume;  Anna  and  William,  both  at 
home. 

Mr.  Schoenheck  cast  his  first  presidential 
ballot  for  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  in  1876,  and 
has  never  wavered  in  his  allegiance  to  the 
Repulilican  party  since  that  time,  but  he  has 
never  cared  for  political  preferment.  His 
life  has  been  one  of  industry  and  persever- 
ance, and  to  these  characteristics  as  well 
as  his  good  business  ability  may  be  attributed 
his  success,  for  he  has  received  no  outsitle 
aid.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  reared  in 
the  Lutheran  faith  and  are  highly  respected 
and  esteemed  bv  all  who  know  them. 


DAVID  S.  :\IYERS. 

David  S.  Myers,  of  Pontiac.  president  of 
the  Pontiac  State  Bank,  is  ranked  generally 
as  one  of  the  safest  financiers  and  most  sa- 
gacious business  men  in  central  Illinois.  If 
success  is  to  be  measured  by  results  he  luust 
be  regarded  as  an  eminently  successful  man. 
for  not  only  his  individual  affairs,  but  all 
the  enterprises  he  has  organized  and  pro- 
moted in  Pontiac  and  elsewhere  ba\e  pros- 
pered even  beyc^nd  his  preilictions  and  the 
expectations  of  those  he  enlisted  in  these 
various   undertakings.      His   active   connec- 


tion with  so  many  ]3rojects.  both  of  a  public 
and  private  nature,  most  of  which  contrib- 
uting to  the  material  advancement  of  his 
county  and  city,  marks  Mr.  Myers  as  one 
of  the  useful  and  prominent  citizens  of  Liv- 
ingston county. 

Da\id  S.  Myers  was  born  Feliruary  10, 
1858,  on  a  farm  near  Russellville.  Ohio,, 
and  is  now,  July.  1900.  only  in  the  early 
maturity  of  intellectual  and  physical  man- 
hood. He  inherited  much  of  the  vigor  of 
liis  constitution  and  force  of  character  from 
liis  ancestors,  who  were  people  of  reputation 
and  intelligence,  conspicuous  in  the  pioneer 
history  of  Ohio.  He  is  the  son  of  William 
and  Margaret  Myers,  both  natives  of  Ohio, 
the  former  being  born  A  larch  22,  18 14.  at 
Russellville.  and  the  latter  in  1823  at  George- 
town. This  lad\\  who  was  a  woman  of 
practical  merit  and  mental  attainments, 
was  the  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Moore,  a  sub- 
stantial and  influential  citizen  of  Brown 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  resided  all  his  life 
as- a  prosperous  farmer  and  useful  member 
of  the  community.  His  first  political  affilia- 
tions were  with  the  Whigs,  but  later  the 
progressive  principles  of  the  Republican 
party  appealed  to  his  sympathies  and  won 
his  ardent  support.  As  a  girl  Margaret  had 
what  she  afterward  considered  the  rare  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  schoolmate  and  study- 
ing the  same  lessons  with  an  unpretentious 
lad  who  was  destined  to  become  the  most 
famous  soldier  of  his  time.  General  V.  S. 
(irant.  the  Grant  and  Moore  families  being 
neighbors. 

Francis  Myers,  grandfather  of  D.  S. 
]\Ivers.  was  among  the  earliest  settlers  of 
southern  Ohio,  actively  assisting  in  the  tle- 
\elopment  of  the  count}',  and.  ti)gether  with 
his  family,  resolutely  undergoing  all  the  toil 
and  privations  that  were  assumetl  bv  those 


D.  S.  MYERS. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


57 


devoted  pioneers  wlm  hla^^ed  the  wav  and 
snn)othed  tlie  path  for  tlie  coniino-  "enera- 
tions. 

W'ilham  Myers,  fatlier  of  D.  S.  Myers, 
was  in  many  respects  a  remarkable  man. 
He  passed  the  largest  portion  of  his  life  in 
Ohio,  his  native  state,  where  he  achieved 
the  noteworthy  record  of  having  taught 
school  uninterruiitedly  for  forty  years.  The 
entire  course  of  his  life  was  regulated  and 
directed  by  his  lo\e  of  humanity,  his  sense  of 
justice  and  his  sym])athy  with  the  oppressed, 
and  he  was  one  of  those  dauntless  spirits, 
who,  known  as  Abolitionists,  were  the 
vanguard  of  that  grand  movement  which 
resulted  in  the  extinction  of  slavery  within 
the  borders  of  the  United  States.  His  home 
was  one  of  the  stations  on  the  "Underground 
Railway,"  which  was  the  significant  name 
of  a  secret  byway  over  which  fugitive  slaves 
were  assisted  and  hurried  from  the  yoke  of 
bondage  to  the  blessings  of  liberty.  He  was 
suspected  and  his  life  often  endangered, 
but  no  intimidation  could  swerve  him  from 
his  convictions  of  right.  William  Myers 
had  been  a  \\  lug,  but  the  noble  mission  of 
the  abolition  of  slavery  proclaimed  by  the 
Republican  party  iniluced  him  to  pledge  his 
voice  and  vote  to  that  organization.  For 
a  time  but  two  Rei)ublican  \-otes  were  re- 
corded in  iii^  township,  one  of  which  was  his 
own.  lie  enjoyed  the  distinction  that  few 
could  claim  of  having  cast  his  first  presi- 
dential vote  for  William  Henry  Harrison 
and  his  last  for  that  president's  grandson, 
Benjamin  Herrison.  William  Myers  was  a 
man  of  culture  in  book  knowledge  as  well 
as  of  practical  intelligence  in  the  affairs  of 
life,  being  a  close  observer  and  a  clear 
thinker,  with  distinct  though  liberal  views 
on  all  the  political  and  .social  problems  of 
the  time.     He  was  evervwhere  honored  for 


his  excellent  ((ualities  of  head  and  heart  and 
imi\ersally  respected  for  his  unyielding 
tidelity  to  principle.  He  resided  on  bis  farm 
until  1888.  when  his  .son  induced  his  father 
and  mother  to  come  to  Pontiac  and  make 
their  home  with  him,  antl  he  contributed  to 
their  comfort  and  the  serenity  of  their  de- 
clining years  until  death  closed  their  eyes 
in  eternal  slumber,  .\fter  a  life  seldom 
e(|ualled  in  its  steadfast  ])ur])ose  of  uplift- 
ing his  race,  William  .Myers  died  in  March, 
1896,  and  was  followed  a  year  later  l)v  his 
worthy  heli)mate,  a  loyal  wife,  devoted 
mother  and  sympathetic  friend.  Both  lived 
as  exemplary  Christians,  being  until  death 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

The  boyhood  and  early  manhood  of 
David  S.  Myers  was  passed  upon  his  father's 
farm,  where  he  formed  habits  of  industry, 
a  fi.xed  ]nu-pose  in  life  and  stability  of  char- 
acter, and  in  the  district  schools  where  he 
acquired  the  elementary  principles  of  edu- 
cation, and  under  the  vigilant  e\-e  of  his  fa- 
ther, the  most  eft'ective  training  that  any  boy 
could  receive.  To  prepare  himself  for  the 
])rofe,ssion  of  teaching  he  attended  different 
normal  schools  in  southern  Ohio  and  so  im- 
])roved  his  advantages  that  he  soon  qualified 
and  was  called  to  take  charge  of  schools, 
tirst  in  Kentucky  and  then  in  Ohio.  In  1883 
he  came  to  Livingston  county,  Illinois,  a 
movement  upon  which  all  his  later  successes 
aj^jjear  to  hinge.  1  lere  he  engaged  in  teach- 
ing for  nearly  two  years  in  Owego  and 
Saunemin  townshiijs.  with  the  most  satis- 
factor}-  results.  Going  to  Chicago  he  en- 
tered a  real  estate  office,  where  he  diligently 
ap])lied  his  time  for  a  year,  familiarizing 
himself  with  the  details  and  acquiring  much 
\aluable  knowledge  of  real  estate  transactions. 
Returning  to  Livingston  county  be,  with  N. 
O.  Tanquary,  opened  the  real  estate  office 


58 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


of  Taiiquary  &  ]vlyers  in  Pontiac,  an  ar- 
rangement wliich  continued  in  force  until 
1889,  when  Mr.  Tanquary's  withdrawal  dis- 
solved the  firm,  since  which  time  Mr.  Myers 
has  conducted  an  extensive  real  estate  busi- 
ness independently,  always  beneficially  to  his 
patrons  and  satisfactory  to  himself.  During- 
the  years  following  1888  several  additions 
to  the  city  of  Pontiac.  owned  by  Mr.  Myers, 
were  platted  and  opened  to  market.  By 
inviting  buyers  who  improved  the  property 
and  became  actual  residents,  he  has  promoted 
the  growth  of  the  city  in  wealth  and  popu- 
lation and  thereby  enhanced  the  value  of 
all  real  estate,  stimulated  business  and  in- 
creased the  general  prosperity.  The  first 
project  of  this  kind  in  which  he  was  inter- 
ested, known  as  Camp's  addition,  comprised 
sixteen  acres  of  eligible  lots  and  is  now  the 
most  desirable  residence  portion  of  the  city. 
A  second  addition  to  this  tract  has  since  been 
opened.  Myers'  first,  second,  third,  fourth 
and  fifth  additions  have  also  been  platted, 
all  of  which  have  their  attractions  and  in  all 
of  which  lots  are  being  rapidly  disposed  of 
to  home  builders,  many  of  whom  he  has 
assisted  in  their  improvements.  At  this 
time,  July,  1900,  there  are  but  two  other 
additions  on  the  market,  and  in  one  of  these, 
the  Riverside  addition,  near  the  shoe  factory, 
lie  holds  an  interest.  In  1899  Myers  sold 
thirty  thousand  dollars  worth  of  \'acant  lots, 
in  his  various  additions  to  Pontiac,  which  not 
only  attests  his  ability  as  a  real  estate  dealer, 
but  is  substantial  evidence  of  the  remark- 
able growth  and  improvement  of  the  city. 
For  the  past  ten  years  Mr.  Myers  has  been 
interested  in  drainage  and  reclaiming  ex- 
tensive tracts  of  swamp  lands  in  Livingston, 
Lee,  Henry  and  Bureau  counties,  in  Illinois, 
and  La  Porte  countv.  Indiana,  and  is  the 
owner  of  a  largfe  amount  of  \erv  \aluable 


and  ]iighly;_  product! \-e  land  in  each  of  these 
counties. 

Mr.  Myers  does  not  lieliex-e  that  a  city 
can  become  permanently  prosperous  without 
productive  industries  employing  skilled  labor. 
Hence  he  has  encouraged  such  enternrises 
in  Pontiac,  and  was  one  of  the  founders,  as 
well  as  the  first  stockholder,  and  is  still  a 
director,  in  the  Pontiac  Shoe  Manufacturing 
Company,  one  of  the  most  extensive  and 
prosperous  plants  of  this  kind  in  the  United 
States,  affording  employment  to  more  than 
three  hundred  persons,  disbursing  for  its 
pay  roll  more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
fi\e  thousand  dollars  annuall}'  and  an  annual 
product  valued  at  nearly  one  million  dollars. 
In  1899  Mr.  Myers  became  interested  in  the 
Allen  Candy  Company,  which  was  incor- 
porated with  a  ca])ital  stock  of  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars.  He  was  chosen  as  one  of 
the  directors  and  the  company  is  now  in  suc- 
cessful operation.  Mr.  Myers  was  the  chief 
promoter  of  the  organization  of  the  Pontiac 
State  Bank,  which  was  incorporated  and 
opened  for  business  in  February,  1899.  He 
was  the  larest  stockholder  and  was  elected 
president,  which  position  he  still  fills  ac- 
ceptably to  patrons  and  to  the  best  interests 
of  the  bank.  Under  his  able  management, 
assisted  by  an  efficient  board  of  directors, 
comprising  some  of  the  most  capable  business 
men  of  Pontiac,  the  Pontiac  State  Bank  was 
a  success  from  its  inception,  and  is  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  solid  financial  institu- 
tions of  central  Illinois.  The  bank  occupies 
elegantly  appointed  rooms  in  the  corner  of 
the  new  Sterry  block,  which  were  especially 
designed  for  that  purpose. 

The  Pontiac  Chautauqua  Association  is 
the  pride  and  lioast  of  every  citizen,  and  has 
been  popular  as  well  as  prosperous  from  its 
first  asseml)ly.     Mr.    Myers    actively    pro- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


59 


motetl  its  organization  and  has  since  iieen 
one  of  its  directors.  In  1899  its  earnings 
were  fifty-five  per  cent,  on  its  stock.  He 
rendereil  valuable  aid  in  founding  the  ]nihlic 
library,  and  ])urchased.  at  a  liberal  price,  land 
donated  by  Mr.  Babcock.  besides  contribut- 
ing generously  to  the  library  fund.  The 
townshi])  high  school  was  another  object  of 
his  generous  public  spirit,  donating  the 
grounds  in  the  center  of  which  stantls  the  im- 
posing school  building. 

Mr.  Mvers  has  al\va\s  been  an  interested 
student  of  state  and  national  affairs,  and  is 
well  informed  on  all  the  public  questions  of 
the  day.  Politically,  he  is  an  a\o\ved  Re- 
publican of  the  most  pronounced  type.  His 
first  presidential  vote  was  given  to  General 
Garfield  in  1880.  He  has  participated  act- 
ively in  county  and  citv  politics  and  rendered 
^•aluable  assistance  to  his  party.  In  1892 
he  was  selected  as  councilman  from  the  first 
ward,  and  while  acting  in  that  capacity  ad- 
vocated the  system  of  sewerage  and  adoption 
of  water  works  which  marked  the  beginning 
of  an  era  of  city  improvements.  In  1897 
he  was  elected  mayor  of  the  city,  his  ad- 
ministration being  one  of  the  most  import- 
ant and  successful  in  its  benefits  to  the  city 
in  the  ni'.toiyof  Pontiac.includingtheremoval 
of  the  unsightly  raised  sidewalks  and  bring- 
ing the  streets  and  sidewalks  to  a  uniform 
grade.  From  June.  1898.  to  June.  1900.  he 
served  as  chairman  of  the  Republican  county 
central  committee  and  brought  to  that  posi- 
tion the  same  energy  and  sagacity  that  he 
exercised  so  effectively  in  other  affairs.  .\s 
a  prominent  and  active  Republican  Mr. 
Myers  is  well  known  to  the  leaders  through- 
out the  state. 

Mr.  Myers  is  a  man  of  keen  perceptions, 
almost  unerring  in  his  judgment  of  men 
and  affairs  and  of  the  verv  first  order  of 


executive  ability.  In  his  methods  of 
thought  and  action  he  is  very  deliber- 
ative, weighing  every  word  before  it  is  ut- 
tered and  measuring  everv  step  before  it  is 
taken.  He  is  (piiet  auvl  self-possessed,  and 
he  turns- off  transactions  involving  tens  of 
thousands  of  dollars  with  less  palaver  than 
many  men  would  require  to  consummate  the 
most  trilling  transaction.  .  The  elements 
that  contribute  to  his  unexampled  successes 
are  umlouhtedly  his  sclf-e\'ident  honesty  and 
sincerity,  which  in\  ite  confidence,  the  clear 
manner  in  which  he  presents  a  ])roposition, 
his  excellent  judgment  in  making  invest- 
ments and  his  exceptional  al)ility  in  organiz- 
ing and  luaturing  extensive  enterprises.  He 
is  unselfish  in  his  success,  for  every  step  in 
his  prosperity  has  been  marked  by  some  ad- 
vantage to  his  city  and  county.  .\s  an  ex- 
ample of  what  may  be  accomplished  by  a 
well-balanced,  energetic  and  ambitious  young 
man,  dependent  absolutely  upon  his  own  ef- 
iovts.  the  career  of  Mr.  Myers  is  invaluable. 
-Mthough  an  inten.sely  busy  man,  and 
while  engaged  in  business  oblivious  to  everv 
distraction,  Mr.  Myers,  recognizing  all  the 
obligations  of  citizenship  and  .societv.  has 
a  very  agreeable  social  side  to  his  nature. 
He  has  a  refined  home,  one  of  the  most  ele- 
gant residences  in  Livingston  county,  which 
is  located  on  Cirove  street,  overlooking  the 
\'ermillion  river,  and  has  a  cultured  family. 
On  I'ebruary  9.  1887.  David  S.  Myers  and 
Miss  Louise  Catherine  Slyder  w^re  united 
in  marriage.  Mrs.  Myers  is  a  lady  of 
acknowledged  refinement,  supplemented  by 
a  practical,  womanly  disposition  and  a  cheer- 
ful nature.  She  was  born  in  Lixingston 
county,  one  of  ten  children,  her  father  being 
Simon  F.  Slyder.  a  prominent  citizen  of  the 
same  county.  Four  children  came  to  bless 
this  union,  two  of  whom  are  living.  Diller 


6o 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Slyder  and  Anna  Louise.  TTie  family  are 
regular  attentlants  of  and  liberal  contributors 
to  the  maintenance  of  the  jMethodist  Epis- 
copal church  of  Pontiac.  The  passing  years 
have  justified  the  wisdom  of  Mr.  Myers  in 
the  choice  of  a  bride,  for  their  domestic  re- 
lations are  A'ery  happy  and  their  home  life 
what  mav  1)e  trulv  termed  ideal. 


CHARLES  L.  ROMBERGER. 

Prominent  among  the  enterprising,  pro- 
gressive and  successful  men  of  Dwight  is  the 
subject  of  this-  sketch,  who  as  a  lawyer  and 
business  man  has  been  prominently  identified 
with  its  interests  for  several  years.  His  life 
history  most  happily  illustrates  what  may  be 
attained  by  faithful  and  continued  effort  in 
carrying  out  an  honest  purpose.  Activity  antl 
energy  hav6  been  the  crowning  points  of  his 
success,  and  his  connection  with  various  en- 
terprises have  been  of  decided  advantage  to 
his  community,  promoting  its  material  wel- 
fare in  no  uncertain  manner. 

I\Ir.  Romberger  was  born  in  a  log  cabin 
in  Wyanet,  Bureau  county,  Illinois,  June  12, 
1862.  His  father,  L.  D.  Romberger,  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  April  23,  1831,  of 
German  ancestry,  and  was  left  an  orphan 
\\lien  only  a  _\'ear  old.  At  the  age  of  eight  he 
started  out  in  life  for  himself  and  ser\-ed  an 
apprenticeship  to  the  tinner's  trade.  He  was 
about  twenty-three  years  of  age  w  hen  he  re- 
moved to  Wyanet,  Illinois,  where  he  was 
married,  March  i,  i860,  to  Francisca  L. 
Weaver,  who  was  also  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
P'ebruary  20,  1839,  and  had  come  west  with 
her  parents,  who  were  engaged  in  the  hotel 
liusiness.  Air.  Romberger  was  engaged  in 
merchandising  in  Wvanet  for  a  few  vears 


and  later  followed  farming  for  two  years, 
after  w  hich  he  mo\ed  to  Princeton,  Illinois, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  until  his  health  failed,  in  1880, 
when  he  sold  out  and  has  since  devoted  his 
attention  to  bee  culture,  having  one  of  the 
largest  apiaries  in  the  United  States.  He 
has  always  been  a  stanch  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, but  ne\er  an  aspirant  for  office,  though 
he  is  now  serving  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
Of  his  three  children,  one  died  in  infancy; 
Emma  L.  is  now  the  wife  of  Frank  H.  Hoff- 
man, of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  and 
Charles  L.  completes  the  familv. 

The  primary  education  of  our  subject 
was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  Prince- 
ton, and  he  was  graduated  from  the  high 
school  of  that  city  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years.  He  then  entered  the  law  department 
of  the  L'nixersity  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor, 
where  he  was  graduated  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen and  received  the  degree  of  LL.  B., 
March  2Q,  1882.  He  was  not  permitted  to 
practice,  however,  until  he  attained  his  ma- 
jority, when  the  state  of  Michigan  forwarded 
his  certificate,  and  he  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice at  the  bar  of  Illinois,  September  24, 
1883.  After  his  graduation  he  located  at 
Ottawa,  Illinois,  and  entered  the  office  of 
Mayo  &  \\'idmer,  prominent  attorneys  of 
that  place,  with  whom  he  remained  for  fif- 
teen months. 

In  1884.  at  the  suggestion  of  Hon.  W'ul- 
ter  Reeves,  now  member  of  congress  from 
this  district,  Mr.  Romberger  came  to  Dwight 
and  opened  a  law  office  over  the  People's 
Bank,  being  alone  in  business  until  1887, 
when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  John 
C.  Hetzel,  a  real  estate  and  insurance  agent, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Hetzel  &  Romberger. 
In  1 89 1  he  bought  out  his  partner  and  con- 
tinued alone  until  Xo\ember,  1895,  when  he 


THE    BIOGRATHICAL    RFX'ORD. 


6i 


sold  a  lialf  interest  in  the  business  to  Frank 
L.  Smith, the  lirni  being  known  as  Romberger 
&  Smith.  Their  specialty  is  real  estate  and  real 
estate  work,  although  they  do  a  private  bank- 
ing business  for  accommodation  of  friends 
and  acquaintances.  Without  question  the 
firm  does  one  of  the  largest  loan  and  real  es- 
tate businesses  in  central  Illinois,  this  fact 
being  conceded  by  all  other  firms  in  their 
line.  At  present  they  are  extensively  inter- 
ested in  Mississippi  and  Louisiana  lands. 
Their  holdings  in  the  latter  state  are  timber 
lantls,  wiiich  the  firm  purchased  with  tlie 
view  of  enhancing  their  value,  and  in  jan- 
ary.  1900^  they  sold  one  tract  of  twelve 
thousand  acres  in  Madison  parish.  1  his  is 
desirable  property,  being  accessible  to  steam- 
boats and  the  \'icksburg,  Shreveport  &  Pa- 
cific Railroad.  The  Mississippi  land  is  in 
the  Delta  country  and  is  also  covered  with 
hardwood  lumber,  principally  oak,  ])ecan 
and  gum.  When  cleared  this  will  be- 
come excellent  cotton  land.  Besides  this 
property  the  firm  has  about  fifteen  hundred 
acres  of  fine  farming  land  in  Lee  county, 
Illinois,  which  is  well  improved  and  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  also  oper- 
ates largely  in  biwa  and  Lidiana  lands. 
Since  coming  to  Dwight  'Slv.  Romberger 
has  had  complete  charge  of  tiie  Keeley  Com- 
pany's legal  business,  and  is  attorney  for 
the  estate  of  Dr.  Leslie  E.  Keeley.  He  is 
also  local  attorney  for  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
Railroad.  He  does  very  little  court  work, 
however,  his  entire  legal  business  being  con- 
fined to  ofiice  practice.  He  is  interested  in 
the  Keeley  Institute,  located  at  Xo.  J803 
Locust  street,  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  being  a 
partner  of  Dr.  J.  E.  Blaine,  who  for  eight 
years  was  chief  of  the  medical  staff  of  the 
Leslie  E.  Keeley  Company  of  DwigfTt. 

On  the  7th  of  October,  1S84.  Mr.  Rom- 


berger married  Miss  Nellie  M.  Ensign,  a 
native  of  Connecticut,  and  a  daughter  of 
Edward  H.  and  Martha  S.  Ensign.  By 
this  union  three  children  were  born,  the  old- 
est, a  daughter,  died  in  infancy.  Louise  E. 
ilied  very  suddenly  of  tonsilitis,  November 
2,  1899,  at  the  age  of  twelve  vears.  Emma 
T.,  aged  eleven  years,  is  attending  school  in 
Dwight. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Romberger  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Congregational  church,  and  he  is 
also  a  prominent  member  of  the  Masonic 
fralcrnitv.  In  1884  he  was  made  a  Master 
Alason  in  Livingston  Lodge,  No.  371,  A. 
F.  &  .\.  ;M.,  of  Dwight,  of  which  he  is  now 
past  master,  and  received  the  higher  degrees 
in  Orient  Chapter,  No.  31,  R.  A.  M.,  and 
Blaney  Commandery,  No. 5,  K.  T.,  of  Morris, 
Illinois;  Dwight  Chapter,  No.  166,  O.  E. 
S.,  of  which  he  is  past  worthy  patron;  is  a 
member  of  the  Oriental  Consistory  and  Me- 
dinah  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  both  of 
Chicago.  He  is  now  a  member  of  Wil- 
mington Chapter,  No.  142,  R.  A.  M.,  of 
which  he  is  past  high  priest,  and  Joliet  Com- 
mandery, No.  4,  K.  T.,  of  which  he  is  senior 
warden.  Since  old  enough  to  vote  Mr. 
Romberger  has  affiliated  with  the  Republi- 
can party,  and  in  1892  was  elected  president 
of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  village  of 
Dwight  on  the  ticket  advocating  ))ublic  im- 
provements. He  has  always  taken  the  lead 
in  anything  tending  to  advance  the  inter- 
ests of  his  town  and  worked  hard  to  get  the 
sewerage  system,  electric  light  and  water 
works  adopted  and  cement  sidewalks  laid. 
Therefore  during  his  administration  there 
were  more  improvements  made  than  at  any 
other  time,  and  he  is  justly  numbered  among 
Dwight's  most  progressive  and  public-spir- 
ited citizens.  He  is  emphatically  a  man  of 
enterprise,    positive    character,    indomitable 


62 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


energy,  strict  integrity  and  liberal  views, 
and  is  thoroughly  identified  in  feeling  with 
the  growth  and  prosperity  of  his  city. 


NATHAN  S.  GRANDY. 

Nathan  S.  Grandy,  deceased,  was  num- 
bered among  the  honored  pioneers  of  Li\- 
ingston  county,  where  he  located  when  this 
region  was  wild  and  unimproved.  In  the 
work  of  de\-elopment  he  took  an  actixe  part 
in  the  early  days  and  aided  in  opening  up 
the  country  to  civilization.  As  the  years 
passed  his  faithfully  performed  duties  of  citi- 
zenship and  his  interest  in  the  welfare  and 
progress  of  the  communit}-  never  aliated. 
Becoming  widely  and  favorably  known  he 
made  many  friends,  and  his  death  was  a  loss 
to  the  entire  community. 

Mr.  Grandy  was  born  October  6.  1816. 
in  Phantom  township.  Addison  county.  \'er- 
mont,  where  he  grew  to  manhood,  and  there 
worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  as  a  manu- 
facturer of  sash,  doors  and  blinds.  He  first 
married  a  Miss  Kent,  who  died  in  Illinois  a 
few  vears  after  soming  here.  After  his 
marriage  he  came  to  Illinois,  arriving  in  Chi- 
cago about  the  ist  of  May,  1850,  when  only 
thirtv  miles  of  railroad  extended  from  that 
city  toward  Galena,  and  a  few  miles  had  been 
built  in  this  direction,  there  being  not  more 
than  one  hundred  mdes  in  the  state.  From 
Chicago  Mr.  Grandy  went  to  Alton,  a  part 
of  the  journey  being  made  liy  way  of  the  Illi- 
nois river,  and  the  whole  trip  occupying  over 
a  week.  He  first  located  in  Kane,  Greene 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  had  a  brother  liv- 
ing, and  there  he  engaged  in  farming  for  a 
time. 

While  a  resident  of  Greene  countv,  ^Nlr. 


Grandy  was  married,  February  12,  1854,  to 
Miss  Harriet  E.  Christy,  a  native  of  Law- 
rence county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Elizabeth  (Denni.son)  Christy,  pio- 
neers of  that  county,  where  their  marriage 
was  celebrated.  The  father,  who  was  a  na- 
tive of  Ohio  and  a  farmer  by  (Occupation,  re- 
moved to  Greene  county  soon  after  the  Ijirth 
of  Mrs.  Grandy  and  bought  a  tract  of  land 
in  Kane,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life.    In  religious  belief  he  was  a  Baptist. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grandy  were  born  eight 
children,  namely:  T.  E.,  a  real  estate  dealer 
of  Pontiac,  married  Elizabeth  L.  Mason; 
Harriet  A.,  at  home  with  her  mother;  Clara 
is  the  wife  of  .Albert  G.  Mason,  of  Pontiac, 
and  they  have  four  children  living,  Ollie, 
Leonard  L.,  .\lice  and  Cress ;  Charles  E., 
who  li\-es  on  a  farm  three  miles  and  a  hah' 
east  of  Pontiac,  married  Susan  Foster,  of 
Owego  township,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren, iMabel  E.  and  Victor  J.;  George  W., 
a  resident  of  St.  John's,  Kansas,  married 
Jennie  Dudley,  of  Missouri,  and  they  have 
one  child,  Pearl;  William  A.,  a  lumberman 
of  Mason  City,  Illinois,  married  Emma  An- 
irim,  and  they  have  one  child,  Margery ; 
Henry  li\es  on  the  home  farm  and  married 
Miss  Tillie  Hill;  Mary  J.  is  the  wife  of  W. 
C.  Young,  a  farmer  living  three  miles  east 
of  Pontiac,  and  the}-  ha\-e  three  children, 
Edith.  Marshall  and  Lewis. 

In  1856  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grandy  came  to 
Livingston  county  and  took  up  their  resi- 
dence in  Owego  township,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  on  which 
was  standing  a  small  caliin,  14.X18  feet,  made 
of  rough  slabs  from  the  sawmill  set  up  on 
end  and  the  cracks  filled  with  clay.  The 
fioor  was  of  ash  and  oak  boards  about  ten 
inches  wide  hewed  down,  while  the  roof  was 
made  of  real  old-fashioned  clapboards  split 


THE    llIOr.KAl'HICAL    RFX'ORD. 


63 


from  oak  timl)er.  In  tliis  rude  dwelling  the 
family  lixed  for  nver  a  \ear.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  a  few  acres  the  farm  was  un- 
broken. C)n  taking  up  his  residence  here 
Mr.  Grandy  at  once  turned  his  attention 
to  the  improvement  and  cultivation  of  his 
farm.  The  first  winter  he  constructed  a 
stable  by  ])utting  f<irked  poles  into  the 
ground,  laying  other  jjoles  across  these  ami 
covering  them  with  brush  and  then  with  hay, 
while  the  sides  were  also  banked  up  with 
hay.  This  comfortably  sheltered  his  stock 
until  a  better  barn  could  be  built.  He  fenced 
his  land  and  placed  acre  after  acre  under  the 
plow  until  all  was  highly  cultivated.  In 
1861  a  more  substantial  and  comfortaljle 
residence  was  built,  much  of  the  timber  being 
taken  from  his  own  wi od  Int.  two  miles 
from  his  home.  .Men  were  making  the  sills 
for  the  new  house  when  the  news  came  of 
the  firing  upon  Fort  Sumter.  The  house 
was  completed  that  summer  and  is  stiill 
standing.  A  large  part  of  the  finished  lum- 
ber used  in  its  construction  was  bought  at 
sixty  dollars  ])er  thousand  and  paid  for  with 
corn  at  ten  cents  per  bushel.  This  had  to  be 
shelled,  sacked  and  hauled  to  Pontiac.  Mr. 
Grandy  useil  a  small  two-hole  corn  sheller, 
run  by  horse  jjower. 

When  he  located  in  this  cnnnty  he  cnuld 
travel  in  a  northeaster!}-  directiim  fnmi  his 
honie  and  find  nut  a  Imuse  nor  a  fence  until 
within  twii  miles  ni  Kankakee,  while  his 
nearest  trading  places  were  Pontiac  and 
Fairbury.  Coal  was  almost  unknown  and 
was  very  high  when  obtainable.  Several 
times  during  the  first  four  years  sjjent  here, 
the  Grandy  home  came  \ery  nearly  being 
destroyed  by  the  prairie  fires.  Mrs.  Grandy 
once  saved  the  house  with  a  pail  of  water  and 
her  mop.  They  added  to  the  farm  by  addi- 
tional purchase  as  their  financial  res(jurces 


increased,  but  in  1S7J  sold  it  and  bought  two 
luiiidreil  and  fi  ur  acres  in  Pontiac  township, 
one  mile  fro.m  the  court  house,  which  Mrs. 
Grandy  still  owns,  anil  on  which  the  family 
moved  that  year.  Our  subject  made  all  of 
the  improvements  upon  the  place,  inchuling 
the  erection  of  a  fine  house,  a  good  barn  and 
substantial  outbuildings.  He  was  actively 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  1877, 
when  he  was  injured  by  a  saw.  after  which 
he  ])ractica!l_\'  lived  retiretl  until  his  death, 
lieing"  lilind  the  last  two  years  of  his  life. 

Mr.  Grandy  was  a  Democrat  in  politics 
and  took  an  acti\e  and  prominent  part  in  the 
public  affairs  of  his  time.  While  a  resident 
of  Owego  township  he  served  as  school  treas- 
urer, assessor  and  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
was  known  throughout  the  county  as  S(|uire 
Grandy.  In  Pontiac  township  he  served  as 
road  commissioner  some  years  and  took  an 
active  part  in  building  the  bridges  and  im- 
proxing  the  roads  of  his  locality,  assisting  in 
the  construction  oi  the  fine  iron  bridge  three 
miles  west  of  Pontiac.  In  1868  he  was  ap- 
i;ointed  county  commissioner  by  the  board 
of  supervisors  to  go  over  the  county  and  re- 
appraise the  swamp  lands,  to  which  business 
he  devoted  one  whole  summer,  spending 
nearly  all  the  time  driving  over  the  county. 
I  le  was  one  of  the  early  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist church  and  later  attended  services  at 
Avoca.  w  here  a  church  w  as  l)uilt  for  the  use 
<if  any  dencjmination,  this  being  much  nearer 
his  home.  After  his  ren)oval  to  Pontiac  he 
united  with  the  Baptist  clunxii  in  that  city. 
He  died  on  his  farm,  one  mile  east  of  Ponti- 
ac. June  26.  1890.  honored  and  respected 
by  all  who  knew  him.  Throughout  his  career 
of  continuetl  and  far-reaching  usefulness  his 
duties  were  performed  with  the  greatest  care, 
and  his  personal  honor  and  integrity  were 
without  blemish. 


64 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Mrs.  Grandy  still  survives  her  husband 
and  now  makes  her  home  in  Pontiac,  where 
she  has  a  lovely  home  at  Xo.  317  East  How- 
ard street.  She  has  only  li\'ed  here  a  year, 
though  owning  the  place  for  some  time.  She 
was  always  a  true  helpmeet  to  lier  husband, 
aiding  him  in  e\ery  possible  way,  and  is  a 
most  estimable  lady,  beloved  and  respected  by 
all  who  know  her  on  account  of  her  sterling 
worth  and  manv  excellencies  of  character. 


JOHN   W.   HOO\'ER. 

John  \\'.  Hoo\er,  whose  home  is  at  Xo. 
215  East  Livingston  street,  Pontiac,  is  one 
of  the  most  public-spirited  and  enterprising- 
citizens  of  that  place.  He  is  a  native  of  Illi- 
nois, born  in  Putnam  county,  March  9,  1S40, 
and  is  a  son  of  Henry  Mann  and  Sarah 
(Hunt)  Hoover.  The  father  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  June  10,  1808,  and  in  1838 
came  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Bureau  county, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  until  1848 
and  then  went  to  California,  crossing  the 
plains  with  an  ox  team.  The  following  four 
)'ears  were  passed  in  prospecting  and  min- 
ing, during  which  time  he  accumulated  con- 
siderable property,  but  when  just  ready  to 
return  to  his  family  in  Illinois  he  met  with 
a  violent  death  and  his  hard-earned  treasure 
was  taken  from  him.  His  widow  is  still  liv- 
ing at  the  age  of  eighty-eight  years,  and 
resides  with  her  daughter  in  Minonk,  Wood- 
ford county,  Illinois.  Only  three  of  her  ten 
children  survi\-e.  Two  sons,  George  H.  and 
Julius  G.,  were  soldiers  of  the  Civil  war,  and 
died  in    Tennessee  during  their  service. 

Our  suliject  remained  with  his  mother 
on  the  home  farm  in  Bureau  county  until 
1857,    when    they    removed    to    Livingston 


county  and  located  in  X'ebraska  township, 
where  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war,  in 
1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Third  Illinois 
Cavalry,  Company  K.  for  three  years.  He 
participated  in  a  number  of  battles  in  ]\Iis- 
souri  and  Arkansas,  including  the  engage- 
ment at  Pea  Ridge,  where  he  was  wounded. 
He  went  to  the  gulf,  was  stationed  at  X^ew 
Orleans  for  a  time,  and  was  in  the  sieges  of 
Port  Hudson  and  Vicksburg.  He  was  at 
the  latter  place  at  the  time  of  the  first  re- 
pulse of  Sherman,  and  remained  there  until 
the  surrender  to  Grant.  He  was  mustered 
out  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  as  commissary 
sergeant,  having  held  that  position  two  years. 
After  his  discharge  Air.  Hoover  returned 
to  Livingston  county  and  again  engaged  in 
farming  in  Xebraska  township.  Ihe  sud- 
den death  of  his  father  had  left  the  family 
in  very  straightened  circumstances  and 
placed  a  very  heavy  burden  on  the  shoulders 
of  our  subject,  but  he  early  displayed  that 
determination  and  grit  which  have  carried 
him  forward  to  a  successful  life.  He  was 
devoted  to  his  mother  and  toiled  early  and 
late  that  she  might  have  the  comforts  of  life 
that  she  had  been  accustomed  to  before  the 
death  of  her  husband.  He  continued  to  en- 
gage in  farming  until  the  fall  of  1870,  when 
he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Livingston  county 
on  the  Democratic  ticket  and  moved  to  Pon- 
tiac. He  filled  that  office  for  one  term  with 
ci"edit  to  himself  and  to  the  general  satis- 
faction of  the  public,  and  at  its  close  em- 
barked in  general  merchandising,  which  he 
carried  on  until  his  store  and  its  contents 
were  destro}-ed  by  fire,  Jul)'  4,  1874.  Al- 
though he  lost  almost  everything  he  pos- 
sessed, he  was  not  cast  down  or  crushed  by 
the  misfortune,  but  with  characteristic  en- 
ergy he  immediately  purchased  another  stock 


J.  W.  HOOVER. 


MRS.  JOHN  W.  HOOVER. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


69 


of  goods  and  continued  business  until  1897, 
being  associated  witli  Wilson  Pittenger  some 
years,  and  afterward  \vitli  ^\'.  S.  Sims  for 
about  five  years,  the  firm  name  being  Hoover 
&  Sims.  1  le  w  as  tiicn  alone  in  business  luitil 
selling  out.  in  1S97. 

Mr.  Hoover  was  married.  December  31, 
1868,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  \'an  Doren,  of  this 
county,  a  daughter  of  Hilyard  and  Eliza 
(Thompson)  Van  Doren.  Her  father  was 
born  in  Xew  Jersey,  in  1808,  and  was  si.K 
years  old  when  he  removed  to  Ohio  with  his 
parents.  His  father,  John  \'an  Doren,  also 
a  native  of  Xew  Jersey,  conducted  a  hotel 
near  Clarksville,  Clinton  county,  Ohio,  for 
many  years.  Throughout  the  greater  part 
of  his  life  Mrs.  Hoover's  father  followed  • 
the  carpenter's  trade,  but  after  coming  to 
Livingston  county,  Illinois,  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising  in  Nebraska  township. 
He  was  school  trustee  for  many  years  and 
also  filled  the  office  of  collector  and  super- 
visor for  some  years.  He  helped  build  the 
first  school  house  in  his  township,  advanc- 
ing money  for  the  work  until  the  district 
could  reimburse  him,  and  he  organized  the 
first  Sunday  school  within  its  borders,  serv- 
ices being  held  at  his  home  until  the  school 
house  and  church  were  built.  In  1885  he 
retired  from  active  life  and  moved  to  Pon- 
tiac,  where  he  died  September  i,  1898.  His 
wife  had  departed  this  life  February  14, 
1892.  Mrs.  Hoover  is  the  youngest  of  their 
seven  children.  William  T.,  the  oldest,  mar- 
ried Julia  Smith  in  1855,  and  is  a  prominent 
contractor  and  builder  of  Pontiac.  Frank 
M.  and  Luther  were  both  members  of  Com- 
pany A,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-ninth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  during  the  Civil 
war,  and  the  latter  was  drowned  in  the  Cum- 
berland river  in  Tennessee  after  serving  one 
vear.     Frank  M.  married  Xettie  Xickerson 


and  resides  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Ne- 
braska township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoover 
have  a  family  of  four  children,  namely : 
Ella  I.,  born  in  Pontiac,  was  married,  May 
JO,  1898,  to  Halbert  Opperman,  a  grocer 
of  Pontiac;  Helen  P.  has  for  the  past  three 
years  been  head  bookkeeper  at  the  Pontiac 
Shoe  manufactury;  Edna  R.  is  at  home, 
and  Maude  W.  is  a  student  in  the  high  school 
of  Pontiac. 

In  1898  Mr.  Hoover  was  elected  super- 
visor of  Pontiac  township,  and  his  services 
gave  such  universal  satisfaction  that  in  the 
spring  of  1900  he  was  re-elected,  being  the 
only  Democrat  elected  on  the  township  ticket, 
which  speaks  well  for  his  personal  popularity 
and  the  confidence  and  trust  reposed  in  him 
by  his  fellow  citizens.  He  has  been  fire 
marshal  of  the  city  for  the  past  twenty-five 
years,  and  was  a  member  of  the  department 
for  some  years  before.  It  has  been  his  con- 
stant study  to  improve  the  department  and 
the  time  he  has  devoted  to  that  work  has  been 
well  spent,  for  his  efforts  have  been  crowned 
with  success.  At  present  a  new  city  hall  and 
engine  house  is  being  erected.  Mr.  Hoover 
is  an  honored  member  of  T.  Lyle  Dickey 
post,  G.  A.  R.,  and  attends  and  supports 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


GEORGE  Z.  FI.ACILER. 

Prominent  among  the  citizens  of  Dwight 
will)  have  witnessed  the  marvelous  develop- 
ment of  Livingston  county  in  the  last  half- 
century,  and  who  have,  by  honest  toil  and  in- 
dustry, succeeded  in  acquiring  a  competence 
and  are  now  spending  the  sunset  of  life  in 
quiet  and  retirement,  is  the  gentleman  whose 
name  introduces  this  sketch. 


70 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Mr.  Flagler  wa.s  l)i)rn  in  Herkimer.  New 
York,  June  4,  i8j8,  aiul  was  reareil  there 
until  ten  vear.s  of  ag'e.  when  he  renKned  to 
Ohio  with  his  jiarents,  Philip  and  Xancy 
(Dyg'ert)  Flagler,  also  natives  of  New  York. 
His  paternal  grandfather.  Zachariah  Flagler. 
Avas  horn  in  France,  and  on  his  emigration 
to  America  settled  in  Dutchess  county,  Xew 
York,  where,  in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness, 
he  developed  a  farm  and  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  He  reared  a  family  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, ten  sons  and  one  daughter,  of  whom 
Piiilip  was  fifth  in  order  of  birth. 

On  reaching  manhood  Philip  Flagler  re- 
moved to  Herkimer  countv.  New  York,  he- 
coming  one  of  its  early  settlers,  and  there  he 
married  Nancy  Dygert,  a  daughter  of  '\\'ill- 
iam  Dygert,  who  emigrated  from  Ciermariy 
to  the  United  States  at  an  early  day.  After 
his  marriaee  Mr.  Flagler  conducted  a  meat 
market  in  Frankfort,  Herkimer  county,  until 
our  subject  was  ten  years  of  age,  and  then 
moved  to  Middlebury,  Portage  county.  Ohio. 
going  by  way  of  the  Erie  canal  to  Buffalo. 
by  lake  to  Cleveland,  by  canal  to  Akron, 
Ohio,  and  from  there  across  the  countr}-  l)y 
wagon  to  Middlebury,  where  he  worked  at 
the  shoemaker's  trade  fi\'e  years.  He  then 
returned  to  New  York  by  the  same  refute, 
this  time  locating  in  Dutchess  county,  where 
he  followed  farming  until  a  few  years  prior 
to  his  death,  when  he  sold  his  farm  and 
moved  to  Rochester,  New  York.  There  he 
lived  retired  until  called  to  his  final  rest, 
at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  The  mother 
of  our  subject  had  died  many  years  pre\-ious. 
leax'ing  si.x  children,  who  reached  man  and 
womanhood,  namely  :  (ieorge  Z.,  Catherine. 
Walter,  Albert,  William  and  Oscar,  all  still 
living  with  the  exception  of  Walter.  Cath- 
erine is  the  wife  of  Philip  Miller,  of  Dwight. 
Illinois.    For  his  second  wife  the  father  mar- 


ried Katherine  \\"rig'ht,  by  w  lioni  he  had  one 
daughter,  Annie. 

George  Z.  Flagler  recei\e(l  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  Portage  county,  Ohio,  and 
Dutchess  count}-.  New  York,  and  remained 
at  home  with  his  father  until  after  bis  mar- 
riage. On  the  27tb  of  September,  1848, 
when  twenty-one  years  of  age.  lie  married 
Phebe  Jane  Clarkson,  then  sixteen.  They 
luet  at  the  village  school  in  Stormville,  New 
York,  and  the  friendship  there  formed  soon 
ri])ened  into  a  Ime  that  has  never  died  out, 
fi::r  they  are  still  lo\ers,  the  same  as  in  the 
days  long  gone  by.  Airs.  Flagler  was  born 
in  Dutchess  county,  of  which  her  parents, 
Egbert  and  Maria  (  facox )  Clarkson.  were 
also  nati\es.  while  her  paternal  grandfather, 
Charles  Clarkson,  was  a  native  of  England, 
having  emigrated  to  this  country  at  an  early 
day.  For  many  years  her  father  followed 
farming  in  Dutchess  county,  but  in  the  fall 
of  1856  he  came  to  Livingston  county.  Illi- 
nois, where  he  lived  retiretl  until  bis  death, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years.  His  wife 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-three.  In  their 
family  were  four  children.  \\'illiam.  Hamil- 
ton. Phebe  Jane  and  Mary  Elizabeth,but  Mrs. 
Flagler  is  the  only  one  now  living.  To  our 
subject  and  his  wife  were  born  three  chil- 
dren, namely :  (  i )  Eugene,  a  resident  of 
Dwight.  married  Letty  Potter,  and  they  have 
two  children  :  Stella,  wife  of  Eberett  Lewis, 
a  jeweler  of  Dwight.  by  whom  she  has  one 
child,  Harland  :  and  Louise.  (2)  John  \\'., 
an  in\alid  residing  in  Dwight,  married 
Laura  Lee,  and  they  have  one  child,  Helen. 
(  3  I  George  N..  who  has  succeeded  his  fa- 
ther in  the-  lumber  business,  married  Letty 
Saltmarsh,  and  they  have  two  children,  Ed- 
die and  Mattie. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Flagler  remained 
with  his  father  a  vear,  but  determining  to 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


71 


engfage  in  business  for  himself,  he  rented  a 
farm  of  one  Inmdred  and  se\en  acres  in 
Dutchess  county,  .\'e\v  ^'nrk,  whicli  he  suc- 
cessfully o])erated  for  three  years.  Selling" 
out  in  the  east  he  came  to  Illinois  in  1855. 
and  after  spending"  ten  days  at  Joliet  pro- 
ceeded to  Dwight,  Livingston  county,  where 
he  hired  out  to  a  Mr.  Spencer,  whose  farm 
included  the  present  home  of  our  subject. 
After  working"  for  him  one  year  he  was  \a- 
ri<iusly  empkned  for  a  time,  and  then  turuetl 
his  attention  to  the  carpenter's  trade.  One  of 
the  first  houses  which  he  built  is  the  one  he 
is  now  living  in.  it  being  situated  on  a  part 
of  the  old  Spencer  farm  and  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  places  in  Dwight,  surrounded 
by  four  acres  of  well-kept  grounds.  Here 
Mr.  Flagler  located  in  1899.  The  first  house 
that  he  owned  in  Dwight  is  still  standing. 
He  continued  to  follow  the  carpenter's  trade 
for  several  years,  and  in  1874  became  inter- 
ested in  the  lumber  business,  which  he  car- 
ried on  alone  fur  three  years,  when  he 
formed  a  jiartnership  with  Thomas  Sims, 
under  the  name  of  Flagler  &  Sims.  Three 
years  later  this  was  dis.solved  and  Zed  John- 
son purchased  an  interest  in  the  business, 
which  was  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of 
Flagler  &  Johnson  for  three  years  and  a 
half.  From  that  time  on  he  was  alone  in 
business  until  1897.  when  he  was  succeeded 
by  his  SDU.  ( ieorge  \.,  who  still  carries  it  on. 
w  hile  our  sul)ject  is  practically  living  retired, 
tlmugh  he  still  continues  to  k)ok  after  his 
property  interests  in  Dwight.  which  include 
a  number  of  houses. 

Mr.  Flagler'has  been  prominently  identi- 
fied with  almost  the  entire  growth  and  de- 
\elopment  of  Dwight,  as  when  he  located 
there  there  were  only  six  houses  in  the  place. 
During  the  first  year  of  his  residence  here 
he  and  his  wife,  with  another  faniilv,  oc- 


cupied a  little  shanty,  16x24  feet.  In  1856 
he  rmd  William  Clarkson  each  built  a  house, 
the  first  that  were  erected  that  year.  One 
Sunday  the  two  men  went  out  alx)ut  three 
miles  in  the  country  and  got  some  x'oung 
basswood  trees,  which  they  l)rought  ti^  town 
on  their  backs  and  planted,  these  being  the 
first  trees  set  out  in  Dwight,  as  the  place  at 
that  time  was  flat  prairie  land,  unadorned 
by  trees  or  shrubs.  .Mr.  Flagler  lieli)ed  or- 
ganize the  village  and  has  aided  materially 
in  its  growth  and  building,  assisting  in  the 
erection  of  must  of  the  older  dwellings  of 
the  place.  He  heli)ed  Iniild  the  Presbyterian 
church,  which  was  the  first  house  of  worship 
erected  in  Dwight,  and  later,  as  a  contractor, 
built  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He 
was  line  of  the  first  trustees  of  the  village, 
being  elected  on  a  temperance  ticket,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  village  board  four 
terms.  i'v  his  ballot  he  has  always  sup- 
jjorted  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party  at  national  elections,  but  in 
local  affairs,  when  no  issue  is  involved,  votes 
for  the  man  whom  he  believes  best  ciualified 
to  fill  the  oiifice.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of 
Living.ston  lodge.  No.  371,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
Wilmington  Chapter,  Xo.  142,  R.  A.  M. 
During  their  long  residence  in  Dwight  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Flagler  have  made  a  host  of  warm 
friends,  have  gained  the  confidence  and  re- 
spect of  all  who  know  them,  and  as  honored 
|)ioneers  and  representative  citizens  arc  cer- 
tainly deserving  of  prominent  mention  in  a 
work  of  this  kind. 


STEPHEN'  A.  GOODM.VX. 

Stephen  A.  Goodman,  the  efficient  en- 
gineer of  the  Dwight  Electric  Light  Com- 
])any    anrl    a    highly    respected    citizen    of 


72 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Dwight,  Illinois,  was  bom  in  Hunting-don 
county,  Pennsylvania,  December  26,  1851, 
and  is  a  son  of  James  J.  and  Catherine  (Nu- 
men )  Goodman,  also  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. By  trade  the  father  was  a  wagon- 
maker  and  bridge  carpenter,  and  during  his 
residence  in  the  Keystone  state  followed 
bridge  building  on  railroads  and  canals.  In 
1867  he  brought  his  family  to  Illinois  and  lo- 
cated on  a  farm  in  Dwight  township.  t\\o 
miles  .southwest  of  the  town  of  Dwight.  mak- 
ing his  home  there  for  two  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  he  took  up  his  residence  in 
town,  where  his  death  occurred,  in  1884,  and 
where  his  wife  is  still  living-.  In  their  fam- 
ily were  ten  children,  namely :  Anna,  wife 
of  ^^'.  H.  \\'atson,  a  conductor  on  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  and  a  resident  of  Altoona, 
Pennsylvania;  IVIattie,  widow  of  G.  W. 
Stewart  and  a  resident  of  Union  Furnace, 
Pennsylvania;  Stephen  A.,  oiu^  subject; 
Emma,  wife  of  George  Taylor,  a  farmer  and 
dairyman  of  Dwight  township;  Alfred,  a 
farmer  of  Grundy  county,  Illinois ;  James. 
a  conductor  on  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Rail- 
road ;  George,  who  is  employed  in  the  round 
house  at  Dwight ;  Mary,  twin  of  George  and 
deceased  wife  of  John  Camerorn,  of  Ono, 
Willow  county.  Nebraska;  Nora,  wife  of 
Frank  Phole,  of  Dwight ;  and  Bruce,  an  en- 
gineer on  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  of  Stephen  A. 
Goodman  were  mainly  passed  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  entered 
the  Mill  Creek  furnace  shops  to  learn  the 
blacksmith  and  machinist's  trades,  his  father 
being  then  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  at 
Mill  Creek.  He  was  sixteen  years  of  age 
when  the  family  came  to  Illinois,  and  for  a 
time  he  worked  at  his  trade  in  Dwight.  Sub- 
sequently he  accepted  a  position  as  engineer 
and  general  assistant  with  the  firm  of  Hef- 


fenbaugh  &  Rutan,  but  his  first  permanent 
position  as  engineer  was  in  the  old  stone  m!Il 
of  Hahn  &  Siegert,  where  he  was  employed 
two  years.  He  next  entered  the  service  of 
the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  in  the  mund 
house  at  Dwight,  and  later  was  fireman  on 
the  Streator  branch  of  that  road  and  served 
the  company  until  1893.  He  spent  two  years 
as  fireman  on  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad, 
running  between  Altoona  and  Harrisburg, 
Pennsylvania.  In  November,  1896,  he  ac- 
cepted his  present  position  with  the  Dwight 
Electric  Light  Company,  and  has  since  filled 
it  in  a  most  capable  and  satisfactory  manner. 

On  the  22d  of  September.  1877.  at 
Dwight.  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Goodman  and  Miss  Belle  Goodspeed,  a  na- 
tive of  Grundy  county,  Illinois,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  George  R.  and  Emily  ( Starkey ) 
Goodspeed.  Her  father  gave  u])  his  life  for 
,his  country  as  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  war. 
During  the  last  ten  years  of  her  life  Mrs. 
Goodspeed  made  her  home  with  our  sub- 
ject and  there  died  March  31,  1897.  }*Irs. 
Goodman  died  January  12,  1893,  and  of  the 
three  children  born  of  that  union,  Emma 
died  at  the  age  of  four  years  and  Hattie 
at  the  age  of  eleven.  Charles  is  still  living 
and  is  with  his  father.  Mr.  Goodman  was 
again  married,  in  Peoria,  Illinois,  April  20, 
1897,  ^^'^  second  union  being  with  Miss 
Agnes  McCloskey,  a  native  of  Blair  county, 
Pennsylvania.  They  have  a  pleasant  home 
in  Dwight,  erected  by  him  in  1882. 

In  political  affairs  j\Ir.  Goodman  sup- 
ports the  Democratic  party.  While  a  resi- 
dent of  Altoona,  Pennsylvania,  he  joined  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  now 
affiliates  with  Dwight  Lodge,  No.  513.  of 
which  he  is  past  noljle  grand.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  Pacific  Encampment,  No.  126, 
and  was  elected  and  installed  chief  patriarch, 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


73 


l)Ut  resignetl  on  account  of  liis  night  work, 
wliicli  occupies  iiis  time  to  the  exclusion  of 
everything  else.  He  is  a  thorough  and 
^-killed  machinist  and  is  a  highly  respected 
and  honored  citizen  of  Dwight.  He  was  for 
tive  years  a  member  of  the  Illinois  state 
guards  and  was  honorably  discharged. 


X.    .M.    .\M)   TRUMAX    .M.    KKLI.OCCr. 

These  brothers,  who  are  numl)ered  anmng 
the  re[)resentative  citizens  of  Pontiac  town- 
.ship,  Livingston  county,  own  and  operate 
a  fine  farm  of  three  liundred  and  twenty 
acres  on  section  8.  pleasantly  located  on 
Wolf  creek,  within  three  miles  of  the 
city  of  Pontiac.  They  are  natives  of 
( )neiila  countv,  Xew  ^'ork.  the  former 
born  near  L'tica  June  29.  18J9.  the  lat- 
ter October  7,  1835,  and  belong  to  an  old 
colonial  family  of  English  origin,  w  liich  was 
founded  in  this  country  by  two  brothers, 
who  were  among  the  pioneers  of  Connecti- 
cut. Our  suljjects"  paternal  grandfather, 
Truman  Kellogg,  was  a  native  of  that  state 
and  a  pioneer  of  Oneida  county,  Xew  York, 
where  he  located  in  1790.  There  he  cleared 
and  improved  a  farm  in  the  midst  of  the 
wilderness,  making  it  his  home  throughout 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  The  father,  who 
also  bore  the  name  of  Truman,  was  born  in 
that  county,  in  1795.  and  on  reaching  man- 
hood married  ^lalinda  Marsh,  also  a  native 
of  Oneida  county.  He  was  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation and  lived  on  the  old  Kellogg  home- 
stead throughout  life,  dying  there  May  17, 
1867.  He  survived  his  wife  only  a  few 
weeks,  as  she  died  March  3,  1867.  In  their 
family  were  four  chiklren.  two  sons  and  two 
daughters,  but  only  the  former  are  now  liv- 
ing. 


In  the  county  uf  their  nativity  the  broth- 
ers passed  their  boyhood  and  youth,  being 
provided  with  good  educational  advantages 
in  both  common  and  select  .schools.  In  1852 
Truman  M.  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road Company,  in  the  engineer  department, 
as  a  rodman,  and  for  twenty  years  was  em- 
ployed in  the  general  ofifice  of  the  civil  en- 
gineer for  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany at  that  cit}-,  being  promoted  for  suc- 
cessful scr\-ice  tnmi  rodman  ti>  division  en- 
gineer, and  as  such  he  superintended  the  con- 
struction of  the  Lake  Shore  harbor.  X.  M. 
Kellogg  remained  at  home  with  his  parents 
until  their  deaths,  having  charge  of  the 
farm.  In  1868  he  came  to  Livingston  coun- 
ty. Illinois,  and  purchased  the  farm  in  Pon- 
tiac township  where  the  brothers  now  re- 
side. They  located  thereon  in  1871,  and 
have  since  devoted  their  time  and  energies 
to  the  further  improvement  and  cultivation 
of  the  place,  converting  it  into  one  of  the 
most  desirable  farms  of  its  size  in  the  coun- 
ty. They  follow  general  farming  and  have 
engaged  extensively  in  feeding  and  shipping 
stock,  fattening  from  six  to  ten  car-loads  of 
cattle  and  hogs  annually.  To  this  branch  of 
their  business  they  have  devoted  considerable 
attention  for  the  past  fifteen  years,  and  re- 
cently have  made  a  specialty  of  the  breeding 
and  raising  of  good  roadster  horses  of  the 
Hamiltonian  and  other  standard  bred  stock. 
Success  has  attended  their  well-directed  ef- 
forts and  the}'  are  now  numbered  among  the 
most  substantial  men  of  the  community  in 
which  they  live. 

Politically  the  Kellogg  brothers  have 
been  life-long  Democrats,  and  X.  M.  has 
served  as  highway  commissioner  for  fifteen 
years,  but  neither  have  cared  for  official  hon- 
ors, preferring  to  give  their  undivi<le<l  atten- 


74 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


tion  to  their  extensive  business  interests. 
They  are  men  of  keen  perception  and  sounil 
judgment  and  their  success  in  life  is  due  to 
their  own  well-directed  efforts,  so  that  they 
deserve  to  be  prominent!}-  mentioned  among 
the  leading  and  representative  business  men 
of  this  county.  Fraternally,  Truman  M.  is 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  of  Pontiac, 
ha\-ing  been  made  a  Master  Mason  some 
years  ago. 


CHARLES  H.  LOXG,  M.  D. 

The  world  has  little  use  for  the  misan- 
tlirope.  The  universal  truth  of  brotherhood 
is  widely  recognized,  also  that  he  serves  God 
best  who  serves  his  fellow  men.  There  is  no 
profession  or  line  of  btisiness  that  calls  for 
greater  self  sacrifice  or  more  devoted  atten- 
tion than  the  medical  profession,  and  the  suc- 
cessful physician  is  he,  who  through  love  of 
his  fellow  men  gives  his  time  and  attention  to 
the  relief  of  human  suffering.  Dr.  Long  is 
one  of  the  ablest  representatives  of  this  noble 
calling  successfully  engaged  in  oractice  in 
Pontiac,  Illinois. 

The  Doctor  was  born  in  Dimmick  town- 
ship. La  Salle  county,  this  state.  May  14, 
1850,  a  son  of  Archibald  and  Adeline 
(Leigh)  Long.  The  father  was  born  in  Gal- 
lipolis,  Gallia  county,  Ohio,  in  October, 
1825,  a  son  of  Archibald  and  Catherine 
(Keller)  Long.  The  grandfather  was  born 
near  Wheeling,  \\'est  \'irginia,  September 
24,  1791,  and  was  one  of  a  large  family  of 
children  left  orphans  at  an  early  age,  and 
who  were  thrown  upon  the  world  to  make 
their  own  way  with  little  educational  ad- 
vantages. He  managed,  however,  to  acquire 
much  varied  information,  which,  with  untir- 
ing energy,  he  ever  put  to  use  for  the  uplift- 


ing of  his  fellow  men.  After  drifting  about 
through  Tennessee,  Georgia  and  North  Car- 
olina during  his  boyhood  he  was  finally  mar- 
ried, in  October,  1813,  and  settled  in  (ial- 
lipolis,  Ohio,  where  most  of  his  family  were 
born  and  where  he  acquired  some  property. 
He  also  secured  the  maintenance  of  select 
schools  in  the  count}',  and  early  became  a 
leader  and  exhorter  in  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church,  and  afterward  a  licensed 
preacher.  He  spent  a  few  years  in  Indiana, 
and  then,  in  order  to  secure  homes  for  his 
children,  now  grown,  he  came  to  Illinois, 
locating  first  in  the  militar}-  tract,  near  Knox- 
\il!e,  Knox  county,  in  1834.  He  built  the 
first  mill  in  that  section  and  opened  his  house 
for  church  and  school  purposes,  there  being 
neither  in  his  locality.  He  regularly  filled 
appointments  to  preach  for  miles  around, 
and  our  subject  now  has  in  his  possession  the 
parchment  certificate  given  by  Bishop  Mor- 
ris, in  1839,  at  his  ordination  as  deacon. 
He  soon  secureil  the  building  of  a  church 
at  Hermon,  the  expense  of  which  was  largly 
borne  by  himself.  At  camp  meetings  and 
revivals  he  was  recongized  as  powerful  in  ex- 
hiortation  anil  prayer.  It  was  at  a  meeting 
in  his  house  that  his  son,  Archibald,  Jr.,  and 
Rev.  M.  L.  Haney  were  converted.  In  1849 
he  removed  to  La  Salle  county,  and  early 
the  following  year  secured  the  organization 
of  a  church  at  La  Salle,  there  having  been 
no  religious  society  there  prior  to  that  time. 
He  resolved  to  build  a  house  of  worship  and 
went  about  with  his  usual  energy  to  accom- 
plish this,  hauling  lumber,  raising  money  and 
working  on  the  building.  \\'hile  thus  en- 
gaged he  was  exposed  to  the  inclemency  of 
the  weather  and  contracted  a  disease  that 
affected  his  lungs  and  eventually  caused  his 
death.  His  home  was  always  the  stopping 
place  for  all  ministers,  and  he  labored  un- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


7S 


tiringly  for  liis  cluircli.  He  held  nio?t  all 
the  l(.)cal  offices,  inchuling  those  of  school  di- 
recti.ir  and  justice  of  the  peace,  and  in  his 
deatli  the  community  realized  that  it  had 
lost  one  of  its  most  valued  anil  useful  citi- 
zens. 

Archihald  Long.  Jr.,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  near 
Knoxville,  and  received  a  good  practical  ed- 
ucation in  the  select  school  conducted  in  his 
father's  liome.  This  was  largely  supple- 
mented in  later  years  by  extensive  reading 
and  observation.  He  built  the  first  saw- 
mill at  Knoxville  and  engaged  in  milling 
for  some  time.  In  early  days  before  the 
grist-mill  was  built,  the  family  hauled  their 
grain  to  Chicago,  a  distance  of  two  hun- 
dred miles.  The  early  i)i(  meers  ground  their 
cornmeal  on  stones.  After  building  the  mill 
the  Long  family  sometimes  rafted  flour 
down  the  Mississippi  river  to  St.  Louis. 
In  Knox  county,  Archibald  Long,  Jr.,  was 
married,  in  1847,  to  Miss  Adeline  Leigh,  a 
daughter  of  Robert  Leigh,  a  veteran  of  the 
war  of  1 81 2,  and  an  early  settler  of  that 
county,  where  he  followed  farming  until  his 
death.  Her  paternal  great-grandfather, 
Leigh,  was  private  secretary  to  George 
III,  of  England,  and  for  political  reasons 
lied  to  the  United  States.  He  was  the  pos- 
sessor of  a  large  fortune,  which  the  family 
never  received.  After  his  marriage,  the 
Doctor's  father  engaged  in  farming  in  Dim- 
mick  township.  La  Salle  county,  and  was 
one  of  the  large  land  owners  of  his  locality. 
Although  he  gave  strict  attention  to  his 
business  affairs  he  never  neglected  his  duties 
to  his  fellow  men,  and  took  a  very  active 
part  in  education  and  church  work,  ably 
seconding  his  father  in  the  support  of  the 
feeble  little  church  at  La  Salle.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  official  board  throughout  life 


and  after  his  father's  death  was  its  strong- 
est mainstay  for  forty  years.  He  was  hon- 
ored with  all  the  township  offices.  He  died 
in  La  Salle  county,  December  31,  1892,  and 
the  mother  of  our  subject  departed  this  life 
in  1856,  leaving  two  children,  the  younger 
being  Robert,  now  a  resident  of  Koszta, 
Iowa. 

Dr.  Long  began  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  near  his  boyhood  lujme.  and  at 
the  age  of  fifteen  years  entered  the  academic 
department  of  Wheaton  College  at  W'heaton, 
Illinois,  where  he  was  a  student  for  two 
years.  In  1866  he  entered  the  Illinois  Wes- 
leyan  University  at  Bloomington,  where  he 
was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  B.  S.,  in 
1873,  being  president  of  the  class  organi- 
zation during  his  senior  year.  In  the  mean- 
time he  had  engaged  in  teaching  schools, 
and  after  leaving  college  followed  that  pro- 
fession for  three  years  as  principal  at  Mack- 
inaw. Stanford  and  Homer,  Illinois. 

Having  decided  to  make  the  practice  of 
medicine  his  life  work.  Dr.  Long  matricu- 
lated at  Hahnemann  Medical  College,  Chi- 
cago, in  itS75.  and  was  graduated  with  the 
degree  of  M.  J).,  at  the  Chicago  Homeo- 
pathic Medical  College  in  1878.  He  is  now 
the  leading  homeopathic  physician  of  Pon- 
tiac,  and  enjoys  a  large  general  practice. 
He  served  as  United  States  pension  examiner 
under  Presidents  FLiyes  and  Arthur,  doing 
all  the  work  in  that  line  for  the  county,  there 
being  no  pension  board  at  the  time.  In  1880 
he  was  elected  coroner  of  Livingston  county 
and  served  by  re-election  eight  years,  dur- 
ing which  time  lie  held  the  inquests  made 
necessary  by  the  terrible  Chatsworth  wreck 
when  seventy-four  Niagara  excursionists 
l<:st  their  lives.  He  is  an  honored  member  of 
the  Illinois  Homeopathic  Medical  Associa- 
tion, of  which  he  was  i)rovisional  secretary 


76 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


two  terms,  ending  in  May,  1899,  and  is  also 
an  active  member  of  the  Central  Illinois 
Homeopathic  Association.  He  is  medical 
examiner  for  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  at  Pontiac. 

Dr.  Long  has  been  twice  married,  iiis 
first  wife  being  Miss  Martha  \'eimont.  who 
died  ]\Iarch  20,  1884,  leaving  two  children, 
v.-ho  are  still  living,  namely:  Eva  Mary, 
now  attending  the  Northwestern  University 
at  Evanston,  Illinois,  and  Archibald  V.,  at 
home.  For  his  second  wife  he  married  Lida 
Sterry,  daughter  of  C.  \V.  Sterry,  of  Pon- 
tiac, and  to  them  have  been  born  two  chil- 
dren :  Christopher  Sterry  and  Katherine. 
The  family  have  a  I)eautiful  home  at  Xo. 
304  East  Water  street,  Pontiac. 

From  the  start  Dr.  Long  has  served  as 
secretary  of  the  Pontiac  Riverview  Chau- 
tauqua Association,  wliich  is  to-day  one  of 
the  most  successful  organizations  of  the  kind 
in  the  west,  financially  and  otherwise,  and 
he  is  also  a  trustee  of  the  Illinois  Wesleyan 
University  at  Bloomington,  and  also  trustee 
of  the  board  of  finance  for  the  same  institu- 
tion. With  such  ancestry  it  is  not  strange 
that  the  Doctor  takes  a  very  active  and 
prominent  part  in  church  work  and  lias  al- 
v.ays  lieen  willing  tii  contribute  liis  share  to 
any  enterprise  for  the  puljlic  good.  He  is 
one  of  the  leading  and  influential  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Ponti- 
ac, and  is  now  the  oldest  member  of  its  offi- 
cial board  in  point  of  continuous  service, 
having  held  some  office  for  the  past  twenty- 
two  years.  After  serving  eight  years  as  su- 
perintendent of  the  Sunday  school,  he  re- 
signed that  position  to  become  superintend- 
ent of  tlie  primary  department,  which  has  de- 
^■eloped  ra|)i(lly  during  the  seven  vears  he 
has  been  in  charge,  the  enrollment  at  pres- 
ent being  two  hundred  and  fiftv.     He  was 


also  secretary  of  the  Livingston  county 
Sunday  School  Association  seven  years; 
was  chairman  of  the  executive  committee 
a  numlier  of  years :  vice-president  of  the 
third  Illinois  district,  and  has  been  chairman 
of  the  finance  committee  a  number  of  years. 
At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  was  elected  sec- 
retary of  the  Sunday  school,  which  he  at- 
tended, and  has  since  been  officially  con- 
nected with  Sunday  school  work.  He  was 
a  lay  delegate  to  the  general  conference  of 
tlie  ]\Iethodist  Episcopal  church,  at  Cleve- 
land, in  1896,  and  at  Chicago,  in  May,  1900, 
and  for  four  years  was  president  of  the  Lay 
Association  of  the  central  Illinois  conference. 
He  is  also  editor  of  the  Pontiac  Methodist, 
with  which  he  has  been  connected  from  its 
beginning,  in  1896,  As  a  physician  he 
ranks  among  the  ablest,  and  as  a  citizen  he 
stands  deservedly  high  in  public  esteem,  be- 
ing honored  and  respected  liy  all  who  know 
him. 


AUSTIN  GIBBONS. 

Austin  Giljbiius.  cif  Dwight.  was  Ijorn  in 
ci'unt}'  Mayo.  Ireland.  January  5,  1846,  a 
son  of  PhiUp  and  Bridget  (McDonald) 
(iilabons.  also  natives  of  that  county.  The 
father  was  born  December  10,  18 19,  and 
continued  to  make  his  liome  in  county  Mayo 
until  his  emigration  to  America  in  j\Iarch, 
1851.  For  three  years  the  family  made  their 
home  in  New  York  state  and  in  1854  came 
tc  Illinois.  locating  first  in  Kendall  county 
and  remii\-ing  to  Li\'ingston  county  in  1865. 
Here  the  father  purchased  a  half-section  of 
1,-ind  in  Nevada  township,  which  he  operated 
eighteen  years,  and  then  moved  to  Chicago, 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  is 
liighly  respected  and  esteemed  and  is  a  de- 


AUSTIN  GIBBONS. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


79 


vout  member  of  the  Cathcilic  churcli.  to 
wliicli  his  wife  also  belonged.  She  died  in 
the  fall  of  1899,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years. 
In  their  family  were  nine  children,  all  of 
whom  are  still  living,  namely :  Mary,  a 
resident  of  Chicago;  Austin,  our  subject; 
Margaret,  widow  of  Denslow  Marsh  and  a 
resident  of  Pittsburg,  Kansas ;  Ellen,  of 
Chicago;  John,  of  Barton  county,  Missouri; 
I'hilip.  Jane.  Sarah  and  Thomas,  all  of  Ciii- 
cago. 

Our  subject  was  only  four  years  old 
wlien  brought  to  this  country  by  his  parents 
and  his  education  was  begun  in  X'ew  York 
state,  though  the  greater  part  of  it  was  ob- 
tained in  the  schools  of  Kendall  county,  Il- 
linois. At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  started 
out  in  life  for  himself  by  learning  the  trade 
of  bridge  builder  and  carpenter,  which  he 
followed  twelve  years.  During  this  time  he 
made  his  home  in  Nevada  township,  Liv- 
ingston county,  and  on  retiring  from  that 
business,  in  1877,  he  engaged  in  farming  on 
section  2,  that  township,  where  he  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  land.  To  this  he  added  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  1896,  making  a 
tine  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
which  he  placed  under  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation. In  connection  with  general  farm- 
ing he  always  gave  considerable  attention  to 
stock  raising,  his  specialty  being  Xorman 
horses. 

In  1897  Mr.  Gibbons  commenced  buying 
grain  for  Edmund  Mezger.  of  Dwight.  and 
continued  in  his  employ  until  that  gentleman 
failed  in  business  in  March,  1898,  when  he 
entered  the  employ  of  William  Pope,  who 
llien  took  the  elevator,  remaining  with  him 
until  the  fall  of  1899,  when  Mr.  Pojje  sold 
out  to  Merritt  Brothers,  of  Dwight,  by  whom 
Mr.  Giblwns  has  been  retained  as  manager 
of  the  elevator.     That  fall  he  built  a  pleas- 


ant residence  at  the  corner  of  W'aupansie 
and  Xorth  Clinton  streets.  Dwight,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1900  ttxik  un  his  residence 
there,  having  remained  on  his  farm  up  to 
that  time. 

On  the  6th  of  January.  1878,  Mr.  Gib- 
bons married  Miss  Margaret  Kane,  a  native 
of  Wisconsin  and  a  daughter  of  Robert  and 
Ann  Kane,  of  that  state,  where  her  father 
died  a  number  of  years  ago.  Her  mother 
met  her  death  in  the  tornado  at  St.  Paul, 
Minnesota,  in  1893.  ^^""S-  Gibbons  was  their 
only  child.  Our  subject  and  his  wife  have 
a  family  of  fi\e  children :  Nellie,  now  the 
wife  of  William  Neville,  a  farmer  of  Good 
Farm  township,  Grundy  county,  Illinois,  by 
whom  she  has  one  child,  Frank ;  Frank,  son 
of  our  subject  and  his  father's  assistant  in 
the  grain  business  in  Dwight;  and  Annie, 
Philip  and  Saraii.  students  in  the  public 
schtwls  of  Dwight. 

Religiously  Ixnh  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gibbons 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  church  of 
Dwight.  He  has  always  been  a  stanch  sup- 
porter of  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party  and  taken  an  active  and  promi- 
nent part  in  local  politics  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  was  assessor  of  Nevada  town- 
ship in  1 87 1  and  1872  and  served  as  super- 
vfsor  of  that  township  for  more  than  twenty 
vears,  whicii  office  he  filled  continuously  un- 
til the  spring  of  1900,  when,  owing  to  his 
removal  to  Dwight,  the  township  was  forced 
to  seek  another  rejiresentative.  His  long 
retention  in  office  plainly  indicates  his  effi- 
cient service  and  the  confidence  and  trust 
reix)sed  in  him  by  his  fellow  citizens.  He 
\\  as  chairman  of  the  board  in  1897  and  1898 
and  was  one  of  the  special  committee  to 
oversee  the  building  of  the  county  house, 
which  was  built  during  his  term  at  a  cost 
of  seventv-five  thousanil  tloilars.     He  was 


8o 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


chairman  of  tlie  Imard  of  equalization  for 
sixteen  consecutive  years  and  served  on 
most  of  tlie  committees,  especially  the  more 
important  ones.  He  was  school  treasurer 
for  ten  years  prior  to  his  removal  to  Dwight 
and  the  cause  of  education  always  found. in. 
him  a  faithful  friend.  In  1892  he  was  the 
Democratic  candidate  from  his  district  for 
member  of  the  state  Ijoard  (.)f  equalization 
and  althoueh  he  failed  of  election  he  suc- 
ceeded in  reducing  the  usual  Republican  ma- 
jority from  twenty-five  hundred  to  five  hun- 
dred, a  fact  which  testifies  strongly  as  to 
his  personal  popularity.  At  present  writ- 
ing he  is  the  nominee  of  his  party  from  the 
twentieth  district  as  a  member  of  the  legis- 
lature. No  man  in  his  community  is  mor^ 
highly  respected  or  esteemed,  and  he  has 
been  called  upon  to  settle  a  number  of  es- 
tates in  Livingston,  \\'ill  and  Grundy  coun- 
ties., and  is  now  in  charge  of  three  estates 
as  executor  and  administrator. 


S.  H.  POTTER,  D.  D.  S. 

S.  H.  Potter,  D.  D.  S.,  a  prominent  and 
successful  dentist  of  Dwight,  Illinois,  was 
born  on  the  7th  of  July,  1874,  in  Sheldon, 
Iroquois  county,  this  state,  and  is  a  son  of 
M.  G.  and  Mahala  ((iriswold)  Potter,  na- 
tives of  New  York  state  and  pioneers  of  Iro- 
quois county.  Illinois.  In  early  life  the  fa- 
ther engaged  in  farming  and  as  a  progressive 
and  enterprising  agriculturist  he  met  with 
marked  success,  becoming  owner  of  some 
fi\e  hundred  acres  of  valuable  land  in  that 
county.  Having  secured  a  handsome  prop- 
erty he  moved  to  Sheldon,  in  1881,  and  has 
since  lived  a  retired  life,  enjoying  the  fruits 
of  former  toil.  In  his  family  were  ten  chil- 
dren, nine  of  whom  are  still  living. 


Of  this  family  Dr.  Potter  is  ninth  in 
order  of  birth.  He  received  his  literary  eil- 
ucation  in  the  public  schools  of  Sheldon  and 
was  graduated  from  the  high  school  of  that 
])lace.  In  1893  he  entered  the  Northwestern 
Dental  College,  of  Chicago,  where  he  pur- 
sued the  regular  course  and  was  graduated 
in  April,  1896,  with  the  degree  of  D.  D.  S. 
That  same  month  he  came  to  Dwight  and 
opened  an  office.  Although  he  met  with 
strong  opposition  from  his  competitors,  he 
was  not  discouraged,  and,  as  his  skill  and 
ability  were  soon  widely  recognized,  he  was 
not  long  in  building  up  the  excellent  practice 
w  hich  he  now  enjoys.  He  is  especially  pro- 
ficient in  bridge  and  crown  work  and  has  met 
with  remarkable  success.  His  younger 
brother,  Edgar  C,  was  graduated  at  the 
Northwestern  Dental  College,  May  i,  1900, 
and  is  now  engaged  in  practice  with  our  sub- 
ject, under  the  firm  name  of  Potter  Brothers. 
Politically,  the  Doctor  is  identified  with 
the  Republican  party,  and  socially,  affiliated 
with  Hebron  Lodge,  No.  176,  K.  P.,  of 
Dwight. 


JOHN  O.  JOHNSON. 

John  O.  Johnson,  whose  home  is  on  sec- 
tion 29,  Esmen  township,  has  been  identified 
with  the  agricultural  interests  of  Li\'ingston 
county  since  July,  1857,  and  has  borne  an 
acti\-e  part  in  its  development  and  progress. 
He  comes  from  across  the  sea,  for  he  was 
born  in  Norway,  November  i,  1835,  and  is 
a  son  of  John  and  Martha  (Iverson)  John- 
son, who  spent  their  entire  lives  as  farming 
people  in  that  country.  The  father  was  four 
times  married,  and  our  subject  is  the  young- 
est of  the  five  children,  two  sons  and  three 
daughters,  liorn  of  the  second  union.     He 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


and  a  sister  are  now  tlie  only  survivors.  He 
was  reared  on  a  farm  and  had  fair  common 
sclmol  ad\antages.  His  knowledge  of  the 
linglish  language  has  all  been  obtained 
through  his  own  efiforts  since  his  emigra- 
tion to  .America. 

Before  leaving  Norway.  Mr.  Johnson 
was  married,  in  April.  1856.  to  Miss  Caro- 
line Mitchell,  also  a  native  of  that  country, 
and  the  following  year  they  came  to  the  new 
world,  taking  passage  on  a  sailing  vessel  at 
Stovanger  and  reaching  Quebec,  Canada, 
after  a  voyage  of  six  weeks.  They  crossed 
the  lakes  to  Chicago  and  proceeded  at  once 
to  La  Salle  county,  this  state,  where  friends 
from  Xorwa\-  had  ])reviously  located.  Soon 
afterward,  they  came  to  Livingston  county 
and  located  in  the  town  of  Auiity,  where  they 
made  their  home  while  Mr.  Johnson  worked 
by  the  day  or  month  as  a  farm  hand  four  or 
five  years.  He  next  rented  land,  and  in  1864 
bought  eighty  acres  of  the  farm  in  Esmen 
township,  where  he  now  resides.  At  that 
time  it  was  wild  prairie  with  no  improve- 
ments, but  he  built  thereon  a  small  house 
and  soon  placed  the  land  under  excellent  cul- 
tivation. He  has  since  purchased  an  ad- 
joining eighty-acre  tract,  and  the  whole  has 
been  converted  into  a  well-improved  farm. 
He  has  tiled  and  fenced  the  land,  has  erected 
a  good  residence  and  substantial  outbuild- 
ings, and  has  set  out  fruit  and  shade  trees. 
In  1893  he  bought  another  place  of  forty 
acres  on  section  29,  Esmen  townshij),  where 
be  now  lives,  and  he  has  since  made  many 
imijrovements  upon  that  farm. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  ha\c  been  born 
seven  children,  namely:  Isabel  and  Martha, 
twins,  the  former  of  whom  died  at  the  age 
of  seven  years,  the  latter  now  the  wife  of 
James  Street,  of  Hamilton  county,  Iowa; 
Mitchell,   who   is  married   and   engaged   in 


farming  in  Minnesota ;  John,  who  is  married 
and  assists  in  the  operation  of  his  father's 
farius;  Dora,  wife  of  Oliver  Henderocker, 
of  Hamilton  county,  Iowa;  Isabel,  wife  of 
James  Jacobson.  a  farmer  of  South  Dakota, 
antl  Theodore,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three 
years. 

Since  casting  his  first  ]iresidcntial  vote 
for  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  1864,  Mr.  John- 
son has  been  an  ardent  Republican  in  ])olitics, 
and  has  given  his  support  to  every  enter- 
])rise  which  be  believed  would  prove  of  pub- 
lic benefit.  He  served  one  year  as  road  com- 
missioner and  was  a  member  of  the  school 
l)oard  three  years,  but  has  never  sought 
official  honors.  Religiously,  both  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  cliurch 
and  are  highly  respected  and  esteemed  by 
all  who  know  them. 


GEORC.E  SKIXXER. 

The  deserved  reward  of  a  well-spent  life 
is  an  honored  retirement  from  business  in 
which  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  former  tnil. 
I'o-day,  after  a  useful  and  beneficial  career, 
Mr.  Skinner  is  cpiietly  living  at  his  beautiful 
home  in  I'ontiac.  surrounded  b\'  the  comfort 
that  earnest  labor  has  brought  him. 

Mr.  Skinner  was  born  in  Troy.  Ohio, 
Deceml)er  5.  1822,  a  son  of  Joseph  M.  and 
]-ydia  (Stillwell)  Skinner.  His  paternal 
grandfather  was  George  Skinner,  a  Revolu- 
tionary soldier,  who  was  born  in  l'"ranklin 
comUy.  Pennsylvania,  in  May,  1761,  and 
there  was  married,  Se])tember  23.  1789,  to 
Susanna  l-"reeman.  who  was  born  in  April, 
1759.  .\t  an  earlv  dav  they  floated  down 
the  Ohio   river   to   Cincinnati,   and   located 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
near  Milford,  Oliio,  one  mile  from  Camp 
Dennison,  \vhich  place  is  still  in  possession 
of  the  family.  There  the  grandfather  died 
in    1853.  his  wife  in   1849. 

Joseph  M.  Skinner,  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. January  25,  1795,  and  accompanied 
his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Ohio,  where 
he  grew  to  manhood,  remaining  at  home 
until  he  attained  his  majority.  On  the  27th 
of  September,  1820,  he  married  Lydia  Still- 
well,  who  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  January 
24.  1792.  As  a  young  man  he  built  many 
mills  in  the  unbroken  forests  of  Ohio.  On 
leax'ing  the  parental  roof,  he  went  to  Troy, 
that  state,  and  entered  a  general  mercantile 
store,  later  becoming  a  leading  merchant  and 
prominent  business  man  of  that  section.  He 
engaged  in  pork  packing  through  the  winter 
months  and  also  shipped  produce  quite  ex- 
tensi\-ely  down  the  Miami,  Ohio  and  Mis- 
sissippi rixers  to  New  Orleans.  At  that 
time  it  required  three  months  to  go  to  New 
York,  buy  goods  and  convey  them  to  his 
store,  as  the  trip  had  to  be  made  with  horses. 
A'alue  (if  mone}'  was  unstalile  and  postage 
on  a  letter  amounted  to  twenty-five  cents. 
Mr.  Skinner  owned  the  first  freight  boat  at 
Troy,  which  proved  of  great  benefit  to  the 
township,  and  he  was  extensively  engaged 
in  the  freighting  business  for  some  years. 
Later  he  owned  and  conducted  a  branch  store 
■  at  Covington,  Ohio,  and  when  the  canal  was 
completed  engaged  in  the  commission  and 
shipping  business,  owning  and  running  boats 
on  the  canal,  while  he  left  his  partner  in 
charge  of  the  store  at  Tro}-.  General  Har- 
rison was  present  at  the  opening  of  the  canal, 
and  our  subject  well  remembers  that  import- 
ant occasion.  The  father  had  served  in  the 
war  of  1812  under  that  general,  was  a  strong 


Whig  and  anti-sla\ery  man,  but  never  an 
office  seeker.  For  many  years  he  was  an 
elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church  and  also  a 
Mason,  but  during  the  Morgan  trouble,  he 
was  forced,  bv  public  opinion  of  the  church, 
to  withdraw  from  the  order.  He  died  Sep- 
tember 12,  1869,  and  his  wife  passed  away 
December  19,  i860. 

Our  subject  was  educated  in  a  subscrip- 
tion school  at  Troy,  and  during  his  youth 
assisted  in  his  father's  store.  Later  he  com- 
menced to  learn  the  tanner's  trade  at  Cov- 
ington, Ohio,  where  he  remained  one  year. 
Later,  Mr.  McCorkle,  the  leading  tanner  of 
Troy,  dying,  he  took  charge  of  the  business, 
his  father  being  administrator  of  the  estate. 
In  1 85 1  he  went  to  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  ice  business, 
being  the  first  man  to  bring  northern  ice  into 
that  city.  This  he  shipped  down  the  Ohio 
ri\er.  He  was  living  there  during  the  great 
American,  or  "Knownothing"  mob,  of  1856, 
but  that  summer  he  was  forced  to  give  up  his 
business  on  account  of  failing  health,  and 
came  to  Livingston  county.  Illinois.  He 
purchased  two  hundred  and  ten  acres  of 
land  in  Odell  township,  near  the  station  of 
Cayuga,  and  in  the  spring  of  1857  brought 
his  family  to  their  new  home.  They  often 
tra\-eled  ten  or  fifteen  miles  without  seeing 
a  single  habitation  of  any  sort,  and  wolves 
were  still  quite  numerous  in  this  region. 
Mr.  Skinner's  land  was  still  in  its  primitive 
condition  when  he  located  thereon,  but  he 
soon  broke  and  tiled  it,  and  erected  good 
and  substantial  buildings,  making  it  one  of 
the  most  desirable  farms  of  its  size  in  the 
count}-.  Though  he  still  owns  the  place,  he 
has  made  his  home  in  Pontiac  for  the  past 
twelve  years,  and  has  a  fine  brick  residence 
here,  which  is  supplied  with  many  comforts 
and  luxuries.     In  connection  with  general 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


83 


farming  lie  always  engaged  in  stock  raising, 
and  while  living  in  the  country  served  as 
school  director,  but  would  never  accept  po- 
litical positions. 

In  the  fall  of  1862  Mr.  Skinner  returned 
to  his  old  home  in  Trov,  Ohio,  where  he  re- 
mained two  years.  As  a  young  man  he 
had  lieen  a  member  of  the  La  Fayette  Blues 
of  that  place,  an  infantry  companv  that 
drilled  all  over  the  state,  and  in  May,  1864, 
he  joined  the  Home  Guards  as  a  member  of 
Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Forty-sev- 
enth Ohio  Infantry.  They  first  went  to 
Camp  Dennison,  Ohio,  and  from  there  to 
Fort  Alorrisy,  A\'ashington,  D.  C,  where 
they  were  stationed  at  the  attack  of  General 
Ewell,  the  last"  attempt  of  the  rebels  to  cap- 
ture the  capital.  Mr.  Skinner  remained 
there  until  the  close  of  his  term  of  eunlist- 
ment  and  was  mustered  out  at  Camp  Denni- 
son. 

On  the  i_nh  of  April,  1849,  ^I''-  Skin- 
ner was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eliza- 
eth  Shafer,  who  was  born  Xovember  15, 
1829,  a  daughter  of  Eckert  and  Rachel 
(Smith)  Shafer.  Her  father  was  born  in 
Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  December 
29,  1804,  a  son  of  George  and  Barbara 
Shafer,  and  was  reared  in  Earl  township, 
Lancaster  county,  between  that  city  and 
Philadelphia.  His  father  was  of  German 
descent  and  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary 
war.  Mrs.  Skinner's  mother  was  born  at 
New  Holland,  Pennsylvania,  j\Iarch  25, 
1809,  a  daughter  of  Edward  Smith.  After 
following  farming  in  his  native  state  for  sev- 
eral years  Eckert  Shafer  left  there  in  the 
spring  of  1847,  accompanied  by  his  wife 
and  six  children,  and  moved  to  Troy,  Ohio, 
by  way  of  the  canal  and  Ohio  river.  He 
bought  a  farm  two  miles  from  Troy,  where 
his  wife  died  March  7,  1854.     Later  he  came 


to  Livingston  county,  Illinois,  and  purchased 
hind  in  Esmen  township,  to  the  improxemtn 
and  culti\ation  of  which  he  devoted  his  en- 
ergies until  after  his  children  were  all  mar- 
ried. He  then  made  his  home  with  his  eld- 
est child,  Mrs.  Skinner,  dying  there  Decem- 
ber 13,  1882. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Skinner  have  a  family  of 
nine  children,  namely  :  Loretta,  wife  of  John 
J.  Pfau,  of  Odell;  Clara  L.,  wife  of  Joseph 
French,  of  Indiana,  by  whom  she  has  one 
daughter,  Edna  May;  Elias  Freeman,  now 
a  resident  of  Missouri ;  Rachel  L.,  who  mar- 
ried James  Jones,  of  Streator,  Illinois,  and 
they  have  three  chil(Jren;  Martha  L.,  who 
married  J.  W.  Adams,  traveling  passenger 
agent  for  the  Vanderbilt  lines,  and  a  resi- 
dent of  San  Francisco,  and  they  have  four 
children,  Xona  L.,  Nina  L.,  George  J.  and 
Harry  \'.;  Eckert,  also  a  resident  of  Cali- 
fornia ;  Joseph  Morris,  who  married  Minnie 
Streator,  has  one  child,  Irma,  and  operates 
the  home  farm  near  Cayuga;  Luella  and 
Emma  L.,  at  home. 

Both  our  subject  and  his  wife  are  active 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He 
assisted  in  organizing  the  church  at  Cayuga, 
and  was  one  of  the  leading  contributors  to 
the  erection  of  the  house  of  worship  there. 
He  also  served  as  elder  of  the  church  at 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  has  filled  that  of- 
fice ever  since  in  ditiferent  societies  with 
which  he  has  been  connected.  He  was  most 
of  the  time  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
school  during  his  residence  at  Cajuga,  and 
has  never  missed  in  his  attendance  at  Sun- 
day school  or  church  since  coming  to  Pon- 
tiac.  His  life  has  been  exemplary  in  all  re- 
spects, and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  no  man  in 
his  community  is  held  in  higher  regard  or  is 
more  deserving  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his 
fellow  men  than  George  Skinner.     He  has 


84 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


been  an  acti\e  \v(irker  for  tlie  Republican 
party  anil  its  principles,  but  lias  never  been 
an  aspirant  for  office. 


JOHN  Kl'LL. 


It  is  astonisbing  to  witness  tbe  success 
of  men  wbo  bave  emigrated  to  America 
witbout  capital  and  from  a  position  of  com- 
parative oliscurity  ba\e  worked  tbeir  way  up- 
\\ard  to  a  position  of  i)roniinence.  Tbe  read- 
iness witb  wbicb  tbe}'  adapt  tliemselves  to 
circumstances  and  take  advantage  of  op- 
portunities offered  brings  to  tbem  success 
and  wins  tbem  a  place  among  tbe  leading- 
business  men  of  tbe  community  in  wbicb 
tbey  reside.  No  better  illustration  of  tbis 
can  be  found  tlian  in  tbe  life  of  Jobn  Kull, 
tbe  well  known  proprietor  of  tbe  Pontiac 
Steam  ]\Iill  and  manager  of  a  meal  and  feed 
store  on  'tbe  Alton  Railroad  and  Water 
street.  Pontiac,  of  wbicb  place  be  bas  l)een  a 
resident  since  October  ii,  1894. 

Mr.  Kull  was  born  in  Niederlenz,  Canton 
Argau.  nortbeastern  Switzerland,  October  5, 
1834,  a  son  of  Jobn  Kull,  a  baker  by  trade, 
wbo  spent  bis  entire  life  tbere.  Our  subject 
attended  scbool  tbere.  but  tbe  times  being- 
bard  be  commenced  work  at  the  early  age  of 
nine  years  witb  the  hope  of  being  of  some  as- 
sistance to  his  parents.  He  entered  the  spin- 
ning room  of  a  cotton  factory,  where  he 
worked  from  six  in  tbe  morning  until  nine 
at  night,  witb  only  an.  hour  each  day  for 
dinner,  and  received  only  the  ecpiivalent  to 
one  dollar  per  month  in  our  money.  When 
all  tired  out  with  tbe  day's  work  he  had  to 
walk  a  distance  of  three  miles  to  his  home 
before  getting  his  supper.  In  the  winter 
he  put  in  six  hours  of  school  work  each  day 


during  the  six  years  spent  in  tbe  cotton  fac- 
tory. At  the  end  of  that  time  be  liegan  serv- 
ing a  tbree-_\-ears  api)renticesbip  to  tbe  mil- 
ler's trade  with  bis  uncle,  and  while  thus 
employed  recei\ed  onh-  his  board  and  clothes 
in  compensation  for  his  labor,  but  be  thor- 
oughly learned  the  business  and  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  bad  a  good  trade,  having  passed  the 
exan-iination  and  received  his  papers. 

\\'ishing  to  see  more  of  tbe  country  Mr. 
Kidl  traveled  over  Switzerland  and  Ger- 
luany,  working  in  mills  in  all  of  tbe  import- 
ant cities  of  those  countries.  He  also  spent 
some  time  in  France  and  learned  to  handle 
and  put  together  tbe  French  Ijurrs,  this  be- 
ing an  iniportant  part  ijf  bis  trade.  By 
working  in  so  many  different  mills  he  gained 
a  varied  knowledge  of  the  methods  in  use 
and  became  an  expert  miller.  Returning  to 
Basal,  Switzerland,  one  of  the  largest  cities 
of  his  native  land,  he  served  as  head  miller 
in  its  largest  mill  for  three  years  to  the  en- 
tire satisfaction  of  tbe  owners. 

In  April,  1867,  Mr.  Kull  came  to  the 
United  States,  landing  in  New  York  after 
a  fifteen-days  yoyage  in  a  steamer  with  an 
excellent  knowledge  of  a  good  trade,  but 
unable  to  speak  a  word  of  English.  Coming 
directly  to  Highland,  Illinois,  he  served  as 
miller  there  for  a  time,  and  then  went  to 
Pocahontas,  Illinois,  where  he  was  similarly 
employed  for  three  years.  He  then  removed 
to  Green\-ille,  Boone  county,  Illinois,  and 
took  charge  of  a  mill  for  J.  E.  \\'alls,  an 
-English  gentleman,  wbo  wanted  la  first- 
class,  practical  miller.  .\11  of  tbe  employees 
of  tbe  mill  being  Americans  but  liimself,  he 
learned  the  English  language  more  reachly 
than  had  ever  before  been  necessary,  and 
this  has  since  been  of  great  advantage  to 
him.  From  Greenville  he  went  to  Litch- 
field,  Illinois,  and  other  places  throughout 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


!5 


tliis  state,  and  also  various  ])laces  in  eastern, 
southwestern  and  northwestern  Missovn^i. 
Sulise(|uently  he  had  charge  of  some  of  tlio 
liest  mills  in  Kansas.  On  the  ist  of  Octo- 
lier.  1894,  he  came  to  Pontiac.  Illinois,  to 
take  chartfe  of  tlie  I'ontiac  Steam  Mill  for  j'. 
!•;.  W'uerpel  &  Company,  of  St.  l,nuis.  and 
in  March,  1897,  purchased  the  mill,  which 
he  has  since  successfully  conducted  on  his 
own  account,  having  huilt  uj)  a  good  busi- 
ness. He  has  the  leading  custom  trade  of 
the  city,  receivintr  the  patronage  of  all  the 
extensive  farmers  of  this  section  of  the  coun- 
ty who  have  grain  t(j  grind.  He  is  also  gen- 
eral agent  for  the  Jersey  Lily  flour,  made  hy 
Jennison  Mrothers  &  Compan}-.  of  Janesville, 
.Minnesota,  and  has  huilt  up  a  tine  whole- 
sale and  retail  trade,  as  the  Hour  is  of  a  su- 
perior (|uality  and  gives  excellent  satisfac- 
tion. As  a  wholesale  dealer  he  sells  in  car- 
load lots.  In  the  spring  of  1900  he  equipped 
his  mill  with  electric  motors  and  now  very 
successfully  uses  electricty  for  his  motive 
])ower.  He  was  the  fir.st  miller  in  this  ))art  of 
the  county  to  adopt  it  and  this  shows  the 
characteristic  enterprise  of  the  man.  While 
by  nature  conservati\e,  he  is  Aet  ready  to 
ado])t  new  ideas  in  his  business  and  keep  in 
the  front. 

On  the  1 8th  of  Jvme,  1867.  in  Pocahon- 
tas, Illinois,  Mr.  Kull  married  Miss  Karo- 
line  Bornhauser,  who  was  born  in  \\  ein- 
felden.  Canton  Thurgau,  Switzerland,  and 
whci  came  to  this  country  on  the  same  ves- 
sel with  him,  joining  her  father,  Jacob 
Bornhauser,  a  cabinetmaker  by  trade,  who 
crossed  the  Atlantic  in  1866.  By  this  union 
has  been  born  one  daughter,  Carrie.  Mr. 
Kull  and  his  wife  are  both  earnest  members 
lit  the  Presbyterian  church  and  he  is  a 
Democrat  in  ]K)litics.  He  is  enterprising 
and  progressive  and  gives  his  support  to  any 


object  he  believes  will  prove  of  public  bene- 
fit. He  was  one  of  the  men  who  felt  the 
need  nf  a  bridge  at  Xermillion  street.  He 
got  U])  the  petition  and  secured  a  suhscrij)- 
tion  of  nine  hundred  dollars  from  citizens 
and  also  a  good  one  fmm  the  Chicago  & 
.\lton  Railroad  (."ompany.  With  such  a 
hacking  the  council  jxissed  the  ordinance  and 
ajipropriated  twenty-five  hundred  dollars  to 
the  enterprise,  while  the  board  of  supervisors 
ga\e  one  thousand  dollars.  So  Mr.  Kull 
was  realley  the  founder  of  the  bridge,  which 
is  a  great  improvement  to  the  western  part 
of  the  cit}-.  Its  need  was  long  felt,  hut  it 
reiiuiretl  an  active  and  energetic  man  like 
Mr.  Kull  to  carry  the  enterprise  through 
successfullv. 


WILHELM  r.lSCHOFF. 

Wilhelm  l^)ischoft',  an  industrious  and  en- 
ter])rising  agriculturist  residing  on  section 
14,  .\\oca  townshi]).  Livingston  county,  is  a 
native  of  Illinois.  hi<  birth  liaving  occurred 
in  Ttiwanda  ti>wnshi]),  McLean  county.  Feb- 
ruary 3,  iH(>j.  His  parents,  Ludwig  and 
.Mary  ( .Allendortif )  BischotY,  were  both  na- 
tives of  Germany  and  caiue  to  America  when 
young,  about  1830.  Their  marriage  was 
celebrated  in  Bloomington,  Illinois,  and  in 
the  vicinity  nf  Towanda,  McLean  county, 
thev  began  their  domestic  life  upon  a  farm 
which  Mr.  Bisclvifif  had  rented.  They  re- 
mained residents  of  that  county  until  coming 
to  Livingston  county  in  1870.  when  they 
located  on  the  farm  now  occupieil  by  our 
subject.  The  father  purchased  the  property 
anil  at  once  began  to  clear  away  the  timber 
and  break  the  land,  having  previously  erected 
a  small  house  suitable  iov  a  home  for  the 
family.     He  died  in  1893.  li'iving  survived 


86 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


his  wife  several  years,  her  death  occurring  in 
1894.  Both  were  consistent  members  of 
the  Lutheran  church,  and  he  was  a  Repub- 
hcan  in  pohtics  and  an  ardent  worker  for 
the  party.  In  their  family  were  five  chil- 
dren, two  sons  and  three  daughters,  but  two 
died  in  childhood.  Wilhelm,  our  subject, 
is  the  oldest  of  those  who  reached  maturity ; 
Matilda  is  now  the  wife  of  Richard  Mor- 
ton, who  lives  south  of  Fairbury;  and  Al- 
vena  married  F.  Burley,  of  Pleasant  Ridge 
township,  and  died  in  1889. 

Wilhelm  Bischoff  came  with  the  family 
to  Livingston  county  and  upon  the  home 
farm  he  grew  to  manhood,  his  education  be- 
ing acquired  in  the  district  schools  of  Avoca 
township.  He  early  became  familiar'  with 
the  duties  which  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agri- 
culturist and  has  never  left  the  homestead, 
but  carried  on  farming  successfully  with  his 
father  until  the  latter's  death,  since  which 
time  he  has  had  entire  charge  of  the  place, 
consisting  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  good  land,  nearly  forty  of  which  are 
covered  with  timber,  while  the  remainder  is 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  has 
added,  by  purchase,  an  eighty-acre  tract, 
giving  him  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres. 
He  is  a  thrifty  and  energetic  farmer,  and  by 
these  means  has  made  a  success  of  his  labors. 
He  raises  hogs  for  the  Chicago  market  and 
in  all  his  undertakings  has  steadily  pros- 
pered. 

In  1890  Mr.  Bischoff  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Mary  E.  Funk,  who  was 
born  August  22,  1869,  in  Morton,  Illinois, 
and  daughter  of  John  and  Christian  Funk. 
Her  parents,  dying  when  she  was  an  infant, 
left  her  in  care  of  relati\es.  with  whom 
she  made  her  home  until  reaching'  woman- 
hood. She  has  a  sister,  Mrs.  Christina  Lu- 
cas, who  resides  in  Stonington,  Illinois.    ^Ir. 


and  Mrs.  Bischoff  have  four  children :  Clar- 
ence L.,  Ethel  Alae,  Lester  Er  and  Irving  F., 
all  attending  the  district  school  with  ex- 
ception of  the  youngest.  The  parents  are 
active  members  and  liberal  supporters  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  Mr.  Bis- 
choff is  also  a  member  of  the  Modern  \\'ood- 
men  Camp  of  Fairbury  and  the  Court  of 
Honor,  in  which  later  his  wife  is  a  member. 
He  has  always  been  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
Republican  party,  but  would  never  accept 
office  or  hold  any  public  position,  preferring 
that  they  should  be  given  to  men  whom  he 
considers  more  worthy  of  them.  He  is, 
however,  public  spirited  and  progressive  and 
gives  his  support  to  those  measures  which  he 
believes  will  prove  of  public  benefit. 


JA':\IES  .\.  CALDWELL. 

Prominent  among"  the  enterprising,  ener- 
getic and  progressive  business  men  of  Ponti- 
ac,  Illinois,  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who 
is  now  devoting  his  time  and  attention  to 
the  real  estate,  insurance  and  abstract  busi- 
ness. He  was  born  in  Charleston,  ^\'est 
Virginia,  March  22,  1831,  a  son  of  Joseph 
and  Mary  Ann   (Adams)   Caldwell. 

Joseph  Caldwell,  the  progenitor  of  the 
family  in  the  L'nated  States,  emigrated 
with  his  family  from  Derry,  Ireland,  m 
1769,  and  settled  in  Sherman's  \'alley. 
Perry  county,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  of 
Scotch  descent.  About  1780  he  moved 
farther  west,  locating  on  Sewickley  creek. 
Pennsylvania.  He  had  five  children,  of 
whom  Joseph,  the  eldest,  was  the  great- 
grandfather of  our  subject.  The  grandfa- 
ther was  James  Caldwell,  who  was  born  in 
Ireland,  February  21,  1759,  and  was  about 


J.  A.  CALDWELL. 


THE    JUUGKAi'HlLAL    RECORD. 


ten  years  of  age  when  lirouglit  t(i  America. 
He  married  Sarah  Byram.  wlio  was  born 
1  ehrn;ir\-  i_^,  176,^  and  was  the  eldest  child 
of  Ell  ward  Byrani.  At  an  early  day  her 
father  moved  with  his  familv  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Fort  Pitt,  now  Pittsburg.  Penn- 
sylvania, and  on  the  7th  of  .\pril.  1779.  dur- 
ing the  Revtjlutionary  war,  he  and  one 
(laughter  were  captured  by  the  Indians  and 
taken  to  Canada,  where  they  remained  in 
ca])tivity  for  a  year.  The  child  was  allowed 
t'l  ride  with  the  Indians  on  horseback  a 
part  (if  the  way.  but  Mr.  Byram  was  com- 
pelled to  walk.  In  i7<So  they  were  taken  to 
Montreal  and  later  to  Quebec,  being  in  prison 
a*^  lx)th  places,  and  finally,  in  the  spring  of 
1781.  were  transferred  by  boat  with  other 
English  prisoners  through  Eake  Cham- 
k  plain  and  Lake  (leorge,  then  down  the  Hud- 
1  sen  river  and  on  to  Morristown,  Xew  Jersey. 
— their  old  home. 

The  Byram  family  is  traced  back  to 
Xicholas  Byram,  son  of  a  gentleman  of 
jirominence  in  Kent  county.  England.  He 
was  born  in  ]6[o.  and  as  a  boy  was  sent 
ir.  charge  of  an  agent  to  a  remote  school, 
but  the  agent  t(3ok  his  g(jld  and  placed  the 
boy  on  l)(jard  a  ship  to  the  West  Indies, 
where  he  was  sold  to  pay  his  passage.  Se- 
creted in  his  clothes  was  some  gold  given 
h.'m  by  his  mother  and  with  this  he  came 
I  1  Massachusetts  Bay  in  1633  or  1634.  He 
settled  in  \\'eym(juth.  Massachusetts.  Ed- 
ward Byram,  previously  mentioned,  was 
descended  from  John  and  Priscilla  Alden 
in  the  fifth  generation.  For  a  more  extended 
history  of  this  family  .see  the  book  entitled 
"Abby  Byram  and  her  Father,  the  Indian 
Captives,"  published  at  Ottumwa.  Iowa,  in 
i8(jS. 

After  his  marriage  James  Caldwell,  our 
subject's  grandfather,  became  a   farmer  of 


Westmoreland  county,  Penn.sylvania.  where 
hfc  spent  his  life,  dying  there  July  1 1.  1847. 
His  wife  passed  away  prior  to  1833.  He 
was  a  zealous  Christian,  strong  and  positive 
in  his  belief,  and  served  as  elder  of  the  Se- 
wickley  Pre.sbyterian  church  for  some  j-ears. 
Most  of  his  sons  adhered  to  that  faith  and 
the  father  of  our  subject  was  educated  for 
the  Presbyterian  ministry.  He  was  born 
ii'  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1786,  and  was  a  student  at  the  college  in 
Cannonsburg.  that  state, — the  oldest  college 
west  of  the  mountains.  In  early  manhood 
Ik  removed  to  Charleston,  West  \'irginia, 
where  he  embarked  in  merchandising,  and 
became  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  suc- 
cessful business  men  of  the  place.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Mary  ^\nn  Adams,  who  was  teach- 
ip.g  schiool  in  Tennessee  at  that  time.  She  was 
a  nati\e  of  Weston.  Massachusetts,  and  a 
granddaughter  of  Alpheus  Bigelow,  who  as 
a  Revolutionary  soldier  jjarticipated  in  the 
battle  of  Concord.  On  both  sides  she  was 
descended  from  old  Xew  England  families. 
She  was  born  in  j8i  i  and  died  in  i<S(jo,  hav- 
ing long  survived  her  husband,  who  died  at 
Charleston  in  1848.  Of  their  eight  children 
who  reached  years  of  matin'ity  our  subject 
if  the  oldest. 

James  A.  Caldwell  was  about  eighteen 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death ; 
he  received  a  good  academic  education  in  his 
native  city  and  began  his  business  career  as 
clerk  in  a  drug  store  at  Charleston,  ^^'est 
\'irginia.  where  he  continued  to  make  his 
l.ome  until  1865,  covering  the  period  of  the 
Civil  war.  There  he  engaged  in  business  for 
Inmself  for  a  time.  He  first  married,  in 
i860.  Miss  Jennie  Harxey,  of  Springfield, 
Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Captain  John  Harvey, 
but  she  died  in  1873,  leaviup-  two  children, 
one  <-if  whom,  Jennie,  is  stiU  Hving. 


90 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


In  July,  1865.  Mr.  Caldwell  came  to 
Fontiac,  Illinois,  and  embarked  in  the  drug- 
business  on  W^est  Madison  street  in  part- 
nership witli  John  A.  Fellows,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Fellows  &  Caldwell.  They 
continued  in  business  tog-ether  for  some 
3'ears  and  were  finally  succeeded  by  the  firm 
of  Caldwell  &  McGregor,  who  for  twenty- 
five  years  carried  on  a  most  successful  busi- 
ness, theirs  being  by  far  the  oldest  drug-  store 
or  business  firm  in  the  city.  To  their  stock 
of  drugs  and  books  they  later  added  jewelry 
and  built  up  a  good  trade  in  that  line.  They 
built  the  block  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
Mill  and  Madison  streets,  then  the  finest 
business  block  in  the  city,  and  also  bought 
the  opjxisite  corner,  and  after  selling  the 
front  part  improved  the  remainder  of  the 
property.  In  1895  the  partnership  was  dis- 
solved and  Mr.  Caldwell  retired  from  the 
drug  trade.  For  about  eighteen  months  he 
conducted  a  grocery  store,  and  since  dis- 
}X)sing  of  that  has  successfully  engaged  in 
the  insurance  and  real  estate  business,  hand- 
ling property  for  others  as  well  as  himself. 
After  the  dissolution  of  the  firm  of  Fellows 
&  Caldwell  he  bought  lots  4  and  5  at  the 
corner  of  Madison  and  Plum  streets,  which 
he  subdivided  into  three  business  lots  and 
sold  to  different  parties.  About  1880,  in 
partnership  with  Mr.  McGregor,  he  bought 
twenty  feet  front  on  the  corner  where  the 
Sterry  block  now  stands  and  sold  it  after- 
ward to  C.  W.  Sterry.  At  the  time  of  pur- 
chase it  was  covered  with  a  two-storv  busi- 
ness house.  Mr.  Caldwell  still  owns  six  resi- 
dences in  the  city  and  has  »  nice  home  at 
the  corner  of  Mill  and  Grove  streets. 

In  September,  1874,  Mv.  Caldwell  was 
again  married,  his  second  union  being  with 
Mrs.  Lovina  Hill,  of  Pontiac,  a  daughter  of 
G.  E.  Tibbets,  who  came  here  in  1866  from 


]\faine,  which  was  the  birthplace  of  Mrs. 
Caldwell.  They  are  active  members  of  the 
]:'resb}terian  church,  in  which  our  subject 
is  now  serving  as  elder.  Fie  has  been  a 
member  of  the  official  board  many  years  and 
was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school 
some  time.  He  always  supported  the  Dem- 
ocratic party  until  the  campaign  of  .1896, 
but  could  not  endorse  the  principles  advo- 
cated by  the  Chicago  platform.  He  has  made 
an  untarnished  record  and  unspotted  reputa- 
tion as  a  liusiness  man.  In  all  ]3laces  and 
under  all  circumstances  he  is  loyal  to  truth, 
lionor  and  right,  justly  valuing  his  own 
self-resiject  as  infinitely  more  preferable  than 
wealth,  fame  and  position.  His  success  has 
been  the  result  of  honest,  persistent  effort 
in  the  line  of  honorable  and  manly  dealing. 


GEORGE  \\'.  \\-0:\IELDORFF. 

George  \\'.  \\"omeldorff,  one  of  the  high- 
ly respected  citizens  and  successful  farmers 
of  Eppards  Point  township,  residing  on  sec- 
tion ^^,  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  near 
Tremont,  Tazewell  county,  February  22, 
1846.  His  father,  Daniel  Womeldorff,  was 
born  in  Gallia  county,  Ohio,  in  1804,  and 
there  married  Miss  Harriet  X.  Kerr,  a  na- 
ti\-e  of  the  same  county  and  a  daughter  of 
[Major  John  M.  Kerr,  an  officer  of  the  war 
of  1812.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Womel- 
dorff  followed  farming  in  Ohio  until  1844, 
when  he  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Taze- 
well  county.  For  about  four  years  he  was 
engaged  in  flat-boating  down  the  ^Mississippi 
to  New  Orleans,  and  then  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  agricultural  pursuits,  having  pur- 
chased a  claim  in  Tazewell  county.  Upon 
that  place  he  died  in  1852.     Subsequently 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


91 


liis  widow  tiiok  lier  f'aniih'  liack  to  Oliio. 
locating  in  tlie  old  ncighl)orliood  in  Gallia 
county. 

There  our  subject  grew  to  manhood  and 
attended  the  common  schools.  On  the  25th 
of  March.  1863,  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years,  he  joined  the  hoys  in  blue  of  the  Civil 
war.  enlisting  as  a  i)rivate  in  Company  L, 
Se\enth  Ohio  Cavalry,  which  was  assigned 
to  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  under  com- 
mand of  General  Sherman.  He  participated 
in  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  the  engage- 
ments of  the  Atlanta  campaign,  and  then 
with  his  command  went  to  the  relief  of  Gen- 
eral Thomas  at  Nashville.  They  were  in 
the  battle  of  Franklin  and  followed  Hood 
to  the  Tennessee  river.  At  (ira\ely  Springs, 
Alabama,  Mr.  \\'omcldiirff  was  severely 
wounded,  being  shot  in  the  left  fore-arm  and 
left  side  and  receiving  a  saber  thrust  in  the 
right  leg  and  a  scratch  on  the  right  shoulder. 
He  was  sent  to  a  hospital  boat  at  Waterloo 
on  the  Tennessee  river,  and  fourteen  days 
later  was  taken  to  Jeffersonville,  Indiana, 
where  he  remained  in  the  hospital  until  June 
5,  1865,  when  honorably  discharged  from  the 
service,  though  his  wounds  did  not  heal  for 
nearly  a  year  after  his  return  home. 

Mr.  Wonieldorff  then  attended  a  select 
school  for  nine  months  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Ohio  for  a  year,  but  in  the  fall  of  1867 
he  returned  to  Tazewell  count}'.  Illinois,  in 
company  with  his  mother,  youngest  brother 
and  sister.  They  drove  the  entire  distance 
and  located  in  Treniont.  For  eighteen 
months  our  subject  was  employed  as  over- 
seer of  a  farm  and  in  1869  came  to  Livings- 
ton county,  operating  a  rented  farm  in  Pike 
township  for  three  years,  while  his  mother 
and  sister  kept  house  for  him. 

In  that  township  Mr.  W'omeldorfY  was 
married,  March  18.  1873,  to  Miss  Maria  C. 


Beeks,  a  native  of  Pennsvhania  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  J.imes  n.  r.ceks,  wlio  nio\ed  to  Mar- 
shall county,  Illinois,  in  1853,  and  later  to 
Livingston  county,  but  is  now  a  resident  of 
Arkansas  City,  Kan.sas.  Of  the  twelve  chil- 
dren born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wonieldorff  five 
died  in  infancy.  Those  living  are  Eula, 
wife  of  John  \\".  l-'arlcy,  of  E])])ards  Point 
township;  Eugene,  at  home;  Delia,  wife  of 
x\lbert  D.  Hewitt,  of  Pontiac ;  Gilbert,  Min- 
nie, Ethel  and  Bertel,  all  at  home.  Air. 
Womeldorff's  mother  died  at  his  home  De- 
cember j8,  1898,  at  the  aihanced  age  of 
eighty-four  years. 

Inir  two  years  after  his  marriage  our 
suliject  continued  to  engage  in  farming  upon 
rented  land  in  Pike  township,  where  he  sub- 
seciuently  purchased  a  tract  of  eighty  acres. 
This  he  sold  six  years  later  and  bought  one 
himdred  acres  in  the  same  townshi]).  u])on 
which  he  also  resided  six  years.  ( )n  dis- 
posing of  that  property,  in  1887,  he  Iiought 
his  present  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  on 
section  33,  Eppards  Point  township,  to  which 
he  has  subsequently  added  a  forty-acre  tract. 
He  has  made  many  useful  and  valuable  im- 
provements upon  the  place,  and  now  has  one 
of  the  most  desirable  farms  of  its  size  in  the 
township.  Starting  out  in  life  for  himself 
empty-handed,  his  career  illustrates  what  can 
be  accomplished  through  industry,  perse- 
verance, good  management  ami  a  determina- 
tion to  succeed. 

While  with  the  army  at  Atlanta.  Georgia, 
in  1864,  Mr.  Wonieldorff  cast  his  lirst  pres- 
idential vote  for  Lincoln  and  has  since  been 
a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Republican  party. 
He  has  served  his  fellow  citizens  as  super- 
visor and  is  now  filling  the  office  of  town- 
shi]) trustee.  He  has  also  been  school  di- 
rector for  thirteen  years  and  president  of  his 
district  in  both  Pike  and  Eppards  Point  town- 


92 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


ships.  Religiously  he  and  all  his  family, 
with  the  exception  of  the  youngest  sun.  are 
members  of  the  ^^lethodist  Episcopal  church 
at  Weston.  McLean  county,  and  take  an  ac- 
tive part  in  church  and  Sunday  school  work. 
He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  Post  at  Chenoa,  in  which  he  has 
served  as  commander  and  is  now  vice-com- 
mander. In  times  of  peace  as  well  as  in  war 
he  is  recognized  as  a  most  patriotic  and 
useful  citizen,  and  is  held  in  high  regard  l)y 
all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact,  either  in 
business  or  social  life. 


LESTER  EDWIX   KENT. 

Lester  Edwin  Kent,  a  retired  grain  deal  • 
er  and  a  prominent  early  settler  of  Pontiac, 
was  born  in  SuffieUl,  Hartford  county,  Con- 
necticut, August  1 8,  1834,  a  son  of  Edwin 
and  Huldah  (  Tewett)  Kent,  also  natives  of 
that  state,  his  ancestors  being  among  its 
pioneers.  The  father  was  of  English  ex- 
traction and  of  good  Revolutionary  stock. 
He  was  a  farmer  of  Suffield  and  a  man  of 
considerable  prominence  in  his  community, 
serving  as  selectman  and  road  commissioner. 
There  both  he  and  his  wife  died.  She  was 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 

Our  subject  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  academy  of  his  native  town  and 
remained  at  home  until  he  attained  his  ma- 
jority. In  1855  he  came  west  to  Chicago, 
Illinois,  but  first  located  in  Kane  county, 
having  a  cousin  living  at  Kaneville,  where 
he  spent  one  year.  In  the  fall  of  1856  he 
came  to  Pontiac  and  entered  the  employ  of 
Sidney  A.  Kent,  a  grain  dealer  and  a  very 
prominent  man,  wlio  recently  died  in  Chi- 
cago.    While  with  him  our  subject  became 


thoroughly  familiar  with  the  grain  busi- 
ness in  all  its  details,  and  in  1858  jjurchased 
the  elevator  in  Pontiac  and  embarked  in  the 
business  on  his  own  account.  The  elevator 
was  located  on  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Rail- 
road, which  was  then  run  by  Governor  Alat- 
teson. 

At  that  time  grain  was  brought  into  Pon- 
tiac from  distances  of  twenty  or  twenty-five 
miles,  and  as  the  wagons  of  the  farmers 
would  not  hold  shelled  corn  jMr.  Kent  fur- 
nished them  with  sacks.  The  elevators  were 
often  more  than  full  and  sacks  would  be 
piled  up  elsewhere  like  cord  wood.  It  was 
sometimes  impossible  to  get  box  cars  to  ship 
the  grain  and  it  had  to  be  loaded  on  flat 
cars.  Mr.  Kent  soon  became  interested  in 
the  grain  business  in  other  towns.  He  en- 
larged the  elevator  at  Fairbury,  when  that 
place  contained  but  one  small  house  and 
store  and  before  the  railroad  was  built.  He 
would  drive  over  in  the  morning  and  back 
again  at  night.  He  built  the  first  elevator 
at  Odell,  when  it  had  but  one  store,  and  was 
instrumental  in  building  up  the  town,  as 
farmers  bringing  their  grain  to  the  elevator 
wished  to  do  their  trading  there.  At  Odell 
the  grain  was  shoveled  into  the  cars  at  first. 
Mr.  Kent  also  built  the  first  elevators  at  Cay- 
uga and  Blackstone,  this  county,  where  he 
also  engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  and 
for  two  vears  shipped  grain  from  Nevada, 
but  did  not  build  there.  In  those  days  he 
was  the  largest  shipper  on  the  Alton  road, 
and  would  load  full  trains  at  both  Pontiac 
and  Blackstone :  the  road  being  short  of  cars 
they  would  run  a  train  in  for  him  to  load 
immediately.  He  kept  one  man  at  Ocoya 
and  furnished  employment  to  a  number  of 
others  most  of  the  time.  Most  of  his  grain 
was  shipped  to  Chicago.  For  over  twenty- 
five  years  he  continued  to  be  at  the  head  of 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


93 


tlie  grain  trade  in  this  county  and  gave  liis 
attention  entirely  to  that  l)usine.ss.  He  ad- 
vanced nmney  Hl)erally  to  farmers  in  need 
of  assistance  when  starting  out.  and  was  of 
great  help  to  I'ontiac  in  hringing  trade  here, 
as  well  as  to  the  other  towns  where  he  had 
elevators. 

Mr.  Kent  was  also  one  of  the  original 
stockholders  of  the  Pontiac  National  Bank 
and  served  as  its  vice-president  fi^r  a  numher 
of  years.  At  one  time  he  owned  and  op- 
erated a  distillery  and  was  engaged  in  cat- 
tle feeding.  He  went  intc^  the  fi^rnier  husi- 
ness  to  assist  a  man  in  difficult}',  knowing 
nothing  of  the  business,  and  got  into  trouble 
with  the  government,  as  the  ta.xes  were  not 
paid,  but  owing  to  his  influence  and  it  being 
ascertained  that  the  delinquency  was  prior 
to  his  taking  possession  he  was  soon  cleared. 
He  cld.sed  the  distillery,  but  fed  cattle  for 
some  years,  doing  a  big  business  in  that  line. 
shipping  in  cattle  from  Chicago. 

Mr.  Kent  married  Miss  .Antoinette 
Ciraves.  of  Joliet.  and  they  ha\'e  one  daugh- 
ter, Mary  L..  wife  of  \ictor  Pearre,  of  Pon- 
tiac. by  whom  she  has  two  children.  William 
I'ayson  and  Kent  .\lden.  He  attends  and 
supports  the  Ejiiscopal  church,  of  which  his 
family  are  meml)ers.  .\bout  1865  he  pur- 
chased a  half-block  at  Xo.  206  North  Court, 
opposite  the  park,  which  property  he  still 
owns  and  occupies,  it  ha\ing  been  imjiroved 
by  him.  In  1894  he  retired  from  acti\e  busi- 
ness and  is  now  enjoying  a  well  earned  rest. 

Socially  Mr.  Kent  is  a  member  of  Pon- 
tiac lodge.  Xo.  J(j4.  V.  &  .\.  M..  and  be- 
longs to  the  chapter,  council  and  St.  Paul's 
Commandery.  all  of  Fairbury.  He  has  al- 
ways affiliated  with  the  Republican  party, 
casting  his  first  presidential  vote  for  l-'re- 
mont  in  1856.  He  served  as  alderman  from 
the  second  ward  for  four  years  and  was  in- 


strumental in  getting  seventy-five  car-loads 
of  stone  put  into  the  street  from  the  court 
hou.se  to  the  depot  and  also  a  sidewalk 
around  the  court  house  square.  Having 
shipped  .so  much  o\er  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
road  he  got  Mr.  Chappel  to  ship  the  stone 
free  of  freight  charges.  This  stone  made  an 
excellent  foundation  for  the  city  streets.  He 
has  taken  an  acti\-e  interest  in  promoting 
the  welfare  of  the  town  and  county,  en- 
couraging and  aiding  all  enterprises  tending 
tcj  benefit  the  i)ublic.  and  enjoys  in  a  high 
degree  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  fel- 
low men. 


LEOXARl)  \\"1:BF.R. 

Leonard  ^^'eber,  a  representative  agri- 
culturist of  Pike  township,  residing  on  sec- 
lion  10.  has  made  his  home  in  Livingston 
county  since  1869  and  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  its  de\'elopment.  He  was  born  in 
Xew  York  February  2,  1850,  and  is  a  son 
of  ( "leorge  Weber,  w  ho  was  l)orn  in  Wurtem- 
burg,  CJermany,  about  1822.  and  emigrated 
to  the  L'nited  States  when  a  young  man, 
locating  near  L'tica,  Xew  York,  where  he 
married  Sophia  Horner,  also  a  native  of 
Wurtemburg.  Her  father  died  in  Germany 
and  she  came  to  America  at  the  .same  time 
as  her  future  husband.  In  this  country  Mr. 
Weber  worked  for  others  and  also  engaged 
in  teaming  in  Xew  York  for  some  years, 
three  of  his  children  having  been  born  in 
that  state,  but  in  1856  he  came  to  Illinois 
and  first  settled  in  Woodford  county,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming  on  rented  land  for 
several  years.  At  length  he  was  able  to  pur- 
chase a  small  place  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  county,  and  on  disposing  of  the  same, 
in  1869,  he  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred 


94 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


and  sixty  acres  in  Pike  township.  Livings- 
ton county,  which  at  that  time  was  but  sHght- 
ly  improved.  After  operating  it  for  several 
years  he  sold  and  bough.t  another  place  in 
Pike  townsliip,  which  he  subsequently  dis- 
posed of,  and  now  makes  his  home  in  Pon- 
tiac  township,  where  he  owns  a  \-aIuable 
farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  lad  of 
six  years  when  he  came  to  this  state,  and  in 
Woodford  and  Livingston  counties  he  grew 
to  manhood,  his  education  being  acquired  in 
the  public  schools  near  his  home.  He  re- 
mained with  his  father  until  he  attained  his 
majority,  and  then  rented  a  farm  on  section 
3.  Pike  township,  where  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  about  six  years.  Mr.  ^^'ebcr  was 
married  in  this  county.  April  2.  1878,  to 
Miss  Barbara  Fischer,  a  native  of  W'oixlford 
county.  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
Fischer,  a  substantial  farmer  of  Pike  town- 
ship, Livingston  county,  who  was  formerly 
a  resident  of  Woodford  county  and  was  born 
in  Germany.  Mrs.  Weber  was  reared  and 
educated  in  this  ci^unty.  Our  subject  and 
his  wife  Iia\e  a  family  of  three  children  : 
Barbara  S..  Joseph  G.  ami  Leonard  F..  all 
at  home. 

After  his  marriage  ]\lr.  \\'eber  contin- 
ued to  engage  in  farming  upon  rented  land 
for  about  five  years.  He  rented  his  present 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres  on  sec- 
tion 10,  Pike  township,  for  two  years  and 
then  purchased  the  place,  to  the  further  im- 
pr6vement  and  cultivation  of  which  he  has 
since  devoted  his  energies.  In  his  farming 
operations  he  is  meeting  with  marked  suc- 
cess and  the  prosperity  that  has  come  to  him 
is  certainly  justly  merited,  for  it  is  due  en- 
tirely to  his  own  unaided  efforts  and  good 
management.  Politically  Mr.  \\'eber  is 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party  on  na- 


tional issues,  but  at  local  elections  votes  for 
the  men  whom  he  believes  best  qualified  to 
fill  the  offices  regardless  of  party  lines.  For 
three  years  he  ser\-ed  as  school  director.  l)ut 
has  never  cared  for  political  honors.  Re- 
ligiously both  he  and  jiis  wife  are  members 
of  the  Evangelical  church  of  Eppards  Point. 


EDWWRD   O.   REED. 

Edward  O.  Reed,  who  for  several  years 
lias  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
public  afi^airs  of  Livingston  county,  and  is 
now  most  acceptably  serving  as  count}"  treas- 
urer, Avas  born  in  Bloomington,  Illinois.  June 
12,  i860,  a  son  of  Captain  Henry  B.  and 
Esther  (Beck)  Reed.  The  father  is  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  born  near  Pottsville, 
Schuylkill  county,  January  29,  1833,  and 
there  grew  to  manhood  and  married.  In 
early  life  he  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade, 
which  he  followed  prior  to  the  Civil  war. 
On  coming  to  Illinois,  he  settled  in  Xaper- 
ville,  later  spent  a  short  time  in  Joliet.  and 
then  mc^ved  to  Bloomington.  In  the  fall 
of  i860  he  came  to  Pontiac,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  shoe  business  mitil  the  follow- 
ing spring,  when  he  enlisted  in  Compan}-  D, 
Twentieth  Illinois  \^olunteer  Infantry,  with 
which  he  served  initil  after  the  Ijattle  of 
Shiloh.  On  the  field  at  Fort  Donelson,  he 
was  promoted  for  gallant  service  to  the  rank 
of  second  lieutenant,  and  our  subject  now 
has  in  his  possession  a  reward  of  merit  is- 
sued bv  (iovernor  Yates.  His  term  of  en- 
listment having  expired.  Lieutenant  Reed 
returned  home.  \Miile  being  paid  off  at  St. 
Louis,  the  paymaster  told  the  government 
needed  such  men  as  he  and  suggested  that 
he  see  Governor  Yates.     This  he  failed  to 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


95 


do,  but  tlie  Go\ernor  sent  for  liini  aiul  asked 
him  to  help  recruit  three  companies  in  tliis 
part  of  tlie  state.  He  helped  recruit  five, 
and  again  went  to  tlie  front  as  captain  of 
Company  G.  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
ninth  Illinois  A'olunteer  Infantry.  He  was 
with  Sherman  on  the  march  to  the  sea  and 
remained  in  the  service  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  participating  in  the  grand  review  at 
\\'ashingt<)n.  District  of  Columbia.  Re- 
turning to  his  liome  in  Pontiac.  he  resumed 
the  shoe  business,  which  he  carried  on  un- 
til appointed  by  Governor  Oglesby  as  custo- 
dian of  memorial  hall  in  the  state  house  at 
Springfield,  and  served  four  years  at  that 
time,  being  the  first  in  the  new  hall  and  at- 
tending to  the  arranging  of  all  the  flags, 
etc.  He  proved  a  most  capable  official  and 
\\as  re-apijohited  by  Governor  Fifer.  He 
is  an  honored  member  and  commander  of  T. 
Lytle  Dickey  Post,  G.  A.  R..  also  belongs  to 
Pontiac  Lodge.  Xo.  294.  F.  &  A.  'SI.,  and 
both  lie  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  is  now  liv- 
ing a  retired  life  in  Pontiac.  A  nmre  e.x- 
tended  mention  of  this  worthy  gentleman 
may  be  fnuntl  on  another  page  of  this  vol- 
ume. 

Our  subject  was  educated  -in  the  public 
schools  of  Pontiac,  and  during  his  youth 
served  an  apjirenticeship  to  the  cigarmaker's 
trade,  at  which  he  worked  until  twenty-seven 
years  of  age.  when  he  formed  a  partnershij) 
with  John  C.  Riess,  luider  the  firm  name  of 
Reed  &  Riess,  and  started  a  manufactory  of 
tlieir  own,  which  they  still  conduct.  They 
have  met  with  marked  success  in  the  under- 
taking and  furnish  employment  to  six  or 
eight  men.  Mr.  Reed  built  up  the  trade  as 
a  traveling  man.  but  the  firm  now  sells  their 
goods  mainly  to  home  consumers,  in  this 
county.     He  owns  a  good  store  building  and 


a  fine  residence  on  South  Mill  street,  where 
he  makes  his  home.  He  was  married,  De- 
cember 15.  1897.  to  Miss  Eunice  Stott,  a 
daughter  of  John  Martin  Stott,  of  Chicago, 
and  they  have  one  daughter,  Esther. 

Since  attaining  his  majority  Mr.  Reed 
has  been  an  ardent  Republican  in  politics 
and  has  taken  a  prominent  and  influential 
part  in  public  affairs.  He  was  serving  as 
alderman  from  the  third  ward  when  the 
water  works  were  put  in  and  the  sewer  sys- 
tem adojued.  the  city  being  bonded  to  put  in 
the  sewers.  Before  his  term  expired  he  was 
elected  assistant  supervisor  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  finance  committee  that  found  the 
ways  and  means  by  wiiich  the  county  could 
build  the  new  court  house,  the  contract  being 
let  to  a  contractor  providing  he  would  take 
the  county  warrants.  It  was  built  at  a  cost 
of  sixty  tiiousand  dollars  and  is  one  of  the 
finest  in  tliis  section  of  the  state.  In  the 
fall  of  1894,  before  his  time  as  assistant 
supervisor  expired,  Mr.  Reed  was  elected 
county  sheriff  and  entered  uixjn  the  duties 
of  the  (itfice  in  December,  that  year.  That 
he  filled  the  position  in  a  most  creditable  and 
satisfactory  manner  is  shown  by  his  being 
elected  county  treasurer  prior  to  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  as  sherifi^.  taking  the  office 
of  treasurer  the  day  he  left  the  other  ofiice. 
\\'hen  the  auditing  committee  of  the  county 
checkeil  up  his  four  years  as  sheriff  they 
found  that  the  ct)unty  was  sixty  dollars  in 
his  debt  instead  of  their  being  deficiency. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Sheriff's  Associa- 
tion of  the  state.  He  is  now  supervisor  of 
assessment  of  the  county,  which  makes  his 
position  a  very  large  and  res]xinsible  one, 
and  he  handles  over  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousantl  dollars  a  year.  His  oflicial  duties 
have  always  been  discharged  with  a  fidelity 
and  promptness  worthy  of  the  highest  com- 


96 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


mendation.and  he  has  proved  a  most  popular 
and  efficient  officer.  Mr.  Reed  is  now,  in 
1900,  chairman  of  the  RepubHcan  central 
committee  of  Livingston  county,  and  the 
party  organization  will,  under  his  adminis- 
tration, he  kept  intact,  and  the  full  \'ote  nf 
the  part}-  Ije  pulled.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  Pontiac  Lodge.  Xo.  294.  F.  &  A. 
M. ;  Fairbury  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  the  Council 
R.  &  S.  M.,  of  Gibson  City;  and  St.  Paul 
Commandery,  No.  34,  K.  T.,  of  Fairbury. 
He  also  belongs  to  a  number  of  mutual  or- 
ders, including  the  Modern  ^^'oodmen  of 
America. 


MRS.  MARIA  0\\EX. 

]\Irs.  Maria  Owen,  who  now  has  the  dis- 
tinction of  having  been  a  resident  of  Ponti- 
a':  longer  than  any  other  of  its  citizens,  came 
h.ere  with  her  husband  in  1842.  She  has 
■witnessed  almost  the  entire  development  of 
the  county,  has  seen  its  wild  lands  trans- 
fr.rmed  into  beautiful  homes  and  farms,  its 
hamlets  grow  into  ^•illages  and  tln-iving 
towns  anfl  all  of  the  interests  and  evidences 
of  an  advanced  civilization  introduced. 

^Irs.  Owen  was  born  Januar\-  lO.  18 12. 
in  X'ew  York,  fourteen  miles  from  Lake 
Ontario,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Starks  and 
Esther  (Gilbert)  Tracy.  The  father  was 
a  native  of  Sharon,  New  York,  born  April 
3.  1778,  and  an  early  settler  of  Oswego  coun- 
t\.  where  he  bought  land  prior  to  his  mar- 
riage and  there  continued  to  make  his  home 
throughout  life.  He  was  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation and  one  of  the  highly  respected 
men  of  his  community.  His  estimable  wife 
v,as  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church. 
I;(.th  (lied  in  Oswego  county.  New  York. 
Mrs.     Owen"s    maternal    grandfather    was 


Allen  Gilbert,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionarv 
w<,r,  who  was  severely  wounded  in  the  head 
and  left  for  dead  on  the  battle-field,  but  was 
found  and  cared  for  mitil  he  recovered.  At 
an  early  day  he  removed  from  Schoharie 
county.  New  York,  to  Oswego  county,  where 
his  daughter,  Mrs.  Tracy,  was  liorn  August 
-3-  1793-  He,  too,  was  a  farmer  and  a 
prominent  man  in  his  community. 

In  1840  Mrs.  Owen  married  Augustins 
Fellows, who, with  his  1)rother,  owned  a  large 
farm  in  Oswego  county.  New  York,  but  in 
1842  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  same  and 
purchased  property  in  Pontiac,  Illinois, 
whither  the  famil)-  remo\-e(l  in  the  fall  of 
that  year.  The  trip  was  made  liv  wav  of 
the  great  lakes  and  W'elland  canal  in  a  small 
propeller  to  Chicago,  and  the}-  l)rought  with 
them  all  their  household  effects,  which  were 
conveyed  from  that  city  to  Ottawa,  Illinois, 
by  teamsters  who  were  returning  to  the 
latter  place,  where  Mr.  Fellows  had  a  sister 
living.  There  teams  were  hired  to  convev 
the  family  and  their  effects  to  their  new  home 
in  Pontiac.  A  farm  of  two  hundred  acres 
and  a  number  of  town  lots  belonged  to  the 
estate  they  had  traded  for  before  coming 
west,  so  that  they  practically  owned  all  of  the 
jiresent  city  at  that  time.  There  were  onl}' 
three  families  living  there,  and  the  build- 
ings of  the  town  consisted  of  a  small  frame 
house  and  the  court  house.  Lpon  the  farm, 
v.liich  adioined  the  A-illage  on  the  east  was 
a  good  two-room  log  house,  with  large  fire 
places  in  both  rooms,  making  it  ])erfectly 
comfortable. 

Selling  his  town  lots,  Air.  Fellciws  turned 
his  attention  to  the  improvement  and  culti- 
\  ation  of  his  farm  and  met  \N-ith  success  in 
its  operation.  ( )n  the  lot  now  occupietl  b}- 
Squire  \\'oodrow's  residence  he  Iniilt  the 
lirst  large  hotel  in  Pontiac  in  1847,  '*''"i  '^^'^'^ 


ELIJAH  B.  OWEN. 


MRS.  MARIA  OWEN. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


a  laro^e  liarii.  In  1848  they  rented  tlie  hotel 
iiiid  that  summer  returned  east  t)n  a  visit. 
but  in  1849  took  chargfe  i)f  the  property. 
While  thus  employed  Mr.  Fellows  died  of 
cholera  in  the  summer  of  1849.  ^"d  ^^^'^  '^* 
their  children,  aged  seven  and  two  years, 
respectively,  died  of  the  same  dread  disease. 
Having  lost  their  three  other  children  prior 
to  this  time.  Mrs.  Fellows  was  thus  left 
alone.  For  over  a  year  she  carried  on  the 
hotel  and  farm,  hut  found  it  a  very  difficult 
task. 

In  the  fall  of  1850  she  married  Xelson 
Buck,  a  surveyor  and  nurseryman  of  Bloom- 
ington,  where  he  was  engaged  in  business 
for  some  years.  For  several  years  they 
conducted  the  hotel  and  also  the  farm,  and 
their  place  became  the  leading  hostelry  in 
this  section.  In  those  early  days  before  the 
railroad  was  built  drovers  often  stopped  at 
their  house  in  large  numl)ers.  One  man 
v.onld  come  in  an  hour  in  advance  of  the  rest, 
.saying  that  twelve  or  fourteen  men  would 
be  there  for  supper.  They  also  had  a  large 
barn  for  the  teams  of  the  manv  movers  pass- 
ing through  this  part  of  the  state  at  that 
tmie.  In  the  spring  of  1854.  when  the  Chi- 
cago S:  Alton  Railroad  was  built,  they 
boarded  the  construction  hands  and  did  an 
extensive  business.  Mrs.  Owen  has.  enter- 
tained .\braham  Lincoln,  Judge  David 
Davis  and  other  illustrious  men.  Her  hus- 
band received  api^ointment  to  conduct  the 
j;overnment  survey  between  Kansas  and  Xe- 
1  raska.  and  while  thus  engaged  he  and  his 
l>arty  were  killed  by  the  Indians  in  July, 
T86g.  Thus  she  \vas  again  left  alone  with  a 
h'Tge  pri)pertv  to  care  for.  including  the 
farm,  hotel  and  city  lots.  Mr.  Buck  had 
three  children  by  his  first  marriage,  namely : 
W'illard.  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  war,  who  is 
now  living  in  Wisconsin  :  Clarissa,  deceased  ; 


and  Cordelia,  widow  of  William  Watson 
and  a  resident  of  Pontiac. 

.\t  intervals  Mrs.  Owen  continued  to 
conduct  her  hotel  for  many  years,  it  being 
rented  in  the  meantime.  She  made  her 
l-.ome  on  Water  street  until  1899.  when  her 
present  elegant  home  on  North  Main  street 
was  built.  It  is  supplied  with  all  modern 
conveniences  and  accessories,  including  elec- 
tric light,  hot  water,  etc..  and  here,  sur- 
rounded bv  every  comfort,  she  is  spending 
her  declining  days,  loved  and  respected  by 
all  who  know  her.  Her  youngest  sister, 
Marv  (]..  was  also  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the 
county,  locatin?  here  about  the  same  time  as 
Mrs.  Owen,  and  her  home  was  two  miles 
li])  the  river.  Her  first  husband  was  Mr. 
Burgett,  her  second  Mr.  Fricks  and  her  third 
Mr.  Winslow.  .\fter  her  last  marriage  she 
lived  f>n  a  farm  two  miles  from  Pontiac.  but 
spent  her  last  days  in  the  city,  dying  at  the 
home  of  Mrs.  Owen  February  16.  1900. 

For  her  third  husband  our  subject  mar- 
ried Elijah  Owen,  who  came  from  near  El- 
n-.j-a.  Chemung  county.  New  York,  and  dur- 
ing his  active  business  career  engaged  in 
farming  but  later  lived  retired  in  Pontiac. 
Mr.  Buck  laid  off  two  additions  from  her 
original  farm  and  Mr.  Owen  laid  off  the  re- 
n'.ainder.  the  additions  being  known  as 
Buck's  first  and  second  additions  and  Owen's 
addition.  Her  name  appears  on  many  of 
the  deeds  of  this  place.  She  was  one  of 
the  original  stockholders  of  both  of  the  na- 
tional banks  of  Pontiac  and  has  displayed 
remarkable  business  and  e.xecutive  aliility  in 
tl.e  management  of  her  business  affairs. 
She  united  with  the  Presbyterian  church  in 
Pont'ac  on  its  organization,  and  has  since 
been  one  of  its  active  and  prominent  mem- 
bers. When  she  first  located  here  the  only 
religious  services  were  prayer  meetings  held 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


in  the  cmirt  liouse  on  Sundays,  l.nit  as  soon 
as  the  raih'oad  was  Iniilt  churclies  were 
erected,  and  to  their  erection  and  support 
she  lias  alwa^'s  contrilxited  liberally.  She 
is  a  most  estimable  ladv  of  many  sterling 
qualities,  and  has  a  large  circle  of  friends  in 
the  city  which  has  so  long:  been  her  home. 


LOUIS  A.  XAFFZIGER. 

Louis  A.  Xaffziger.  the  popular  cashier 
of  the  Bank  of  Dwight,  has  won  the  enyiable 
reputation  as  a  most  capable  financier  and 
occupies  a  position  of  no  little  prominence 
in  connection  with  the  public  affairs  of  the 
town.  His  life  demonstrates  what  may  be 
accomplished  through  energy,  careful  man- 
agement, keen  foresight,  and  the  utilization 
of  the  powers  with  which  nature  has  en- 
dowed one.  and  the  opportunities  with  which 
the  times  surround  him. 

^Ir.  NaiTziger  is  proud  to  claim  Illinois 
as  his  natiye  state,  his  birth  occurring  in 
McLean  county,  !March  31,  i860.  His  fa- 
ther, Peter  NafTziger,  was  born  in  Darm- 
stadt, Germany,  March  4,  1831,  and  there 
he  remained  until  reaching  his  majority, 
when  he  came  to  America  and  located  first 
iiL  McLean  county  on  a  farm,  later  went  to 
Butler  county,  Ohio,  where  he  worked  on  a 
farm,  the  next  year  remo\'ing  to  Chicago, 
where  he  worked  at  his  trade  of  baker  for  a 
time.  \\  hen  his  parents  came  to  America 
lie  remo\ed  with  them  to  Putnam  county, 
later  remo\'ing  to  McLean  county.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-eight  he  was  married  in  ^Ic- 
Lean  county,  Ilinois,  to  Miss  Catherine 
Stuckey,  who  was  born  in  Hamilton  county, 
Ohio,  August  30,  1840.     Her  father,  Peter 


Stuckey,  was  born  in  Switzerland  in  August, 
1799,  and  died  February  23,  i860.  In  1821. 
he  married  Elizabeth  Sommers,  who  was 
born  oyember  24,  1801,  in  Alsace-Loraine, 
and  in  1830  they  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  and  located  in  Butler  county,  Ohio, 
where  they  resided  twenty  years.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1850,  they  remoyed  to  McLean  county, 
Illinois,  and  took  up  their  residence  in  Dan- 
vers  township.  Mrs.  Stuckey  died  in  1885 
in  Pike  to^ynship,  Liyingston  county. 

After  his  marriage  Peter  Xafifziger  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  McLean  county  until 
1869,  when  he  came  to  Waldo  township, 
Liyingston  county,  and  purchased  a  tract 
of  raw  land,  which  he  commenced  imme- 
diately to  improye  and  cultivate,  conyerting 
it  into  a  fine  farm,  on  which  he  lived  for 
many  years.  In  1876  he  mo-\-ed  to  Wash- 
ington, Illinois,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
mercantile  business  for  a  few  years,  and 
later  followed  the  same  pursuit  in  Stanford, 
Illinois,  until  1896,  when  he  went  to  Slaugh- 
ter, East  Felician  Parish,  Louisiana,  where 
he  is  now  engaged  in  cotton  planting.  Of  his 
four  children,  Louis  A.,  our  subject,  is  the 
oldest ;  Emilc  died  at  the  age  of  nine  years, 
the  result  of  an  accident:  Bertha  is  the  wife 
of  George  L.  Riggs,a  farmer  and  stock  raiser 
of  Botna,  Iowa,  and  one  son  died  in  infancy. 

Christian  Xaffziger,  the  paternal  grand- 
father of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Darm- 
stadt, Germany,  January  17,  1803,  and  came 
to  this  cinuitry,  locating  in  Putnam  county, 
later  moving  to  McLean  county,  Illinois, 
dying  there  March  8,  1893.  His  wife,  who 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Barbara  Staley, 
was  born  January  22,  1805,  and  died  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1898. 

Louis  A.  Xaffziger,  our  subject,  re- 
received  his  primary  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  McLean  county,   and  later    at- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


103 


tended  tlie  high  school  of  \\'ashington,  Illi- 
nois, at  the  same  time  clerking  in  a  cloth- 
ing store  mornings  and  evenings,  and  stead- 
ily through  the  summer  months.  Leaving 
school  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  continueil 
to  clerk  in  the  clothing  store  of  John  Burkey 
lor  one  year,  and  then  entered  the  dry  goods 
establishment  of  E.  E.  Hornish  as  clerk  and 
bookkeeper,  remaining  with  him  in  that  ca- 
pacity for  three  years.  In  the  spring  of 
1880  A.  G.  Danforth,  of  the  banking  firm 
of  A.  G.  Danforth  &  Company,  of  Wash- 
ington, Illinois,  made  Mr.  Xaffziger  a  prop- 
osition to  enter  the  bank  as  bookkeeper  and 
assistant  cashier,  which  he  accepted,  remain- 
ing with  him  three  years.  At  the  end  of 
that  time,  March  15,  1883.  he  accepted  a  po- 
sition with  David  McW  illiams  of  the  Bank 
of  Dwight  as  l>5okkeeper  and  assistant  cash- 
ier, and  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  when  the 
atshier,  J.  \\'.  \\'atkins,  resigned,  he  was 
appointed  to  that  position,  which  he  has 
^ince  so  efficiently  filled.  In  September, 
1 89 1,  he  built  his  present  pleasant  home  on 
the  corner  of  Seminole  and  Clinton  streets, 
and  besides  this  property  he  owns  a  well 
improved  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  section  2,  Broughton  township.  Liv- 
ingston county,  and  also  some  western  lands. 
On  the  1st  of  June,  i88j,  Mr.  Xalifziger 
\\as  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  M.  Car- 
rie Hukill,  of  Washington,  Tazewell  county, 
Illinois,  who  was  born  in  McLean  county, 
a  daughter  of  Jackson  and  Maria  (Kern J 
Hukill.  Her  father  was  born  in  Fayette 
county,  Ohio,  October  12,  1823.  and  for  a 
number  of  years  was  a  traveling  salesman, 
representing  a  school  furniture  company  of 
Wabash,  Indiana.  In  early  days  he  also  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  business  in  Lincoln, 
Illinois.     He  died  July   2~.    1893,   '^""^   '^'* 


v, ife.  who  was  born  in  Mount  Pleasant, 
Pennsylvania,  December  28.  1829.  is  still 
living  and  continues  to  make  her  home  in 
Washington,  Illinois.  Their  children  were 
James  H.,  M.  Carrie,  Ida  Belle  and  Grace. 
The  last  named  is  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
XatYziger  have  two  children :  Clara,  born 
June  II,  1883,  and  Oliver  Hukill,  born  Oc- 
tober 29,  1887.  The  former  is  attending 
the  high  school,  the  latter  tlie  grammar 
schools  of  Dwight. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Xaflfziger  are  active 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
of  which  he  has  been  an  official  member  for 
ten  years,  serving  as  sui^erintendent  of  the 
Sunday  school  two  years;  one  of  the  lx)ard 
of  stewards  at  the  present  time,  and  chair- 
man of  the  finance  committee  of  the  church. 
As  a  Republican,  he  has  taken  an  active 
and  prominent  part  in  local  politics  since 
attaining  his  maority,  and  was  secretary  of 
the  Republican  club  of  Dwight  during  tiie 
McKinley  campaign  of  1896.  His  first  of- 
fice was  that  of  village  clerk,  and  he  was 
afterward  appointed  village  treasurer,  uliich 
pxjsition  he  filled  two  years.  During  the 
boom  of  the  town  a  sewerage  sxslem,  cost- 
ing over  twenty-eight  thousand  dollars,  was 
lilt  in,  and  Mr.  Xaftziger  was  appointed  col- 
lector of  special  assessment  by  ci.e  president 
of  the  village  board.  He  was  electe/l  trus- 
tee of  the  village  aiid  scrvcf".  m  tliat  capacity 
two  years;  was  appointed  township  treasurer 
and  held  that  office  si.x  years.  In  all  the  re- 
lations of  life  he  has  been  found  true  to 
every  trust  reposed  in  him,  whether  public  or 
private,  and  is  numbered  among  ihe  valued 
and  useful  citizens  of  Dwight,  for  he  is  pre- 
eminently public  spirited  and  pii;gressive, 
and  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  enterprises 
tending  to  public  develiij)ment. 


I04 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


AUGUSTUS   \\".  CO\\'AN. 

Augustus  ^^'.  Cowan,  who  is  now  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  the  abstract  business 
in  Pontiac,  with  office  at  No.  io8  West 
A\'ashington  street,  was  born  near  Water- 
town,  New  York,  October  14,  1837,  a  son 
of  William  and  Emeline  (Coffeen)  Cowan, 
also  natives  of  the  Empire  state.  For  S9me 
years  the  father  was  engaged  in  business 
as  a  tinsmith  and  hardware  merchant,  in 
Watertown,  but  died  in  Naples,  New  York, 
in  1 85 1,  at  about  the  age  of  forty-eight 
years,  our  subjects  maternal  grandparents 
were  Henry  Dale  and  Delight  (Whitney) 
Coffeen.  Througliout  life  the  former  en- 
gaged in  farming  near  Watertown,  in 
Jefiferson  county.  New  York,  and  was  a 
term  as  sheriff  of  that  county.  The 
paternal  grandparents  of  our  subject 
were  Andrew  and  Eujjhemia  (Kelly) 
Cowan,  natives  of  Scotland,  who  came  'to 
the  United  States  in  1797,  and  settled  in 
Schenectady,  New  York,  where  they  made 
their  home  throughout  the  remainder  oi  their 
lives.  On  leaving  their  nati\'e  land  the  fol- 
lowing testimonials  \\ere  given  them : 

"Wegtown,  25th  March,  1797. 
"That  Andrew  Cowan  and  his  wife  Eu- 
]>hemia  Kelly  are  members  of  the  Associate 
Congregation  here  and  now  remove  from 
this  country  to  North  America  with  un- 
blemished   characters   is   attested    by 

Theo.  Ogil\'ie.  Minister. 

"We.  the  magistrates  of  the  borough  of 
Wegtown.  North  Britain,  hereby  certify  and 
declare  that  the  bearer  Mr.  Andrew  Cowan 
has  resided  in  this  borough  since  his  infancy 
and  lias  always  maintained  an  unexception- 
able character  for  honesty  and  sobriety,  and 
being  about  to  depart  fur  Xdrtli  .\merica 
with   his   wife   and    children,    also   of   good 


character,  ought  to  meet  with  no  molestation 
or  hindrance,  lie  continuing  to  beha\'e  as 
becometh. 

"Given  under  our  hand  and  the  common 
seal  of  the  borough  this  25th  day  of  March, 
1797  year. 

John   Nathom, 
(Seal)  James  Hem  mag. 

Appended  by 

\\'m.  \\'.  Connels, 

Town  Clerk. 

The  suliject  of  this  sketch  remained  in 
^^'atertown  until  eighteen  years  of  age,  and 
was  educated  at  the  Jefferson  County  Insti- 
tute. He  came  west  in  1854  and  the  follow- 
ing year  took  up  his  residence  in  Pontiac, 
where  he  clerked  in  a  general  store  for  some 
years.  He  then  formed  a  partnership  with 
Judge  Jonathan  Duff  in  the  banking  and 
real-estate  business,  conducting  it  with  such 
success  that  in  a  few  years  the  firm  had 
gathered  together  a  considerable  fortune,  ir.- 
\'ested  mainly  in  lands  in  this  section.  In 
1870  tlie  partnership  was  dissoh'ed.  Al- 
though the  business  relations  were  discontin- 
ued there  still  remained  such  warm  personal 
feeling  as  exists  between  brothers  and  the 
closest  friends,  until  the  Judge's  death  in 

1 88 1.  Bound  together  by  ties  not  only  of 
personal  friendship  but  that  of  political  affin- 
ity and  the  brotherhood  of  secret  societies, 
the  two  memjjers  of  the  firm  were  regarded 
as  almost  members  of  one  family,  and  it 
was  natural  that  the  lix'ing  memlier  of  the 
firm  should  be  deeply  affected  at  the  depart- 
ure of  one  he  loved  so  well.  Mr.  Cow-an 
continued   in  the   real-estate  business   until 

1882,  when  he  was  elected  county  treasurer 
and  for  four  years  held  that  office,  discharg- 
ing its  duties  in  a  commendable  and  satis- 
factory manner.  Since  1889  he  has  been 
owner   of   the  Livingston   county  title   ab- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


105 


stracts  and  has  devoted  his  time  and  atten- 
tion to  that  husiness.  meetiiiij  with  good 
success. 

At  Rome.  Xew  York,  .\ugust  21.  1867, 
was  celeltrated  tlie  marriage  of  Mr.  Cowan 
and  Miss  Mary  H.  P.  Christian,  a  daughter 
of  Lutlier  and  Margaret  (George)  Cliristian, 
natives  of  tliat  state.  Tiie  uKither  died  in 
Rome,  in  1868,  after  whicli  the  fatlier  lived 
v,ith  our  subject  for  some  time,  but  died  at 
tlie  home  of  his  son  in  Port  Erie,  Canada, 
in  1 87 1.  Tlirougliout  liis  active  business 
life  he  engaged  in  blacksmithing.  !Mr.  and 
^Irs.  Cowan  have  one  child,  Emeline,  who 
was  born  in  Pontiac,  in  1872.  and  is  at  home. 
The  family  all  attend  the  Episcopal  church, 
and  Mr.  Cowan  is  connected  with  Pontiac 
Lodge,  No.  294,  F.  &  A.  M..  and  the  higher 
urders  of  Masonry,  belonging  to  the  Com- 
niandery  at  Bloomington.  L"ntil  1896  he 
always  affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party, 
and  besides  serving  as  county  treasurer  he 
has  been  called  upon  to  fill  several  minor 
offices  in  his  township  and  city.  He  has 
always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  public  affairs, 
as  every  true  American  citizen  sliould,  and 
gives  a  hearty  support  to  those  enterprises 
which  he  lielieves  will  prove  of  public  benefit. 


JOB  FARLEY. 

Job  Farley,  deceased,  was  for  many 
years  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of 
Eppards  Point  township,  a  man  honored 
and  respected  wherever  known.  He  was 
born  in  \\'iltshire,  England,  September  16, 
1829,  and  a  son  of  Xias  and  Mary  (Sell- 
wood)  Farley,  both  natives  of  the  southern 
l>art  of  England.     They  lived  as  farming 


l-eople  in  tiiat  country  tlirougliout  their  en- 
tire lives,  botli  dying  at  about  the  age  of 
sixty-five  years. 

Our  cul)ject  was  reared  and  educated  at 
the  place  of  his  birth,  and  before  coming  to 
America  he  was  a  member  of  the  London 
police  force  two  years,  and  the  force  at 
Shaftsbury  one  year.  It  was  in  1859  that  he 
crossed  the  board  Atlantic  and  came  at  once 
to  Illinois,  settling  first  near  Oneida,  Knox 
county,  where  he  commenced  farming,  an 
occupation  he  continued  to  follow  until  life's 
labors  were  ended.  After  seven  years  spent 
in  Kno.K  county,  he  removed  to  Henry  couii- 
t}',  where  fifteen  years  were  passed,  and  in 
1883  came  to  Livingston  county,  locating  on 
section  28,  Eppards  Point  township.  In 
1875  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  on  this  section,  and  in  1882  eighty 
acres  more,  to  which  he  added  from  time  to 
time  until  at  his  death  he  was  the  owner  of 
five  eighty-acre  tracts,  with  the  exception 
of  one  acre  used  for  school  purposes,  all  un- 
der a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  a  com- 
fortable house  on  each  farm.  These  were 
purchased  and  improved  with  the  view  of 
providing  homes  for  his  children. 

On  the  14th  of  April,  1863,  in  Knox- 
ville,  Knox  county,  Illinois,  Mr.  Farley  mar- 
ried Miss  Elizabeth  ^\'alker,  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Mary  (Smith)  Walker,  also  na- 
tives of  Leeds,  Yorkshire,  England,  where 
lier  father,  a  machinist  by  trade,  died  at  the 
age  of  thirty-six  years  when  Mrs.  Farley  was 
only  eleven  years  old.  Her  mother  had 
died  eight  years  previous.  She  came  to  the 
L'nited  States  in  1855,  when  nineteen  years 
old,  and  lived  with  her  uncle  and  aunt,  John 
and  Mary  Else,  in  Truro  township,  Knox 
county,  Illinois,  until  her  marriage.  Mr. 
Else,  who  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  died 
in  Peoria  in  1882,  after  which  his  wife  made 


io6 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


lier  Imme  with  ]\Ir.  and  ]\Ii"s.  Farley,  where 
slie  (ht'd  Februar}-  ii,  1900. 

Oi  the  se\'en  children  liorn  to  our  snb- 
ject  and  his  wife  live  are  still  living,  namely : 
( I )  Ilia,  born  in  Knok  county,  March  27, 
1864,  is  the  wife  of  Edward  Folsom,  a  far- 
mer of  Eppards  Point,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Edith.  (2)  Onias  W.,  born  in  Knox 
count}-,  July  3,  1865,  married  Lizzie 
A.rendts,  and  until  recently  was  engaged  in 
farming,  but  is  now  living  in  Pontiac. 
(3)  Mary,  born  in  Knox  county,  August  12, 
1867,  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Mofifett,  a  far- 
mer of  Eppards  Point  township,  and  they 
have  three  children,  Lela  Heath,  Merton  J- 
and  Harold.  (4)  Anna  S.,  born  in  Henry 
county,  May  28,  1869,  is  the  wife  of  Sher- 
man Myer,  also  a  farmer  of  Eppards  Point 
township,  and  to  them  were  born  five  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  are  now  living,  Maud 
M.,  Glenn  and  Lee  C.  (5)  John  J.,  burn  in 
Henry  county,  ]\Iay  :i,  1872,  died  January 
26,  1874.  (6)  Arthur  J.,  born  January  7, 
1S74,  married  Anna  Earhardt,  and  follows 
farming  in  Eppards  Point.  (7}  The  young- 
est child  died  in  infancy  minamed. 

Mr.  Farley  died  at  his  home  in  Eppards 
Point  township,  January  9,  1895,  after  an 
illness  of  about  six  months,  though  he  had 
been  a  sufferer  from  dropsy  for  twenty 
years  and  was  often  in  great  pain.  The  fu- 
neral was  held  at  his  home  and  the  services 
were  conducted  by  Rev.  Hussey,  assisted 
by  Rev.  Hobbs.  The  remains  were  interred 
in  Payne's  cemetery.  In  his  religious  belief 
Mr.  Farley  was  an  Episcopalian,  and  in  po- 
litical sentiment  was  a  Democrat.  Though 
he  never  sought  office,  he  was  called  upon  to 
serve  as  township  commissioner  in  Henry 
county  for  nine  years  and  also  as  school  di- 
rector. He  was  a  hard  working  and  indus- 
trious man,  strictly  upright  and  honorable 


in  all  his  dealings  and  one  who  made  many 
friends  and  no  enemies.  He  was  a  dtvoted 
husband  and  father  and  took  great  delight 
in  his  home  and  children.  He  accumulated 
considerable  wealtli  and  was  able  to  leave 
his  family  in  comfortable  circumstances. 
Since  her  husband's  death  I\Irs.  Farle}'  has 
moved  to  Pontiac  and  purchased  a  pleasant 
home  at  Xo.  506  South  Vermilion  street, 
where  she  now  resides.  She  is  a  most  esti- 
mable lady,  highly  respected  by  all  who 
know  her. 


ANDREW  J.    HOOBLER. 

Andrew  J.  Hoobler,  who  is  now  living 
a  retired  life  in  Streator,  Illinois,  was 
for  many  years  actively  identified  with  the 
business  interests  of  Livingston  county,  and 
was  one  of  its  honored  and  representative 
citizens.  He  is  a  native  of  Indiana,  born 
in  \'ermillion  county,  in  October,  iSj7,  and 
there  grew  to  manhood.  His  father,  John 
Hoobler,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  in  1801, 
of  old  Pennsylvania  Dutch  stock,  and  was 
one  of  the  pioneer  farmers  of  Vermillion 
county,  Indiana.  In  1853  ^''^  came  to  Liv- 
ingston county,  Illinois,  and  entered  about 
fourteen  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Newton 
township,  becoming  one  of  the  large  land 
owners  of  the  county  in  his  day.  Here  he 
continue<.l  to  make  his  home  throughout  the 
remaintler  of  his  life,  dying  in  1885.  He 
was  elected  a  representative  to  the  legisla- 
ture on  the  Whig  ticket  and  filled  that  posi- 
tion one  term.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneer 
United  Brethren  circuit  riders  and  rode  the 
state  over  at  one  time.  He  established  the 
church  of  that  denomination  in  his  township, 
and  spent  most  of  his  means  in  founding 
churches  throughout  Illinois,  being  prac- 
ticallv  the  father  of  them  all. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


107 


Upon  tlie  lionie  farm  Andrew  J-  Hoobler 
grew  to  nianli<ii)(l.  receiving  the  usual  edu- 
cational advantages  of  the  tlay.  He  married 
Miss  Sarah  Leonard,  a  daughter  of  Dexter 
and  Elizabeth  Leonard,  natives  of  Massa- 
chusetts and  early  settlers  of  this  county, 
'i  hree  children  were  born  of  this  union, 
namely:  Mrs.  Fanny  Syphers  of  Cornell, 
Illinois;  Wilder,  of  Manville,  this  county, 
and  Erastus,  the  present  popular  circuit 
clerk,  whose  sketch  appears  on  another  page 
of  this  volume. 

Mr.  Hoobler  purchased  a  farm  in  Xew- 
ti  'wn  township,  but  after  operating  it  for  a 
few  years  he  turned  his  attention  to  mer- 
cantile business,  conducting  a  store  in  what 
is  now  Manville  (,t!ien  the  village  of  New- 
town) for  some  seventeen  or  eighteen  years. 
He  met  with  marked  success  in  the  enter- 
prise, and  finally  retired  from  business,  turn- 
ing it  over  to  his  sons.  Moving  to  Streator 
ht  has  since  lived  retired.  He  is  well  known 
throughout  Livingston  county,  and  has  the 
confidence  and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he 
has  come  in  contact  either  in  business  or  so- 
cial life. 


JOIIX   M.   FIX  LEV. 

John  M.  Finley,  a  successful  farmer 
lid  honored  citizen  of  Pontiac  township, 
'  wns  and  oiierates  a  well-improved  and 
valuable  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  on  sections  3  and  4,  three  ami  tliree- 
i|uarters  miles  north  of  the  city  of  Pontiac. 
i  le  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  Delaware 
ounty,  November  25,  1831,  and  is  a  son  of 
Robert  Finley,  who  was  born  in  Virginia  in 
1801.  The  family  is  of  Irish  origin  and 
was  founded  in  the  Old  Dominion  at  an  early 
day.   Our  subject's  ])aternal  grand  fathi-r  was 


Jiihn  Finley.  a  soldier  nf  the  Revolutionary 
war.  who  removed  from  \'irginia  to  Ohio 
and  opened  up  a  farm  in  Delaware  coiuu}'. 
There  Robert  Finley  grew  to  manhood  and 
married  Elizabeth  Riley,  who  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  of  German  ancestry.  Her 
father,  Joseph  Riley,  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, and  when  a  child  came  to  America. 
The  vessel  on  whic  he  sailed  was  wrecked 
and  his  parents  were  drowned.  He  was  then 
taken  to  the  home  of  strangers  and  readed 
by  them,  at  the  same  time  adopting  their 
name.  For  a  few  years  after  his  marriage 
Robert  Finley  engaged  in  farming  in  Ohio, 
and  in  1837  came  to  Illinois,  locating  on 
the  Fox  river,  near  St.  Charles,  Kane  conty, 
where  he  opened  up  a  farm  and  spent  his  re- 
maining years,  dying  there  in  1886,  at  the 
ripe  old  age  of  seventy-five  years.  His  wife 
had  passed  away  two  years  previously  at  the 
age  of  sixty-nine  years. 

Our  subject  was  about  six  years  of  age 
v.hen  brought  by  his  parents  to  this  state, 
and  in  Kane  county  he  grew  to  manhood. 
He  attended  the  common  schools,  but  is 
mostly  self-educated,  haing  always  been  a 
great  reader,  and  is  to-day  a  well-informed 
man.  On  leaving  home  in  1854  he  came  to 
Livingston  county,  where  he  and  his  brother 
Joseph  had  purchased  land  in  1852  and 
ii^^;^,  and  after  locating  thereon  they  oper- 
ated it  together  until  1 861. 

On  the  2ist  of  November,  1861,  in  this 
county,  ^Ir.  Finley  married  Miss  Frances 
E.  McDougall,  a  native  of  New  Vork,  and 
a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Christiana  ^Ic- 
Dougall,  who  came  from  that  stale  to  Illi- 
nois about  1850  and  settled  in  La  Salie  coun- 
ty, where  her  father  died  in  1857.  Her 
mother  is  still  living  in  California  at  the  age 
of  eighty-two.  ^Irs.  Finley  was  jiricipally 
reared  in  that  count  v.     To  our  >i'')iect  and 


io8 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


his  wife  were  l)orn  two  cliildren  :  ^larian 
E.,  who  was  educated  at  the  lontiac  high 
school  and  Dixon  College,  and  has  success- 
fully engaged  in  teaching  in  this  county, 
but  is  now  at  home  with  her  parents,  and 
Orilla  Eloise,  wife  of  Warren  Collins,  who 
operates  a  part  of  the  Finley  homestead. 

Mr.  and  i\Irs.  Finley  began  their  do- 
mestic life  upon  his  present  farm.  He  has 
since  erected  a  neat  and  substantial  resi- 
dence, good  barns  and  other  outbuildings, 
has  tilled  the  place  and  set  out  fruit  and 
ornamental  trees,  so  that  it  is  now  one  of 
the  best  improved  farms  in  the  localit}'.  In 
connection  with  general  farming  he  has  en- 
gaged in  raising  and  feeding  stock  of  a  go  :J 
grade,  and  in  all  his  undertakings  he  has 
met  with  excellent  success,  becoming  quite 
well  to  do.  He  and  his  brother  had  little 
means  on  locating  here,  but  being  indus- 
trious, persevering  and  ambitious,  his  labors 
were  soon  crowned  with  success.  As  a  pab- 
lic  spirited  citizen  he  takes  a  deep  and  com- 
mendable interest  in  public  affairs  and  gives 
his  support  to  those  enterprises  wh.ich  he  be- 
lieves will  advance  the  general  welfare. 
Originally,  he  was  a  staunch  Republican  in 
politics  and  cast  his  fir^t  presidential  vote 
for  John  C.  Fremont  in  iS_v'',  continuing 
to  affiliate  with  that  party  until  JS96,  when 
he  voted  for  \\\  J.  Bryan  and  free  sdver. 
He  has  been  a  delegate  to  riunicrous  con- 
\entions,  and  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  has 
been  an  efficient  member  of  the  school  board, 
but  cares  nothing  for  political  preferment. 


APOLLOS  CAMP. 

Apollos  Camp,  deceased,  was  fur  o\-er 
forty  years  prominently  identified  with  the 
agricultural  and  business  interests  of  Li\- 


ingst(in  county,  and  was  justly  numbered 
among  her  honored  pioneers  and  leading 
citizens,  having  located  here  in  the  spring  of 
185 1.  He  was  born  in  Thomaston  (then 
Plymouth  Hollow),  Connecticut,  March  19. 
1806,  and  was  a  son  of  Ephraim  Camp,  a 
Revolutionary  hero,  who  was  born  in  1750 
and  sjjcnt  his  entire  life  in  Connecticut, 
Mhere  he  owned  and  operated  a  mill.  Our 
suljject  grew  to  manhood  in  his  nati\e  place 
and  there  learned  the  stone  mason's  trade  in 
early  life. 

There  'Sir.  Camp  married  Miss  Nancy 
Thomas,  a  niece  of  Seth  Thomas,  the  noted 
clockmaker,  by  whom  our  subject  was  em- 
ployed as  superintendent  of  his  outdoor 
work  for  some  time,  and  lived  upon  Sir. 
Thomas'  large  farm  for  eighteen  years.  His 
health  failing.  Sh.  Camp  purchased  a  farm 
near  bv  and  for  three  years  devoted  his  at- 
tention to  agricultural  pursuits. 

In  the  spring  of  1851  Mr.  Camp  came  to 
Livingston  county,  Illinois,  and  located  lanil 
in  Sunbury  township,  but  the  family  did 
not  come  tnitil  one  year  later,  when  the  trip 
to  this  state  was  made  by  water.  In  the  fall 
of  1852  he  moved  to  Esmen  township,  his 
first  home  in  Illinois,  where  he  took  up  a  sec- 
tion of  land,  though  he  still  continued  to 
own  a  three-hundred-and-twenty-acre  tract 
ii'  Sunbury  township.  He  built  the  best 
house  in  Esmen  township  at  that  time.  His 
nearest  neighbor  was  then  three  miles  away, 
and  if  he  required  anything  such  as  black- 
smithing  or  a  supply  of  groceries  he  had  to 
go  to  Ottawa,  fordinp-  all  the  streams  antl 
taking  two  days  to  make  the  trip,  so  sparsely 
was  the  country  settled  at  that  time,  so  few 
miprovements  having  been  made  and  so  few 
towns  estal)lished.  Mr.  Camp  continued  t<i 
reside  upon  his  farm  until  1876.  when  he 
remox'ed  ti3  Pontiac.  but  went  dav  after  day 


APOLLOS  CAMP. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


ti-  his  farm  until  past  eighty  years  of  age. 
He  added  to  his  landed  possessions  from 
time  to  time  until  he  and  his  son-in-law, 
Mr.  Humiston.  together  owned  two  thou- 
sand acres  of  valuable  land,  most  of  wliich 
was  improved  and  under  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation. Of  excellent  business  ability  and 
broad  resources,  he  attained  a  j)rominent 
place  among  the  wealthy  and  substantial  citi- 
zens of  the  county.  On  locating  here  he 
had  six  thousand  dollars  in  gold,  and  being 
a  wide-awake  business  man  of  keen  discrim- 
ination and  sound  judgment  his  accumula- 
tions rapidly  increased.  He  and  his  son-in- 
law  engaged  in  business  together  until  the 
hitter's  death.  They  were  among  the  orig- 
inal stockholders  of  the  National  Bank  of 
I'ontiac.  of  which  he  was  one  of  tlie  early 
(!irect(jrs.  His  career  was  such  as  to  warrant 
the  trust  and  confidence  of  the  business 
world,  for  he  conducted  all  transactions  on 
the  strictest  principles  of  honor  and  integ- 
rity, and  he  was  highlv  respected  and  es- 
teemed by  all  who  knew  him. 

Mr.  Camp  died  May  2,  1892,  and  his 
wife  departed  this  life  January  23,  1864. 
She  was  a  meml>er  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  for  some  years.  To  them  were  liorn 
two  children,  but  Edward  Thomas  died  Sep- 
tember It.  1861.  before  he  attained  iiis  twen- 
ty-first year.  The  only  representative  of  the 
family  now  living  is  Harriet,  widow  of  Ben- 
net  Humiston,  whose  .sketch  appears  on  an- 
other page  of  this  volume. 


JOHX  H.   SMITH. 

This  gentleman  is  entitled  to  distinction 
as  one  of  the  most  progressi\e  anil  enter- 
prising men  of  Pontiac,  with  whose  business 


interests  he  has  been  prominently  identified 
for  many  years.  Uix>n  the  commercial  ac- 
tivity of  a  community  dejjends  its  prosperity 
and  the  men  who  are  now  recognized  as 
leading  citizens  are  those  who  are  at  the 
head  of  important  business  enterprises.  He 
is  a  man  of  broad  capabilities  who  carries 
forward  to  successful  completion  whatexer 
he  undertakes. 

Mr.  Smith  was  born  in  Half  Moon  \'al- 
ley.  Centre  county.  Pennsylvania,  August 
12,  1839,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Lydia  Ann 
(  Henderson )  Smith.  The  father  was  born 
in  Union  county,  that  state,  of  old  Pennsyl- 
vania Dutch  stock,  and  being  left  fatherless 
at  the  age  of  nine  years  was  bound  out  to 
strangers.  There  were  only  two  children 
ir;  the  family  and  his  sister  was  taken  to 
another  place.  In  Centre  county,  he  mar- 
ried Lydia  Ann,  daughter  of  David  Hender- 
son, who  lived  near  Tyrone.  Centre  county. 
Later  he  located  near  Pine  Grove,  Pennsyl- 
sylvania,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and 
on  stormy  days  worked  at  the  gvmsmith's 
trade  which  he  had  learned  during  his  youth. 
Later  he  lived  in  Huntingdon  county,  the 
same  state,  but  was  with  our  subject  in  Pon- 
tiac, Illinois,  a  short  time  prior  to  his  death. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  were  consistent  and 
faithful  members  of  *the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church. 

In  the  county  of  his  nativity,  John  H. 
Smith  was  reared  and  obtained  a  good  prac- 
tical education  in  its  common  schools.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  was  bound  as  an  ap- 
prentice to  a  cari^enter,  working  for  his 
board  and  clothes  and  the  privilege  of  at- 
tending scIkxiI  four  months  during  the  win- 
terter.  For  three  years  and  four  months  he 
was  thus  employed,  during  wliich  time  he 
thoroughly  mastered  the  trade,  including  the 
making  of  doors,   sash.   etc. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


On  the30tli  of  Decemlser.  1863.  ]\Ir.  Smith 
married  Miss  Mary  J.  Duff,  who  was  born 
Decemljer  8,  1840.  Her  paternal  great-grand- 
father come  to  tliis  country  from  Scotland. 
The  grandfather.  John  Duf¥,  was  born  in 
Philadelphia,  and  at  an  early  day  removed 
to  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  v>'hei-e 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  as  a  farmer. 
He  married  Winifred  Couch,  of  Philadel- 
phia, a  daughter  of  William  Couch,  who 
was  from  Great  Britain.  !Mrs.  Smith's 
father,  Charles  Dufif,  ^\■as  born  May  24, 
1816,  in  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  engag'ed  in 
farming  for  many  years.  There  he  was 
married,  August  31,  1838,  to  Eliza  Cun- 
ningham, who  v.-as  born  October  2,  1819,  a 
daughter  of  Robinson  and  ]Mary  J.  (Lane) 
Cunningham,  of  the  same  county.  Her  fa- 
ther, a  farmer  of  Huntingdon  county,  was 
born  in  that  state,  but  his  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  England.  Charles  DufY  continued  to 
reside  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Pennsylvania 
until  1865,  when  he  came  to  Pontiac,  Illi- 
nois, and  purchased  one  hundred  and  si.xty 
acres  of  land  east  of  the  corporation,  which 
he  improved  and  which  continued  to  be  his 
home  throughout  life.  He  also  owned  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  north  of 
Pontiac,  and  in  all  had  about  six  hundred 
acres.  He  was  one  of  the  prominent  and 
wealthy  men  of  his  community  and  was 
highly  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  He 
died  September  9,  1873.  and  his  wife  passed 
away  July  it,  i  887.  Both  were  earn-est 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
After  learning  his  trade,  Mr.  Smith  be- 
gan taking  contracts  and  erected  many  build- 
ings in  Huntingdon.  Centre  and  Clearfield 
counties,  Pennsyhania.  He  met  with  ex- 
cellent success,  and  although  a  young  man 
lie   often   employed    eight    hands.       ^^'hile 


erecting  a  large  church  in  Kerwinsville, 
Clearfield  cuunty.  he  cast  his  first  vote  for 
Abraham  Lincoln,  and  when  the  war  broke 
out  the  work  was  dropped  as  most  of  his 
workmen  entered  the  service.  Returning 
tc  Tyrone,  he  aided  in  the  construction  of 
the  one-mile  trestle  of  the  Tyrone  and 
Clearfield  Railroad  at  that  place,  remaining 
there  until  going  to  Oil  City,  \'enango  coun- 
ty, (luring  the  excitement  of  1864.  There 
he  put  down  many  wells,  one  of  which  was 
fourteen  hundred  feet  deep  and  the  average 
depth  of  the  seventeen  he  drilled  was  six 
hundred  and  fifty  feet.  For  this  work  he 
received  one  dollar  per  foot  and  an  eighth 
mterest  in  the  well,  which  proved  quite 
quite  profitable,  as  the  one  dollar  per  foot 
paid  all  expenses,  and  he  sold  liis  eighth  in- 
terest from  eight  hundred  to  two  thousand 
dollars  a  well.  On  first  going  into  the  oil 
region  he  was  engaged  by  the  New  York 
Oil  Company,  of  which  Mr.  Hamilton,  of 
New  York,  was  president,  in  the  erection  of 
derricks.  ]\Ir.  Hamilton  noticing  the  rapid- 
it)'  with  which  he  worked  asked  him  how 
much  a  foot  he  would  ask  to  drill  the  wells, 
and  later  asked  him  to  name  a  sum  per' 
year  as  superintendent  of  all  their  wells.  Not 
caring  particularly  to  engage  in  that  work, 
he  named  two  thousand  dollars  per  year, 
l)elieving  the  sum  greater  than  the  com- 
pany would  I)e  willing  to  pay.  His  terms, 
liowever,  were  accepted,  and  he  remained 
with  the  firm  one  year,  and  then  refused  an 
offer  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars 
a  year  to  continue.  Leaving  the  employ  of 
the  oil  company  he  commenced  drilling  wells 
for  himself,  and  his  first  well,  wdiich  took 
him  twenty-six  days  to  drill.  lie  sold  for 
eighteen  hundred  dollars.  During  the  time 
he  spent  there  he  made  enough  to  purchase 
his  father's  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


113 


acres    for   eight   thousand   dollars,    and    he 
nperatcd  the  place  one  year. 

.\t  the  end  (^f  that  time  .Mr.  Smith  sold 
1  ut  and  came  to  Pontiac.  Illinois,  and  ])nr- 
cliased  a  farm  three-(|uarters  uf  a  mile  east 
I 'l'  the  city,  for  which  he  paid  fifty  dollars 
jier  acre  although  it  was  poorly  impro\ed 
land.     He  huilt  one  of  the  largest  and  best 
harns  in  this  section  at  that  time.   He  fenced 
1 1x1  tiled  the  land,  bringing  the  first  carload 
;  tile  into  the  county.     This  he  bought  in 
Jnliet.  paying  thirty-seven  dollars  and  a  half 
I'cr  thousand  for  three  inch  tile.     Previous 
I"  this  he  had  put  in  some  clapboard  tile 
i:d  finding  that  it  benefited  the  land,  he  re- 
lived to  thoroughly  tile  it.     Some  of  it  is 
still   in  working  order  although  in  use  for 
I       o\er  thirty  years.     Mr.   Smith's  next  ])ur- 
I       chase  consisted  of  a  quarter-section  of  land 
'       owned  by  Charles  Uuff,  which  adjoins  the 
ty,  and  he  also  bought  one  hundred  acres 
'  Mr.  Dnft"  north  of  his  first  home,  making 
iiiur   hundreil    and    twenty   acres   adjoining 
the  town.     All  of  this  he  has  thoroughly 
\       tiled  and  im))roved,  and  being  well  located, 
i'  is  now  among  the  best  and  m:'>st  \-alua1:)le 
land    (if    the   county.      -\t   ])resenl    he    rents 
his    farm    ])roperty. 

l'"ur  two  years  Mr.  Smith  rented  and 
operated  a  tile  factory  near  town  erected 
by  H.  C.  Bruner,  and  met  with  success  in 
that  enterprise.  In  1890  he  erected  a  fine 
brick  residence  on  the  corner  of  Walnut 
and  Washington  streets,  one  of  the  tirst  and 
best  brick  houses  in  the  city  at  that  time. 
^  It  is  heated  by  steam,  lighted  by  electricity 
and  supplied  with  all  modern  conveniences, 
w  bile  the  lawn  about  the  house  is  a  quarter 
of  a  block  in  extent.  Mr.  Smith  also 
erected  a  store  building  on  Madison  street 
o])posite  the  court  house  and  still  owns  that 
property.     In  1893  he  bought  the  coal  shaft 


at  Pontiac.  which  he  ojjerated  a  vear,  and 
sank  a  shaft  within  twenty-eight  feet  of  the 
third  vein  of  coal,  afterward  selling  the 
same  at  a  jirolit.  being  the  imly  nnc  tn  make 
any  nidney  in  th;U  \-cnture.  I'nr  the  [)ast 
two  years  he  has  again  given  his  attention 
to  the  tile  business  and  furnishes  employment 
to  seventeen  men  in  manufacturing  I)oth 
brick  and  tile. 

Mr.  Smith  began  life  for  himself  with- 
out a  dollar,  antl  in  fact  was  si.xty-two  dol- 
lars and  fifty  cents  in  debt.  As  already 
stated  he  was  apprenticeil  to  learn  the  car- 
])enter's  trade.  I'or  the  first  year  he  was 
to  receive  thirty  dollars;  the  second  year 
fort}--fi\e  dollars:  and  the  third  year  sixty 
dollars.  lioard  was  included  and  in  ad- 
dition he  was  to  have  four  months  schooling 
each  year.  The  first  year  he  was  permitted 
to  go  to  scIkjoI,  according  to  contract,  but 
during  the  succeeding  years  on  one  pretext 
or  another  he  was  kejjt  at  work.  On  the 
advice  of  his  mother  he  permitted  his  last 
Aear's  wages  to  remain  with  his  employer 
until  the  end  of  the  >'ear  in  order  that  he 
might  ha\-e  a  means  to  purchase  a  set  of 
car])enter's  tools.  His  em[)loyer  failed 
about  the  end  of  his  third  year,  and  he  never 
recei\ed  a  cent.  .\  local  merchant  kindly 
agreed  to  furnish  him  the  set  of  tools  needed 
and  which  amounted  to  sixty-two  dollars  and 
fifty  cents,  and  wait  his  convenience  in  pay- 
ing. Securing  the  outfit  he  went  to  work 
as  a  journeyman  carpenter,  and  in  due  time 
paid  for  his  tools  and  felt  like  a  free  man. 
On  conn'ng  to  Illinois,  his  father  loaned  him 
fi\e  hundred  dollars,  but  the  wealth  he  has 
since  acf|uired  has  been  secured  through 
his  own  enterprise,  good  business  alMlity 
and   sound  judgment. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  three  children, 
namely:     Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  Cary  W. 


114 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Hill,  of  Pontiac,  and  they  have  one  son, 
?Iarold  Smith;  Charles  is  engaged  in  busi- 
ness with  his  father  and  now  manages  the 
tile  works;  and  Winifred,  twin  sister  of 
Charles,  is  the  wife  of  Franklin  Laver,  who 
oi)erates  the  home  farm  and  they  ha\'e  one 
child,   Alfred   A'eron. 

During  the  Civil  war,  [Mr.  Smith  was  a 
member  of  the  Pennsylvania  militia,  which 
was  not  supposed  to  leave  the  state,  but  they 
Avent  to  Hagerstown,  [Maryland,  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  battle  of  Antietam.  At  his 
home  he  could  hear  the  cannonading  at  Get- 
tysburg and  also  during  the  Morgan  raid. 
He  has  ser\-ed  as  school  director,  but  has 
never  cared  for  political  honors,  preferring 
to  devote  his  entire  time  and  attention  to 
his  business  interests.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church  and  are  highly  respected  and 
esteemed  bv  all  who  know  them. 


ERASTUS    HOOBLER. 

Erastus  Hooliler.  the  present  well- 
known  circuit  clerk,  is  one  of  the  most 
prominent  young  men  of  Livingston  county, 
a  leader  in  political  and  business  circles, 
and  whether  in  public  or  private  life  he 
is  always  a  courteous  genial  gentleman,  well 
deserving  the  high  regardd  in  which  he  is 
held. 

A  native  of  this  county.  [Mr.  Hoobler 
was  born  in  Xewtown  township,  December 
II,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  J.  and 
Sarah  (Leonard)  Hoobler,  a  sketch  of 
whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  which 
he  attended  constantly  until  eighteen  years 
of  age,  and  then  began  his  Ijusiness  career 


as  a  merchant  of  [Mehille,  he  and  his 
b.rother  Wilder  purchasing  the  store  f^ir- 
mery  owned  by  their  father  and  conducting 
it  under  the  firm  name  of  Hoobler  Brothers. 
They  did  a  large  and  successful  business  for 
some  seven  or  eight  years,  being  energetic 
and  progressive  yoiuig  men  of  good  busi- 
ness ability  and  industrial  habits. 

On  the  9th  of  June,  1888,  Air.  Hoobler 
was  united  in  marriage  wdth  Miss  Jodie 
Beach,  a  daughter  of  Anson  and  Ph'jebe 
Beach,  formerly  of  La  Salle  county,  and  to 
them  have  been  born  one  child,  Ernest  E. 
The  parents  both  hold  membership  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  Mr.  Hoob- 
ler is  now  serving  as  one  of  the  stewards 
of  the  church  in  Pontiac.  Fraternally,  he 
is  a  member  of  the  [Modern  \\"oodmen  of 
America  and  of  Beacon  Lodge, No.  618,  I. 
O.  O.  F.,  of  Cornell. 

Since  reaching  man's  estate  [Mr.  Hoob- 
ler has  always  been  active  in  Republican 
politics,  doing  all  within  his  power  for  the 
success  of  his  party.  In  the  spring  of  1894 
he  sold  his  store,  and  two  years  later  was 
nominated  as  circuit  clerk  for  Livingston 
county,  to  which  office  he  was  elected  that 
fall  by  a  handsome  majority.  He  has  since 
efficinetly  discharged  the  duties  of  that  po- 
sition, and  in  1900  was  renominated  by  ac- 
clamation. 


JAMES  XICOL. 

James  Xichol  is  the  proprietor  of  an 
excellent  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  on  sections  1 1  and  3,  Pike  township, 
Livingston  county.  The  well-tilled  fields 
and  neat  and  thrifty  appearance  of  the  place 
testify  to  careful  supervision  of  a  painstak- 
ins:  owner — one  who  is  a  thorough  farmer 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


15 


and  successful  business  man.  He  was  born 
in  Arbroath,  F"orfarshire,  Scotland.  June  6, 
1849,  a  son  of  William  and  Jane  (Simpson) 
Xicol,  also  natives  of  that  country,  where 
the  mother  spent  her  entire  life.  After  lier 
death  the  father  married  again.  He  was 
born  in  Forfarshire  in  1813.  a  son  of  James 
Xicol,  and  in  his  native  land  was  employed 
as  a  pattern  or  model  maker.  In  1865  he 
emigrated  to  the  new  world  and  came  direct 
to  Livingston  county,  Illinois,  where  he  ha<l 
previously  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  on 
section  3,  Pike  township,  where  onr  subject 
now  resides.  At  that  time  the  tract  was 
v.ild  prairie  land,  but  he  at  once  commenced 
to  fence,  break  and  improve  it.  Later  he 
built  a  good  house  and  made  many  other 
permanent  improvements.  In  connection 
with  farming  he  also  worked  at  the  car- 
penter's and  joiner's  trade  and  built  many 
of  the  residences  in  his  part  of  the  county. 
.\s  one  of  the  prominent  and  honored  citi- 
zens of  his  community,  he  was  called  upon 
tL  fill  the  offices  of  supervisor,  justice  of 
the  peace,  school  director  and  clerk  of  the 
district  some  years.  He  was  a  man  of  sterl- 
ing worth  and  strict  integrity  and  was  pre- 
eminently i)ublic  spirited  and  progressive. 

Reared  in  his  native  land,  James  Xicol 
received  the  advantages  of  a  good  common 
school  education,  and  served  a  five-years' 
apprenticeship  to  the  cabinetmaker's  trade 
after  which  he  worked  as  a  journeyman  for 
two  years.  In  1868  he  decided  to  join  his 
father  in  .\merica  and  sailed  from  (ilasgow 
to  Xew  York,  landing  in  the  latter  city  in 
September  of  that  year.  He  proceeded  at 
once  to  his  father's  home  in  this  county,  and 
for  the  first  si.x  nuniths  of  his  residence  here 
he  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade.  The  fol- 
lowing two  years  he  engaged  in  farming  and 
then  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  was  em- 


I^loyed  at  his  trade  for  six  months,  rcturniu.'; 
ti>  this  county  at  the  end  of  that  time.  He 
lias  since  devoted  his  time  to  agricultural 
])ursuits,  and  now  owns  the  old  homestead, 
which  he  has  greatly  imro\ed.  and  to  w'.iich 
he  lias  added  one  huntlred  and  si.xty  acres, 
making  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres. 

In  Livingston  county.  Xovember  24, 
18873,  ^^^-  ^icol  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Elizabeth  Petrie.  who  was  born, 
reared  and  educated  in  the  same  towri  as 
her  husband,  and  is  a  daughter  of  William 
Petrie,  who  is  still  living  in  Scotland  at  the 
advanced  age  of  seventy-nine  years.  By 
this  union  have  been  born  seven  cliildren, 
namely :  William  P.  and  James,  both  farm- 
ers of  this  county:  Mabel  May,  Alfred.  Ed- 
ward Arthur.  D.  Harry  and  .\nnio  Kdiili. 
all  at  home. 

In  his  political  afifiliations  Mr.  Nicol  is  an 
ardent  Republican  and  cast  his  first  presiden- 
tial vote  for  Rutherford  B.  Ha>es.  He 
has  been  a  delegate  to  county  conventions, 
.served  as  township  clerk  about  seven  years 
and  was  a  member  of  the  school  board  and 
cierk  of  the  district  twelve  years.  Socially, 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen 
camp  of  Chenoa.  and  religiously  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  to  which  his 
wife  also  belongs.  In  all  life's  relations  he 
has  been  true  to  every  trust  reposed  in  him, 
and  is  justly  numbered  among  the  valued 
and  useful  citizens  of  his  communitv. 


JOHX  C.rTHRIE. 

John  Guthrie,  who  for  over  a  third 
of  a  century  has  been  identified  with  the 
agricultural  interests  of  Livingston  county, 
and  now  makes  his  home  on  section  10,  Pike 


ii6 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


township,  was  born  in  tlie  city  of  Glasgow, 
Scotland,  December  26,  1827,  a  son  of 
James  and  Jane  (  McMurtrie)  Guthrie,  who 
spent  their  entire  lives  in  Scotland,  mostly 
in  Glasgow,  locating-  there  soon  after  their 
marriage.  There  all  of  their  children  were 
born  in  that  city  and  both  parents  died.  By 
trade  the  father  was  a  stonecutter. 

Our  subject  grew  to  manhood  in  his  na- 
tive land  and  obtained  a  good  education  in 
an  Ayrshire  village  school.  He  served  a 
four  years'  apprenticeship  to  the  weaver's 
trade  with  his  uncle,  David  McMurtrie,  and 
tlien  returned  to  Glasgow,  where  he  worked 
in  a  factory,  having  charge  of  one  depart- 
ment four  years.  Later  he  was  employed  in 
a  wholesale  store  for  three  years,  and  then 
emigrated  to  America,  in  1850,  takmg  pass- 
sage  on  a  sailing  vessel  at  Greenock  on  the 
Clyde  for  Montreal,  and  arriving  in  the  lat- 
ter city  after  a  stormy  voyage  of  eight 
weeks.  \Miile  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence 
the  masts  \\-ere  broken  and  they  were  delayed 
two  weeks  at  Sidney,  Cape  Breton,  while 
new  masts  were  set  up.  Mr.  Guthrie  and 
two  other  men  worked  all  one  night  at  the 
pumps  in  order  to  save  the  \-essel  from  de- 
struction. It  was  twehe  weeks  from  the 
time  he  left  home  until  he  reached  his  desti- 
nation in  Kendall  county,  Illinois,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1850.  There  he  had  an  uncle  liv- 
ing, while  another  uncle  made  the  voyage 
with  him.  The  following  year  he  com- 
menced work  in  Kendall  county  gathering 
corn  for  ten  dollars  per  mcnth,  and,  being- 
unused  to  such  work,  the  skin  Avas  worn 
froni  his  fingers  in  a  short  time. 

In  1852  \lr.  Guthrie  went  to  ]\Iadison 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  spent  one  year,  and 
on  his  return  to  Illinois  settled  in  \\'ood- 
ford  county,  where  he  worked  by  the  month 
until  1864.     During  that  year  he  purcliased 


the  farm  in  Pike  township,  Livingston  coun- 
ty, where  he  now  resides,  but  engaged  in 
farming  upon  rented  land  in  Tazewell 
county  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  located  upon  his  own  land,  ha\- 
ing  since  February,  1861,  made  it  his  hume. 
He  has  planted  an  orchard  and  considerable 
small  fruit,  has  divided  his  land  into  fields 
of  convenient  size  by  good  fences,  has  erect- 
ed a  pleasant  residence  and  substantial  out- 
buildings and  now  has  a  well-improved  and 
desirable  farm  of  eighty  acres. 

In  Tazewell  county  Mr.  Guthrie  was 
married,  in  1864,  to  Miss  Betsy  Nicol,  who 
was  born  and  reared  in  Arbroath,  Scotland, 
and  came  to  the  new  world  with  her  mother 
in  1853.  She  died,  lea\'ing  no  children,  and 
for  his  second  wife  Mr.  Guthrie  married 
Mrs.  Eliza  (McCracken)  McNeil,  who  was 
born  and  reared  in  Ireland.  By  her  first 
married  she  has  three  children :  Martha, 
wife  of  Henry  Crabb,  of  Livingston  county; 
Lizzie,  wife  of  Charles  Richardson,  of  Pike 
township,  and  James,  a  resident  of  Chicago. 
Mr.  Guthrie  has  two  children  by  his  second 
r.iarriage :  David  M.  and  Alaggic  May, 
both  at  home. 

Since  casting-  his  first  presidential  ballot 
for  General  U.  S.  Grant,  in  1868.  Mr.  Guth- 
rie has  been  a  stanch  Republican,  but  has 
never  cared  for  political  honors.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  are  active  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  of  Chenoa,  and  are  peo- 
ple of  sterling  worth  and  strict  integrity. 


JOHN    H.    CRUMBAKER. 

John  H.  Crunibaker.  a  well-known  and 
highly  respected  citizen  of  Avoca  township. 
Livingston  county,  Illinois,  was  born  in 
Muskingum  county,  Ohio,  August  11,  1845, 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


117 


and  is  a  son  of  William  .\.  and  Margaret 
(Piper)  Cruinbaker,  natives  of  \'irginia 
and  Pennsylvania,  respectively.  As  chil- 
dren they  went  to  Ohio,  and  after  that  con- 
tinued til  reside  in  that  state  for  many  years, 
the  father  being  engaged  in  fanning.  In 
1864  they  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  near 
Lexington,  where  they  still  reside  on  a  farm 
of  forty  acres.  Both  are  consistent  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  church,  and  in  politics 
the  father  was  formerly  a  Whig  and  is  now 
a  Republican.  To  them  were  burn  twehe 
children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  while 
th.ose  who  reached ,  years  of  maturity  are 
John  H.,  our  subject;  Marion  \'..  a  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  minister  of  Kankakee;  Sarah 
C.  wife  of  S.  S.  Smith,  of  Nebraska;  Maria 
V...  wife  of  William  Stickler,  postmaster  of 
Lexington:  Oliver  M.,  a  resident  of  Cropsey 
township,  McLean  county;  Samuel,  a  resi- 
dent of  the  state  of  Washington;  Joanna, 
wife  of  J.  C.  Finley,  of  Nebraska;  Jonas  A., 
of  Washington;  Margaret,  wife  of  H.  Wil- 
son, who  lives  near  Lexington,  Illinois;  and 
Alice  E.,  wife  of  Ralph  Wilson,  of  Ne- 
braska. 

The  early  education  of  Julin  II.  Ciuni- 
baker  was  obtained  in  the  common  schools 
of  Ohio,  and  after  coming  to  Illinois  with 
the  family,  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  he 
totik  an  elective  course  at  the  Wesieyan  Uiti- 
versit\-  in  Bloomington  and  also  attended 
school  in  Onarga  for  a  short  time.  Subse- 
([uently  he  taught  school  in  different  parts 
of  ilcLean  county  during  the  winter  months 
for  sixteen  years,  while  through  the  sum- 
mer season  he  engaged  in  farming.  In  1885 
he  came  to  Livingston  county  and  first  rent- 
ed a  farm  near  Wing.  Since  then  he  has 
lived  in  Avoca  townshij)  and  has  made  his 
home  upon  the  J.  L.  McDowell  farm  of 
three   hundred   and   ten   acres   since    1894. 


Two  hundreil  acres  of  this  tract  are  under 
cultivation  and  he  devotes  the  same  to  the 
raising  of  grain. 

On  the  J5th  of  [March,  uSfig.  Mr.  Crum- 
liaker  married  .Miss  Elizabeth  Jane  Wilson, 
\vh(i  was  born  near  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in 
JS50,  and  they  have  become  the  i)arents  of 
eight  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  child- 
hood. Those  living  are  \'ictor  .\.,  who  is 
preparing  for  the  ministry  at  Du  Pauw 
University  of  Indiana;  William,  who  lives 
near  Chalmers.  Indiana,  is  married,  and  has 
two  children,  Bessie  and  an  infant  ;D.  Theo- 
dore, who  is  engaged  in  farming  near  Fair- 
bmy,  and  resides  at  ho.nie:Jonas  K.,  George 
R.  and  John  P.,  who  are  all  at  home  assist- 
ing their  father  on  the  farm. 

By  his  ballot  Air.  Crumbaker  supports 
the  men  and  measures  of  the  Republican 
i;arty,  has  served  as  collector  of  his  town- 
ship two  terms,  town  clerk  two  years  and 
school  director  three  years.  Religiously,  he 
is  an  active  meml)er  and  supporter  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  has  the 
confidence  and  respect  of  all  who  know  him 
on  account  of  his  sterling  worth  and  strict 
iiiteyritv. 


SOLON  C.  DLXIIAM. 

Solon  C.  Dunham,  a  wellknown  agricult- 
lUMSt  of  Epijards  Point  township,  who  owns 
and  operates  a  fine  farm  i)f  one  hundreil 
and  seventy-two  acres  on  section  31,  is  a 
native  of  Illinois,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  Morgan  county,  October  18,  1848.  His 
father,  Ebenezer  Dunham,  was  born  in  New 
Plampshire,  in  18 10,  and  was  a  son  of  Will- 
iam Dunham,  also  a  native  of  the  old  Ciranite 
state.  About  1831  Ebenezer  Dunham  came 
west  and  located  in  Morgan  county,  where  he 


Ii8 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


married  Catherine  Sweet,  a  native  of  tiiis 
state  and  a  daughter  of  Peleg  Sweet,  one  of 
the  earliest  settlers  of  that  county.  There 
Mr.  Dunham  followed  farming  some  years, 
later  spent  about  eighteen  years  in  Wash- 
burn, JNIarshall  county,  and  in  1865  came  to 
Livingston  county  and  purchased  the  farm 
on  which  our  subject  now  resides.  At  that 
time  it  was  a  tract  of  wild  prairie  land,  and 
tc  its  improvement  and  cultixation  he  de- 
voted his  energies  throughout  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  There  he  died  in  1884,  lion- 
ored  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him, 
and  is  still  survived  by  his  wife,  who  resides 
on  the  old  homestead  with  her  son. 

During  his  boyhood  and  youth  Solon 
C.  Dunham  attended  the  local  schools  and 
assisted  his  father  in  tlie  labors  of  the  farm, 
and  after  reaching  man's  estate  took  charge 
of  the  farm  and  business,  which  he  has  since 
carried  on  with  marked  success.  He  has 
erected  a  large,  neat  and  substantial  resi- 
dence, built  a  commodious  barn,  and  has 
made  many  other  improvements,  wdiich  add 
to  the  beauty  and  value  of  the  place. 

In  this  county,  Mr.  Dunham  was  married, 
in  1880,  to  Miss  Anna  Stuckey.  who  was 
born  in  England,  but  was  rearetl  in  McLean 
and  Li\  ingston  counties,  Illinois.  By  this 
union  ha\-e  been  born  f(_)ur  children,  namely: 
Ralph,  Roscoe  B..  Earl  and  Inez,  all  at 
home.  ]\Irs.  Dunham  and  Mrs.  Dunham's 
mother  are  meml)ers  of  the  Baptist  church 
and  tlie  family  is  widely  and  favorably 
known.  In  his  political  views  I\Ir.  Dunham 
is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  cast  his  first 
presidential  vote  for  General  U.  S.  Grant, 
in  1872,  but  he  has  never  cared  for  the  honors 
or  emoluments  of  public  oftice.  He  is.  how- 
ever, a  staunch  friend  of  etlucation,  and  has 
l)een  an  efficient  member  of  the  school  board 
for  some  years. 


E.  W.  PEARSON. 

Among  the  pleasantest  rural  homes  of 
Esmen  township,  Livingston  county,  is  tlic 
one  belonging-  to  this  gentleman  on  section 
26.  and  his  farm  is  one  of  the  model  places 
of  that  locality,  being  supplied  with  all 
modern  conxeniences  and  accessories  needed 
liy  the  ]irogressi\-e  agriculturist  of  the  pres- 
ent day. 

Mr.  Pearson  was  born  in  Miami  countv, 
Ohio.  August  II.  1836.  and  l)elongs  to  a 
family  which  was  founded  in  that  state  by 
his  grandfather,  Enos  Pearson,  a  native  of 
V'irginia.  His  ancestry  can  he  traced  back 
to  two  peers  of  England,  in  which  country 
the  family  was  (|uite  noted,  .\aron  Pear- 
S(jn,  father  of  our  suliject,  grew  to  manhood 
in  Miami  countv,  Ohio,  and  there  marrietl 
Rachel  Moore,  who  was  born  in  that  state  of 
Cierman  ])arentage.  In  earl}-  life  the  father 
followed  farming  and  later  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  lumber.  He  died  in  Ohio 
when  our  subject  was  about  seven  years  old, 
his  wife  three  years  later.  In  their  family 
were  five  children,  four  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter, but  only  E.  \\'.,  our  subject,  and  John,  a 
resident  of  Marion  count}'.  Ohio,  are  now 
Ining. 

Our  subject's  school  prix'ileges  during  his 
bi.ivhood  were  limited,  and  he  is  alnn)st 
V\ho]l}-  self-educated.  Being  left  an  orphan, 
he  was  thrown  upon  bis  own  resources  when 
a  lad  of  seven  years.  He  grew  to  manhood 
upon-  a  farm  and  remained  in  his  native 
county  until  October,  1855.  when  he  came 
to  Illinois,  joining  his  guardian  in  Bloom- 
ington.  He  came  to  this  state  by  himself, 
dri\-int;'  across  the  country  with  a  team  of 
liorses.  In  Xo\-ember  of  the  same  vear  he 
located  in  Livingston  county  and  bought 
eighty  acres  of  land  in  Odell  township,  to 


E.  W.  PEARSON. 


THE    BIOGR-\PHICAL    RECORD. 


the  improvement  and  cultivation  of  which 
lie  devoted  his  attention  until  1865,  when 
he  sold  that  place  and  bought  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  wild  prairie  land  in  Es- 
men  township,  where  he  now  resides.  He 
has  since  added  to  it  an  eighty-acre  tract, 
making  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
ores,  which  he  has  ])laced  under  a  high  state 
I  cultivation.  He  has  erected  a  modern 
and  commodious  residence  some  distance 
from  the  road,  and  leading  up  to  it  is  a  nice 
driveway  thrt)ugh  grounds  shaded  by  lovely 
evergreen  and  other  shade  trees.  The  land 
i;  well  tiled,  there  are  two  good  orchards 
ui)on  the  place  and  a  flowing  well,  which, 
operate<l  by  a  windpump.  supplies  the  water 
both  for  house  and  stock.  Besides  tliis  valu- 
able property  Mr.  Pearson  owns  two  well- 
unproved  farms  near  Hartley.  O'Brien 
county,  Iowa,  one  of  two  hundred  and  forty. 
[  the  other  of  eighty  acres,  and  has  two  farms 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  each  in  Col- 
rado  and  one  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  in  Kansas,  used  as  cattle  ranches.  In 
connection  with  farming  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  buying  and  selling  real  estate.  He 
is  an  energetic  and  progressive  business  man 
who  carries  forward  to  successful  completion 
whatever  he  undertakes,  anti  his  prosperity 
due  entirely  to  his  own  well-directed  and 
riiergetic  efforts.  He  was  one  of  the  orig- 
.  inators  and  charter  members  of  the  Pontiac 
Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company,  organized 
ii!  1892,  and  was  elected  its  first  president, 
which  position  he  has  filled  most  satisfac- 
torily since  that  time. 

Returning  to  his  old  home  in  Miami 
county,  Ohio,  Mr.  Pearson  was  married 
there,  October  28,  1858,  to  Miss  Rachel 
Sheafer,  who  was  lx)rn  in  Pennsylvania,  but 
was  reared  in  that  county,  and  is  a  daughter 
of  Eckert  Sheafer.    Bv  this  union  were  born 


six  children,  namely:  Rachel,  at  home: 
Abraham  L..  who  is  marrieil  and  engaged  in 
farmin?^  and  fruit  raising  in  California: 
Arthur,  who  is  married  and  follows  farming 
in  Esmen  township.  Livingston  county,  Illi- 
nois: Emma,  wife  of  R.  E.  Knapp.  of  Ponti- 
ac: Anna,  wife  of  Robert  Brunskill.  a  farm- 
er of  Esmen  township:  and  Ida  M..  who 
was  graduated  at  the  State  Normal  School 
and  has  successfuUv  engaged  in  teaching  for 
some  years,  beinp"  first  assistant  principal 
of  the  Jefferson  Park  high  school  at  El  Paso 
at  the  present  time. 

Politically  Mr.  Pearson  was  formerly 
identified  with  the  Republican  party  and  cast 
l.is  first  presidental  vote  for  John  C.  Fre- 
tront  in  1856.  but  of  late  years  has  been  in- 
ciependent  in  politics.  He  is  a  stanch  friend 
of  education,  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
school  board  of  Odell  when  nineteen  years 
of  age  antl  filled  that  jKisition  almost  con- 
tinually until  moving  to  Esmen  township, 
he  has  served  as  township  treasurer  since 
1870  and  at  intervals  has  been  a  member  of 
the  county  board  of  su])ervisors  for  about 
fifteen  years,  during  which  time  he  was  a 
member  of  various  committees  and  chairman 
of  the  building  committee  in  charge  of  build- 
ing the  poor  house  after  the  death  of  Mr. 
Morrow.  He  has  been  a  delegate  to  nu- 
merous county,  congressional  and  state  con- 
ventions of  his  party  and  to  two  national 
conventions,  helping  to  nominate  J.  B.  Weav- 
er at  the  first  Populist  convention,  and  at  the 
St.  Louis  convention,  in  1896.  helping  to 
nominate  Bryan  and  Watson.  He  is  always 
to  be  found  on  the  Populist  county  commit- 
tee, having  served  as  its  chairman,  and  is 
popularily  known  as  the  father  of  the  party 
in  this  county,  and  he  has  always  taken  an 
active  and  commendable  interest  in  public 
affairs.     He  is  pre-eminently  jniblic-spirited 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


and  priigressixe.  and  as  a  citizen  has  always 
Ijeen  found  true  to  every  trust  repi.ised  in 
liim. 


THOMAS  JOHXSTOX 

Tlionias  Johnston,  the  well-known  super- 
intendent of  the  Puntiac  Diamond  Co-opera- 
tive Coal  Company  of  Pontiac  Illinois,  is  a 
native  of  England,  born  in  Staffordshire, 
April  JO,  1884,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  Ann  (Brown)  Johnston.  The  father 
was  born  in  Ireland,  but  wdien  quite  young 
\\ent  to  England,  where  he  continued  tcT 
make  his  b(jme  throughout  life,  d}'ing 
]\Iarcb  12,  1878,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven 
years.  Tlie  mother  died  on  the  21st  of  the 
same  month  He  was  always  a  hard  work- 
ing man  and  for  many  years  was  foreman  of 
an  iron  works  in  Staffordshire. 

Oor  subject  is  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth 
in  a  family  of  eleven  children,  nine  of  wdiom 
are  still  living,  but  he  is  the  only  one  in  this 
country.  -He  obtained  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  Staffordshire  and 
learned  the  trade  of  an  engineer  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Apedale  Coal  &  Iron  Company 
of  that  place,  remaining  with  them  five  years. 
In  the  fall  of  1880  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  and  first  located  in  Streator,  Illinois, 
where  he  engaged  in  coal  mining,  and  after- 
ward became  engineer  for  the  Chicago, 
Vermilion  &  Wilmington  Coal  Company  at 
that  place,  but  only  remained  with  tliem  a 
year  or  two.  He  was  next  employed  as  en- 
gineer with  the  Star  Coal  Company  of 
Streator  for  three  or  four  years,  and  for 
eleven  years  was  with  the  Richard  Evans 
Coal  Company  of  the  same  place.  In  De- 
cember, 1895,  he  came  to  Pontiac  to  take 
charge  of  a  shaft  at  this  place  as  engineer, 


and  was  thus  employed  until  1897,  wdien  the 
shaft  was  leased  by  the  present  co-operative 
company,  of  which  Mr.  Johnston  is  manager, 
being  associated  with  five  others :  Thomas 
Velvin,  president :  Charles  F.  Acklin,  treas- 
in"er ;  Walter  H(_)gan,  mine  manager,  and 
^lathew  Dickman  and  William  Schress,  di- 
rectors, all  of  whom  reside  in  Pontiac.  The 
shaft  was  leased  for  a  period  of  fifteen  years 
from  October,  1899,  and  the  entire  man- 
agement is  with  the  six  men  mentioned.  Ac- 
cording to  the  present  law  only  six  men  can 
work  in  one  shaft,  but  the  company  has  now 
sunk  another  escape  shaft  and  can  put  more 
men  to  work  so  that  they  will  be  able  to  take 
nut  from  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  three 
liundred  tons  of  coal  per  day. 

Before  leaving  England  ^^Ir.  Johnston 
was  married,  July  8,  1878,  to  Aliss  ]Mary 
Ann  Pickerill,  of  Staffordshire,  a  daughter 
of  Robert  and  Sarah  (Eccles)  Pickerill  The 
father  was  a  shoe  manufacturer  and  fol- 
lowed that  occupation  throughout  his  active 
business  life,  but  is  now  living  a  retired  life 
in  Staffordshire,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven 
years.  The  mother  died  in  1893,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-six.  Only  two  of  their  family  came 
to  America:  !Mrs.  lohnston  and  Anna,  wife 
of  Benjamin  Copeland,a  conl  miner  of  Strea- 
or,  Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnston  have  a 
family  of  four  children,  namely :  Thomas 
Bowyer,  born  in  Staffordshire,  England,  De- 
cember 29,  1878,  was  educated  in  Streator, 
and  is  now  living  in  \\'enona,  Illinois,  where 
he  is  a  hoisting  engineer  for  the  \\'enona 
Coal  Company.  Sarah  Ann,  born  in  Staf- 
fordshire, June  9,  1880,  is  at  home;  Fan- 
nie, born  in  Livingston  county,  Illinois, 
June  19,  1883,  graduated  from  the  public 
schools  of  Pontiac  in  1900.  and  Pearl,  born 
in  Fulton  county,  Illinois.  January  3,  1890, 
is  attending  school. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


123 


By  liis  1)all(it  ^[r.  Ji'linstmi  lias  always 
supported  the  men  ami  measures  oi  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  but  has  never  sought  nor  de- 
sired pul)lic  office,  though  often  urged  by 
his  friends  to  become  a  candidate.  He  is  a 
prominent  member  and  financial  secretary 
of  the  Episcopal  church  of  Pontiac.  which  his 
family  also  attend.  He  is  also  a  memlier  of 
Court  Pride.  Foresters  of  America,  of  Pon- 
tiac. of  which  he  has  served  as  trustee  one 
term ;  is  a  member  of  the  Court  of  Honor. 
No.  18^,  of  Pontiac.  and  the  National 
Brotherhood  Association  of  Coal  Hoisting 
Engineers.  As  a  1)usiness  man  he  is  thor- 
oughly reliable  and  the  success  that  he  has 
achieved  in  life  is  justly  merited,  for  it  is 
tlue  entirely  to  his  own  industry,  enterprise 
and  good  management.  He  has  a  good 
home.  411  East  Prairie  street,  which  he 
bought  in  1898. 


WILLIAM  WOODING. 

William  Wooding,  a  retired  farmer 
•  ■\  Pontiac,  who  came  to  this  country  in 
the  spring  of  1869,  is  a  typical  self-made 
num,  and  in  the  following  record  of  his  ca- 
reer there  is  much  to  arouse  respect  and  es- 
teem. He  has  placed  his  reliance  upon  in- 
dustry and  perseverance,  and  by  making  the 
most  of  circumstances,  however  discourag- 
ing, has  made  his  way  to  substantial  suc- 
cess, his  fine  farm  in  Pike  township  being  a 
tangilile  evidence  of  prosperity. 

Mr.  Wooding  is  a  native  of  England, 
born  in  Yarley  Hastings,  Northamptonshire, 
November  17,  1831.  and  is  a  son  of  Jesse 
and  Ann  (Rainbow)  Wooding,  who  were 
married  September  13,  18 j8.  The  father 
was  born  m  the  same  place  in    1805.  and 


there  maile  bis  home  until  coining  l()  this 
country  two  years  after  our  subject  crossed 
the  Atlantic,  but  died  the  ninth  day  after 
landing  at  the  home  of  our  subject  in  New 
Jersey.  The  mother  came  to  America  with 
her  husband  and  died  here  in  1871. 

William  Wooding  acquired  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  his  nati\e  land. 
As  a  young  man  of  nineteen  years  he  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  and  located  first 
in  Salem  county.  New^  Jersey,  where  he 
v,i irked  on  a  farm  and  also  in  a  tile  factory, 
which  was  probably  the  first  started  in  the 
L'nited  States,  the  proprietor  ha\ing  sent 
to  England  for  the  machinery.  Our  sub- 
ject and  his  brother  worked  for  him  five 
years  and  then  came  to  Illinois,  in  856, 
with  the  intention  of  starting  a  factory  of 
their  own.  but  finding  land  so  cheap  they  re- 
solved to  engage  in  agricultural  jjursuits. 
After  looking  over  the  field  Mr.  Wooding 
located  near  Farmington,  Fultiin  county, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  for  nine  years. 

In  the  spring  of  1869  he  came  to  Li\ing- 
ston  county  and  in  partnership  with  his 
brother  purchased  a  farm  of  two  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  in  Pike  township,  which  they 
improved  and  operated  together  for  1  time, 
but  finally  divided  the  property.  Our  subje  ct 
still  owns  an  excellent  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty-one  acres  in  that  and  Eppards 
Point  township,  which  he  has  thoroughly 
tiled  and  transformed  into  one  of  the  most 
highly  cultivated  and  productive  tracts  in 
the  locality.  It  is  hedged  and  cross  hedged 
and  improved  with  good  and  substantial 
buildings,  which  stand  as  a  momiment  to  his 
thrift  and  enterprise.  In  connection  with 
general  farming  he  engaged  in  stock  raising 
quite  extensively,  and  usually  had  a  carload 
of  hogs  for  shipment  each  fall.  I'esides  his 
farm  in  this  count v,  he  owns  land  in  Indiana, 


124 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


\\hicli  lie  is  now  improving;  lie  built  a  good 
home  at  No.  303  West  Moulton  street,  at 
the  corner  of  Plum  street,  Pontiac,  where  he 
has  resided  since  the  spring  of  1896,  having 
retired  from  active  labor  to  enjoy  a  well 
earned  rest. 

Mr.  Wooding  has  been  twice  married, 
his  lirst  AN'ife  being  Amanda  Humphry,  a 
native  of  Washington  county,  Indiana.  He 
tootook  her  to  Kearney,  Nebraska,  in  1885, 
with  the  hope  of  benefiting  herhealth,  but 
she  died  there  the  same  fall,  leaving  three 
children,  namely:  Mary,  now  the  wife  of 
Perry  Morton,  of  Pontiac,  ]\v  whom  she  has 
two  children,  Mabel  and  Leonora;  Lucy, 
wife  of  Wesley  Porter,  of  Owego  township, 
I)y  whom  she  has  two  sons,  Harry  and 
Charles;  antl  \\'illiam,  who  married  Leona 
Perry,  and  has  two  children,  Orville  and 
Hazel  Lorena.  He  lives  on  the  home  farm 
in  Pike  township. 

Returning  to  England  in  1887,  Mr. 
Wooding  there  married  Miss  Mary  Berrill, 
of  Yardley  Hastings,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Morris)  Berrill,  and  by  this 
union  has  been  born  a  daughter,  V-  mifred. 
For  twenty-five  years  Mrs.  Wooding's  sis- 
ter, Sarah  Berrill,  has  held  the  position  of 
maid  with  Lady  Southampton,  who  is  a  lady 
in  waiting  on  Queen  \'ictoria,  and  as  such 
makes  all  the  trips  with  the  Queen's  escort. 
Pier  father,  John  Berrill,  was  a  native  of 
Northampton,  where  his  ancestors  have  re- 
sided for  at  least  three  or  four  generations, 
and  on  the  maternal  side  Mrs.  Wootling  is 
of  an  old  and  respected  family  that  for  many 
generations  have  been  born  on  the  Martpiis 
of  Northampton's  estate.  Her  grandfather 
Morris  was  a  shepherd  by  occupation.  The 
records  of  the  family  are  to  be  found  in  the 
parish  church.  In  tracing  his  ancestry  back 
five  or  si.\.  generations,  Mr.  Wooding  finds 


that  he  springs  from  the  same  family  as  his 
wife.  His  mother,  Elizabeth  Rainljow,  was 
a  daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth  Ratley, 
and  the  latter  was  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Ann  Berrill,  who  were  the  great-grandpar- 
ents of  Mrs.  Wooding.  Her  grandfather 
was  Richard,  who  in  turn  was  a  son  of  John 
and  Ann  Berrill,  previously  mentioned.  All 
were  residents  of  Yardley  Hastings. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wooding  have  traveled 
quite  extensively,  and  visited  their  native 
land  again  in  1890.  He  has  ever  taken  an 
active  interest  in  educational  affairs  and 
most  efficiently  served  as  school  director  of 
his  township  while  residing  in  the  country. 
He  is  a  consistent  and  faithful  member  of 
the  Baptist  church,  and  one  of  the  highly  re- 
spected and  honored  citizens  of  the  com- 
munitv. 


JAMES  MURPHY. 

James  Murph}',  the  well-known  engineer 
of  the  water  works  in  Pontiac,  Illinois,  was 
born  in  Campbellford,  Northumberland 
county,  Ontario,  Canada,  August  7.  1854, 
and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Ann  (Spence) 
Murphv.  The  father  was  born  in  Xewray, 
County  Down,  Ireland,  about  1822.  and 
there  gained  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
shoemaker's  trade.  When  a  young  man 
he  emigrated  to  Canada,  where  he  married 
Ann  Spence,  a  native  of  Nottingham.  Eng- 
land, who  had  moved  to  Canada  with  an 
aunt  after  the  death  of  her  prents.  In  1864 
they  came  to  Pontiac  and  were  among  the 
early  property  owners  of  the  city,  building 
their  own  house  on  west  W  ater  street. 
Tluoughout  the  greater  part  of  his  life  the 
father   engaged    in   mining.        He   died    in 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


125 


April,  1895.  the  mother  April  16.  1899. 
Both  were  devout  members  of  St.  Mary's 
Catholic  church,  and  were  hjohly  respected 
hv  all   who  knew  them. 

Tills  wortiiy  oiui)le  left  a  family  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the  second 
in  order  of  birth.  He  began  his  education 
in  Canada  and  after  the  remo\al  of  the  fam- 
ily to  Pontiac  attentled  the  public  schools 
here  for  a  time.  After  the  completion  of 
his  education  he  was  variously  employed 
for  a  time,  but  for  the  past  twenty-five  years 
he  has  l>een  principally  engaged  in  running 
stationary  engines,  operating  some  of  the 
first  ever  brought  to  Pontiac.  In  1884  he 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
wild  land  in  York  county.  Nebraska,  wliicli 
he  converted  into  a  well  improved  farm, 
and  there  he  successfully  engaged  in  mixed 
farming  for  some  time,  during  which  period 
the  country  was  well  settled  up  and  became 
a  thriving  agricultural  district.  He  was  one 
of  the  school  directors  in  his  township  for 
four  years,  during  which  time  a  school  house 
was  built  in  his  district.  Renting  his  farm 
he  returned  to  Pontiac  in  1896  and  was 
appointed  engineer  of  the  water  works, 
which  position  he  has  since  filled  in  a  most 
efficient  and  satisfactory  manner,  having 
charge  of  two  Gordon  pumps  with  a  capac- 
ity of  one  million  and  five  hundred  thousand 
gallons  daily,  which  are  fully  taxed  most  of 
the  time.  These  are  kept  running  day  and 
night,  his  son  serving  as  night  engineer. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  mem1)er  of  the  Modern 
\\oodmen  of  America. 

On  the  14th  of  September.  1881,  Mr. 
Murphy  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Bridget  Sullivan,  and  to  them  have  been 
born  four  children,  namely :  James,  who 
is  an  engineer  with  his  father:  Katie.  Joseph 
and  Mary.       Michael  Sullivan,  Mrs.  Mur- 


phy's father,  was  born  in  Limerick.  Ire- 
land, and  as  ayoung  man  came  to  America. 
After  some  time  spent  in  New  York  state 
he  came  to  Chicago,  and  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  aiding  in 
its  construction  from  Dwight  to  Blooming- 
ton.  P)eing  pleased  with  tliis  locality  he 
located  in  Pontiac  when  it  was  a  very  small 
\illage;.  being  among  its  early  residents, 
building  a  home  on  North  ^'ermillion  street. 
At  Lake  Station  he  had  previously  married 
Catlierinc  .\nnan.  of  Chicago.  \vho  was 
born  in  W'aterford.  county  Cork.  Ireland, 
and  jirior  to  her  marriage  worked  in  New 
York  and  latter  in  Chicago.  They  were 
memljcrs  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  before 
a  church  was  established  in  Pontiac  mass 
was  said  at  the  homes  of  the  different  mem- 
bers. In  1880  they.  too.  removed  to  York 
county.  Nebraska,  and  purchased  a  tract  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  adjoining  our 
subject's  farm,  and  upon  that  place  Mr.  Sulli- 
van died  June  2.  1885.  his  wife,  February 
2\.  1896.  In  their  family  were  only  two 
children,  William,  a  resident  of  Nebraska ; 
and  Bridget,  wife  of  our  subject. 


LARS  EXGELSEN. 

Lars  Engelsen,  a  well-known  agricult- 
urist residing  on  section  10,  Esman  town- 
ship. Livingston  county,  was  born  in  Nor- 
way, July  12,  1845,  and  is  the  only  child  of 
Engel  and  Ella  (Mickleson)  Engelsen.  also 
natives  of  that  countr}-.  where  the  father 
followed  farming  until  his  death  in  1852. 
Five  years  later  the  wife  afid  son  came  to 
America  on  a  sailing  vessel,  and  were  about 
three  weks  in  crossing  the  Atlantic  from  Ber- 
gen to  Quebec.     They  proceeded  at  once  to 


126 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Morris.  Grundy  county,  Illinois,  and  in  the 
fall  of  the  same  year  moved  to  La  Salle 
ci^untv.  where  Mrs.  Engelsen  was  married, 
in  1859.  to  Torris  Johnson,  also  a  Xnrwe- 
.  gian  by  birth  and  a  cooper  by  trade,  follow- 
ing that  ocupation  in  Dayton.  Illinois,  f in- 
many  years.  Later  they  moved  to  Indian 
Creek,  the  same  county,  where  Mrs.  John- 
son died. 

Lars  Engelsen  lived  with  his  mother  and 
step-father  until  grown,  and  received  a  fair 
education  in  the  schools  of  La  Salle  county. 
He  l-jegan  life  for  himself  as  a  farm  hand 
and  was  thus  employed  for  several  years 
before  and  after  his  marriage.  He  subse- 
quently rented  land.  In  1868  he  came  to 
Livingston  county  and  located  upon  his 
present  farm  in  1880,  it  being  a  part  of  the 
large  tract  of  land  owned  by  Apollos  Camp 
of  Pontiac,  for  whom  our  subject  w(.irked 
about  seven  years  and  wdio  virtually  ga\-e 
him  the  place.  Mr.  Engelsen  has  erected 
thereon  a  large  and  substantial  residence, 
a  good  barn  and  other  outbuildings,  and 
has  made  many  other  impro\-ements  upim 
the  farm.  In  connection  with  its  (opera- 
tions he  also  cultivates  about  one  Inuulred 
acres  more,  and  has  been  quite  successful 
in  his   farm  business. 

On  the  14th  of  February,  1865,  Air. 
Engelsen  was  married  in  La  Salle  county, 
to  Miss  Anna  Dora  Engelsen,  who  was 
born  and  reared  in  Norway,  and  when  a 
young  lady  came  to  America,  where  she 
attended  the  English  schools  for  a  short 
time.  By  this  union  were  born  six  chil- 
dren who  are  still  living,  namely :  Engle 
B.,  a  resident  of  Iowa;  Elmer  T.,  of  Xorth 
Dakota;  Joseph  E.,  who  is  in  this  county; 
Milton  L.,  Bertha  E.  and  Ellen  M..  all  at 
home.  Those  deceased  were  James  M..  who 
died  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years;  Lilly  .\., 


who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen ;  Bertha  and 
Angeline.  who  died  of  scarlet  fever  at  the 
age  of  f(jur  and  two  }-ears.  respectively, 
and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 

]Mr.  Englesen  has  been  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican since  casting  his  first  vote  for  General 
U.  S.  Grant  in  1868,  but  he  has  never  cared 
for  political  preferment.  In  the  spring  of 
1900  he  was  elected  township  assessor,  and 
for  some  years  was  a  member  of  the  school 
board  in  Pontiac  township.  Religiously,  he 
and  his  wife  and  daughters  are  members  of 
the  Lutheran  church,  while  some  of  his  sons 
hold  memliership  in  the  i\Iethodist  Episco- 
pal church.  His  life  has  been  one  of  indus- 
try and  perseverance  and  he  is  deserving  of 
the  hioh  reeard  in  which  he  is  held. 


PATRICK  H.  KANE. 

Patrick  H.  Kane,  the  genial  and  popular 
proprietor  of  the  Transient  House  of  Pon- 
tiac. which  is  conveniently  located  near  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  depot,  was  born 
in  Holyoke,  Massachusetts,  March  14,  i860. 
a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Lannan)   Kane.  m 

The  father  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  as  a        il 
young  man  came  to  America,  locating  first 
in  ^Massachusetts,  where  he  worked  in  the 
woolen  mills  for  many  years,  being  night 
foreman   for  some  time.     On  leaving  that 
state  in   1863  he  came  to  Illinois  and  set- 
tled   fi\e   miles    southwest   of    Ottawa.    La 
Salle  county,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,         ■ 
later   following  the  same  pursuit  in  Allen       •  * 
township,  the  same  county.     Selling  out  he 
came  to  Li\'ingston  county  and  took  up  his 
residence  in  Xe\'ada  township,  but  his  last 
days  were   spent   as   a   farmer   in   Sullivan 
township,  where  he  held  different  township 


THE    BIOGRArHICAL    RECORD. 


127 


offices.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and 
one  of  tlie  early  members  of  tlie  Catholic 
church  of  Dwight.  He  died  in  July.  1895. 
antl  his  wife  passed  away  in  the  fall  of  1881. 

During  his  boyhood  our  subject  attended 
the  public  schools  of  La  Salle  and  Livings- 
ton counties,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years 
l)egan  life  for  himself  by  working  as  a  farm 
hand.  lia\ing  become  thoroughly  familiar 
with  that  occupation  on  his  father's  farm. 
Subsef|uently  he  went  to  Xel)raska  and  en- 
tered the  emi)l(y  of  the  L'nion  Pacific  Rail- 
road as  brakenian  on  the  line  running  from 
Lincoln  to  \'alparaiso  and  later  to  Strawns- 
burg  on  the  main  line,  remaining  with  the 
company  four  years  and  four  mi:)nths,  after 
which  he  returned  to  Illinois. 

iNlr.  Kane  was  married.  July  2.  1881. 
the  day  President  Garfield  was  shot,  to  Miss 
Rosa  Young,  a  native  of  Lincoln,  Illinois, 
and  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Young,  one  of  the 
early  farmers  of  Saunders  county.  Nebraska. 
They  lived  in  \'alparai.so,  Nebraska,  early 
in  1883,  before  returning  to  Pontiac,  where 
Mr.  Kane  worked  for  H.  C.  Bruner  as  fore- 
man and  burner  at  his  tile  and  brick  works, 
doing  all  the  burning  until  he  severed  his 
connection  with  that  gentleman  in  Jime. 
189O.  For  two  years  he  had  entire  charge  of 
the  plant  and  Inirned  eighteen  or  nineteen 
kilns  a  week.  Later  he  was  with  John  H. 
i-mith,  when  he  run  the  factory,  and  had  the 
entire  confidence  and  respect  of  both  gentle- 
men. Before  leaving  their  employ  be  built  a 
house  in  River  ^'iew  addition  to  Pontiac, 
which  lie  traded  in  1895  *'"■  ^  hotel  in  Clav 
City,  Illinois,  but  after  conducting  the  latter 
for  a  year  he  returned  to  Pontiac,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  restaurant,  bakery  and  con- 
itctionery  Inisiness  until  May  24,  i899.when 
he  bought  the  Transient  House  and  has  since 
successfully  engaged  in  the  hotel  business. 


It  is  a  nice  two-story  frame  building,  and 
in  connection  with  this  Mr.  Kane  owns  a 
large  lot.  He  also  has  a  good  hou.se  and 
lot  on  Madison  street  and  has  successfully 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  for  him- 
self, having  owned  a  number  of  different 
places.  'He  is  a  good,  reliable  business 
man,  and  the  prosperity  that  has  attended 
his  efforts  is  certainly  justly  merited. 

Mr.  Kane's  first  wife  died  while  on  a 
visit  to  her  old  home,  in  1888.  leaving  two 
children,  Elvira  and  Sadie,  who  are  now 
being  educated  in  a  convent.  In  1894  he 
married  Mrs.  Xancy  Adams,  of  Pontiac, 
a  daughter  of  Samuel  Garner,  who  was  one 
of  the  pioneer  residents  of  this  city  and  at 
one  time  a  prominent  property  owner. 

As  a  Democrat  Mr.  Kane  has  e\er  taken 
an  actixe  part  in  local  politics,  but  has  never 
been  an  aspirant  for  office,  though  he  took  a 
leading  part  in  the  political  affairs  of  the  first 
ward,  and  is  to-day  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent Democrats  in  the  ward  where  he  is 
now  living. 


S.V-MUEL  H.  BOYER. 

Samuel  H.  Boyer,  a  well-known  livery- 
man and  highly  respected  citizen  of  Dwight, 
Illinois,  was  born  in  Blair  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, July  25,  1858,  a  son  of  George 
W.  and  Mary  Ann  (Turnbaugh)  Boyer. 
The  Boyer  family  is  of  German  origin  and 
was  founded  in  this  country  in  early  colonial 
da}s.  His  great-grandfather.  John  Boyer, 
was  born  in  .\merica,  and  throughout  life 
engaged  in  farming  in  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania.  The  grandfather,  (ieorge 
Boyer.  was  born  in  that  county,  in  1800, 
and  married  Lydia  Rupp,  daughter  of  Jac<jb 
Rupp,  who  lived  near  Reading,  and  belonged 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


to  a  family  of  German  origin,  \\hich  was 
founded  in  Cumberland  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, soon  after  the  landing  of  William 
Penn.  To  George  and  Lydia  (Rupp)  Beyer 
were  born  six  children  :  Jacob,  John,  George 
W.,  William,  Samuel  and  Sarah.  The  father 
of  this  family  died  in  Pennsylvania,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-eight  years.  He  was  a  Lu- 
theran in  religious  belief  and  a  Republican 
in  politics. 

George  A\'.  Boyer,  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Februar}-  20.  1827,  and  accompanied 
his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Blair  county, 
that  state,  \\here  he  engaged  in  farming  se\'- 
eral  years.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
received  a  common-school  education.  On 
the  24th  of  May,  1849,  li^  married  Mary 
Ann,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Catherine 
(Cherry)  Turnbaugh,  who  were  of  German 
ancestry  and  lived  near  Altoona,  Blair  coun- 
ty. By  this  union  were  born  seven  children, 
namely :  Henr}-,  who  married  Nellie  Mor- 
ris ;  Annetta,  who  married  James  B.  Austin ; 
Samuel  H.,  our  subject;  Sarah  C,  wife  of 
Dwight  P.  Mills;  Climenia  E.,  now  Mrs. 
Muro  Bertholic;  Alfred  A.,  of  Dwight;  and 
George  W..  who  died  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years.  The  father  was  a  member  of  Company 
E,  One  Hundred  and  Fourth  Pennsyh'ania 
Volunteer  Infantry,  during  the  latter  part 
of  the  Civil  war,  and  was  honorably  dis- 
charged at  Philadelphia,  after  which  he  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  Blair  county.  In  1867 
be  came  to  Lix'ingston  count}-,  Illinois,  and 
purchased  a  farm  on  section  20,  Dwight 
township,  where  he  resided  until  a  few  years 
ago,  when  he  retired  to  Dwight.  He  has 
always  affiliated  with  the  Republican  party 
and  has  held  several  township  offices,  in- 
cluding those  of  school  director  and  road 
commissioner.     Both  he  and  his  wife  are 


members  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  are 
highly  respected  and  esteemed  by  all  who 
.  know  them. 

Samuel  H.  Boyer  was  only  nine  years 
of  age  on  the  removal  of  the  family  to  this 
county,  and  in  the  schools  of  Dwight  town- 
ship he  acquired  his  education.  He  remained 
at  home  until  twenty-five  years  of  age.  On 
the  30th  of  January,  1884,  Mr.  Boyer  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Jennie  Lower, 
also  a  native  of  Blair  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Mary  E. 
(Downs)  Lower,  who  were  born  in  the 
same  state.  In  early  life  her  father  learned 
the  lilacksmith's  trade,  which  he  continued 
to  follow  until  his  retirement  recently  from 
active  labor.  He  brought  his  family  to  Illi- 
nois in  i86s  and  first  located  in  Lanark,  but 
a  few  years  later  came  to  Dwight,  where 
he  has  since  made  his  home,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  short  time  spent  in  farming  in 
Broughton  township,  this  county.  In  1891 
he  built  a  hotel  in  Dwight,  to  which  he  gave 
the  name  of  Pennsylvania  House,  and  which 
he  conducted  for  seven  years,  and  where  he 
still  resides.  In  his  family  were  ten  chil- 
dren, of  whom  seven  are  now  living,  !Mrs. 
Boyer  being  the  second  in  order  of  birth. 
Her  mother  died  in  February,  1898.  To  our 
subject  and  his  wife  have  been  born  five 
children,  namely :  Harvey,  Ehvood,  Clar- 
ence, Ira  and  Ralph. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Boyer  engaged  in 
farming  upon  rented  land  for  a  time  and 
then  operated  Mr.  Lower's  farm  in  Brough- 
ton township  for  six  years.  In  the  fall  of 
1 89 1  he  built  a  large  livery  stable  in  Dwight 
and  to  tliat  place  he  removed  in  January  of 
the  following  year,  and  has  since  devoted 
his  time  and  attention  to  the  livery  business 
with  good  success. 

In  politics  Mr.  Boyer  is  a  Reijublican,  but 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


129 


has  never  l»een  an  as])irant  tor  ctffice.  He 
attends  tlie  Metliodist  Ejjiscdpal  church  and 
affihates  with  Dwight  Canii>.  Xo.  jjo,  S. 
(if  \'..  of  which  lie  is  captain  ;  Hebron  Lodge, 
Xo.  513.  I.  O.  O.  ¥..  and  Dwight  Court  of 
Honor.  X<i.  :;oS. 


JOHX  ck.\r,r.. 

Jolin  Craljl).  who  is  industriously  en- 
gaged in  agricuhural  pursuits  upon  a  good 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  on 
section  9,  Pike  townsliip.  Livingston  coun- 
ty. Ilhnois.  was  l)orn  in  Forfarshire.  Scot- 
land. July  I.  1)^39,  a  son  of  James  and  Ce- 
celia ( Monroe )  Crabb,  also  natives  of  that 
country,  where  the  mother  died.  The  fa- 
ther was  of  English  descent. 

Our  subject  was  reared  and  educated  in 
his  native  land  and  for  three  years  prir)r 
to  his  emigration  to  America  he  worked  in 
a  foundrA-.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  de- 
cided to  try  his  fortune  on  this  side  of  the 
Atlantic  and  took  passage  on  a  sailing  ves- 
sel at  Montrose.  The  voyage  lasted  six 
weeks,  during  which  time  they  encountered 
two  severe  storms,  but  finally  landed  at  Que- 
bec in  safety  in  .\ugust.  1857,  and  proceeded 
at  once  to  Tazewell  county,  Illinois,  where 
his  brothers,  Henry  and  Archie,  had  pre- 
\iously  located.  They  were  joined  b\'  their 
father  two  or  three  years  later  and  he  made 
his  home  in  this  country  throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  dying  in  1875  ^^  ^''^  '''1"^ 
old  age  of  eighty-one  years. 

.\t  first  John  Crabb  worked  on  a  farm  by 
the  mouth  and  later  he  and  his  brother, 
Archie,  rented  land  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing together  for  seven  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  period  the  ])ro]>erty  was  divided  and 
our  subject  came  to  Livingston  county  and 


])urcha.sed  a  tract  of  raw  prairie  land  in 
Pike  township,  to  Ihe  improvement  and 
cultivation  of  which  he  devoted  his  energies 
until  1889,  when  he  sold  that  place  and 
bought  his  present  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  on  section  9,  the  same 
township.  At  that  time  it  was  only  .slightly 
improved,  but  he  has  remodeled  the  resi- 
dence, tiled  the  land,  erected  good  outbuild- 
ings and  made  many  other  improvements, 
transforming  it  into  a  most  ilesirable  farm. 

On  the  J5th  of  December,  1865.  in  Liv- 
ingston county.  Mr.  Crabb  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Hannah  E.  Capes,  a 
sister  of  I)a\id  D.  Capes,  whose  sketch  ap- 
pears on  another  i)age  of  this  volume.  She 
was  born  in  Lincolnshire.  England,  but  was 
only  three  years  old  when  brought  to  this 
Country  by  her  father,  Willoughby  Capes, 
who  first  settled  in  Tazewell  county,  Illi- 
nois. I)ut  later  came  to  Livingston  countv. 
^Ir.  and  Mrs.  Crabb  have  a  family  of  seven 
children,  namely:  Charles,  who  is  married 
and  engaged  in  farming  in  this  county :  Wal- 
ter, at  home;  Ada,  wife  of  Henry  Beeks. 
a  farmer  of  Benton  county,  Indiana ;  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  Lucius  Phillips,  a  farmer  of 
Pike  township,  this  county;  Dora,  Ethel  and 
Zephyr,  all  at  home. 

Politically,  Mr.  Crabb  was  originally  a 
Rejiublican,  but  of  late  years  has  supported 
the  Democratic  party,  and  being  a  friend  of 
temperance  he  takes  an  interest  in  the  Pro- 
l-.ibition  movement.  He  was  an  efficient 
member  of  the  school  board  for  some  vears 
and  gives  his  support  to  every  enterprise 
which  he  believes  calculated  to  advance  the 
moral,  educational  or  social  welfare  of  the 
community  in  which  he  lives.  Religiously, 
both  he  and  his  estimable  wife  are  earnest 
and  consistent  members  of  the  Bethel  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church. 


I30 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


CHARLES  A.  McGKECOR. 

Few  men  are  more  ])n)minent  <>i"  nmre 
■\videlv  known  in  tlie  enterprising  city  of 
Pontine  than  the  gentleman  whose  name 
introduces  this  sketcli.  He  was  born  in  WW- 
mington,  CHnton  county,  Ohio,  IVIarch  14. 
1843.  and  is  a  son  of  John  H.  McGregor, 
who  was  born  in  Orange  county.  North 
CaroHna,  August  30,  181 4.  The  grandfa- 
ther, John  McGregor,  a  native  of  the  higli- 
lands  of  Scotland,  settled  in  North  Caro- 
Hna on  his  emigration  to  this  counry,  and 
there  he  was  a  professor  in  an  educational 
institution  and  also  a  land  owner.  \Vhen  his 
son,  John  H.,  was  three  years  old  he  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  Green  River,  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  purchased  a  large  amount 
of  land,  but  seven  years  later  disposed  of  his 
property  there  and  moved  to  Clinton  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  where  he  bought  more  land,  mak- 
ing his  home  there  throughout  the  remainder 
of  his  life. 

John  H.  McGregor,  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  educated  in  Lcjuisville,  Kentucky. 
and  was  admitted  to  the  Ijar  in  Clinton  coun- 
ty, Ohio.  In  Wilmington,  Ohio,  he  was 
married,  October  3,  1838,  by  Rev.  Joseph  L. 
Irvin,  to  J^Iiss  Mary  J.  Buxton,  who  was 
born  in  W'arren  county,  that  state,  March 
27,  1 82 1,  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Eliza 
(Vandoren)  Buxton.  Her  father,  who  was 
of  English  birth,  died  when  she  was  only 
four  years  old.  At  an  early  day  the  father 
of  our  subject  removed  to  the  territory  of 
Iowa  and  located  in  Davenport,  owning  the 
original  claim  on  which  that  city  was 
founded  in  partnership  with  his^jrother  and 
another  gentleman.  In  1850  he  remo\ed  to 
Ottawa,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  law,  having  his  ofifice  with  Dr. 
Stout,  the  noted  abolitionist,  and  in  Octo- 


ber, 1852.  before  the  railroad  was  built, 
came  to  I'ontiac.  where  he  was  first  engaged 
ii;  practice  with  Mr.  DeW'itt.  the  earliest  at- 
torney of  the  ])lace.  but  later  was  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  McGregor  &  Dart.  He 
erected  one  of  the  first  buildings  of  any 
size  in  the  town,  the  lumber  being  hauled 
from  Ottawa,  a  distance  of  forty  miles,  and 
was  one  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of 
tontiac  in  that  day,  as  well  as  one  of  the 
leading  lawyers  of  this  section  of  the  state, 
being  engaged  in  practice  with  Lincoln, 
Caton  and  other  illustrious  men.  He  died 
Januarv  5,  1856,  honored  and  respected  by 
all  who  knew  him.  His  wife  is  still  living 
and  is  one  of  the  two  surviving  charter  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Pontiac. 
He  left  five  children,  namelx' :  Elizabeth, 
who  married  A.  J.  Laws,  but  is  now  de- 
ceased;  Emma,  Charles  A..  Alonzo  H.  and 
H.  Burton,  all  residents  of  Pontiac. 

The  early  education  of  Charles  A.  Mc- 
Gregor, acquired  in  the  public  schools,  was 
supplemented  by  a  course  at  Dickinson  Col- 
lege, Carlisle,  Pennsylvania.  He  left  col- 
lege to  return  home  and  enlisted  in  the  spring 
of  1863,  joining  Company  C,  Thirty-ninth 
Illinois  \'olunteer  Infantry,  which  was  then 
stationed  in  front  of  Richmond.  From  that 
time  on  he  was  in  all  the  engagements  in 
which  his  regiment  took  part,  including  the 
battles  around  Richmond  and  Petersburg, 
and  after  Lee's  surrender  did  provost  duty, 
remaining  in  the  service  until  December, 
1865,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged. 

Returning  to  Pontiac  Mr.  ^IcGregor  was 
interested  in  a  grocery  store  one  year.  He 
had  been  practically  brought  up  in  the  drug 
business,  as  from  the  age  of  thirteen  years 
he  had  worked  in  a  drug  store  when  not  in 
school  until  he  entered  the  army,  and  so 
had  acquired  a  very  good  knowledge  of  that 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


'31 


business.  As  a  clerk  lie  had  charge  (if  the 
grocery  store  of  Mr.  Turner,  but  also  re- 
ceived a  percentage  of  the  profits,  and  so 
was  really  interested  in  the  business.  In 
1807,  in  partnership  with  [.  A.  Caldwell, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Caldwell  &  McGreg- 
or, he  embarked  in  the  drug  business  on  his 
own  account  on  Mill  street,  where  business 
was  carried  on  for  a  number  of  years,  but 
in  1S72  they  built  a  fine  block  on  the  corner 
of  Mill  and  Madison  streets,  which  at  that 
time  was  the  best  business  house  in  the  city, 
it  being  20x1 10  feet  in  dimensions  and  two 
stories  in  height.  Here  Mr.  McGregor  is 
still  engaged  in  business,  occupying  all  of 
the  main  floor,  part  of  the  second  and  most 
of  the  liasement.  The  firm  built  up  the 
largest  drug  trade  in  this  section  of  the  state 
and  about  twenty  years  added  to  their  stock 
a  fine  line  of  jewelry  and  silverware,  which 
])roved  quite  i)rofitable.  They  also  dealt  in 
books,  stationery,  wall  paper,  etc.  They 
erected  the  building  adjoining  their  store  and 
also  owned  another  where  the  Sterry  block 
now  stands.  In  February.  1895,  Mr.  Mc- 
Gregor purchased  his  partner's  interest  and 
has  since  been  alone  in  business.  He  has 
erected  a  number  of  business  blocks,  owning 
five  buildings  on  the  main  business  streets 
of  the  city  besides  the  one  he  occupies,  and 
also  has  considerable  residence  property  and, 
with  his  children,  owns  several  farms.  He 
was  one  of  the  early  stockholders  of  the 
Livingston  County  National  Bank  and  an 
original  stockholder  of  the  Pontiac  Nationni 
Bank,  as  well  as  a  director  of  both.  In 
business  affairs  he  is  energetic,  prompt  and 
notably  reliable  and  carries  forward  to  suc- 
cessful completion  whatever  he  undertakes. 
On  the  23d  of  November,  1871,  Mr. 
McGregor  married  Miss  Eunice  J.  Johnson, 
a  native  of  Tohnson's  Cross  Roads,  Green- 


brier county,  \'irginia,  and  a  daughter  of 
Morris  Johnson,  who  came  to  Pontiac  about 
i860  and  was  here  engaged  in  general  mer- 
chandising and  the  stock  business  for  man}' 
years.  By  this  union  were  born  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  three  still  live:  Bernice  E. ; 
VJWs  J.,  now  a  student  in  the  law  depart- 
ment of  the  L'nivcrsity  nf  Michigan;  and 
Lewis  C.  at  home.  I'hc  wife  and  mother, 
who  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episco])aI  church  and  a  most  estimable 
woman,  died  in  January,  1888.  Mr.  Mc- 
Gregor hi  lids  nienil)crship  in  the  Presby- 
terian church  and  for  many  years  has  been  a 
trustee  of  the  same.  He  also  took  an  active 
])art  in  Sunday  school  work  for  some  years. 
He  has  never  had  time  nor  inclination  for 
])olitical  affairs,  though  he  has  served  as 
alderman  from  his  ward  and  ever  stands 
ready  to  discharge  any  duty  devolving  upon 
him. 


HON.  LAB.\X  M.  STROUD. 

Hon.  Laban  M.  Stroud,  who  is  now 
living  a  retired  life  on  his  farm  near  Pon- 
tiac, has  been  a  resident  of  the  state  since 
1830.  He  is  a  native  of  Tennessee,  born 
near  the  city  of  Nashville,  Di.xon  county, 
September  27,  1822,  and  is  the  son  of 
'I'homas  and  Sally  (Thompson)  Stroud,  the 
former  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  born  in 
1791,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Virginia 
and  daughter  of  Neal  Thompson,  who  lo- 
cated in  Tennessee  in  1789,  and  there  be- 
came a  large  and  wealthy  planter  and  where 
the  remainder  of  his  life  was  passed.  Thomas 
Stroud  was  a  son  of  Jesse  and  grandson  of 
Peter  Stroud,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  North  Carolina,  but  of  English  and  Irish 
ancestry.     Jesse  Stroud  moved  from  North 


^y- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Carolina  to  Tennessee  and  located  in  Obion 
county,  where  he  owned  a  large  plantation 
and  a  number  of  slaves. 

Thomas  Stroud  grew  to  manhood  in 
Tennessee  and  in  1812  married  Sally 
Thompson,  by  whom  he  iiad  a  family  of 
two  sons  and  seven  daughters,  two  only  of 
the  number  now  living,  our  subject  and  his 
sister,  Mrs.  Artimissa  Higgs,  now  living 
with  our  subject.  The  other  members  of 
the  family  were  Cassa  R..  Fanetta,  Sinia 
Sabury,  l{!llen.  Obedience  Lee,  Mourning 
Tilford,  Julian  and  Milton  P. 

Thomas  Stroud  was  a  soldier  in  the 
war  of  1812  and  served  under  General  Jack- 
son. He  was  a  planter  in  Tennessee  for, 
some  years  after  his  marriage,  but.  with  the 
desire  to  better  provide  for  his  family,  he 
came  to  Illinois  in  1830.  tirst  stopping  in 
Sangamon  county,  where  he  spent  one  sea- 
son, and  then  moved  to  that  portion  of  Taze- 
well county  which  was  later  detached  and 
now  forms  the  county  of  Logan.  On  settling 
in  the  latter  county  he  took  up  a  claim  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  a  part  of  which  was 
government  land,  which  he  improved  and  on 
which  he  continued  to  live  until  his  death, 
March  7,  1858.  His  wife  passed  away  in 
1857. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  eight 
years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents 
to  Illinois.  His  educational  advantages 
were  limited,  but  his  advantages  for  work 
were  not.  The  farm  was  to  be  improved, 
crops  were  to  be  planted  and  harvested,  and 
he  must  do  his  share  of  the  work.  In  his 
youth,  however,  he  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade  with  his  uncle.  Colonel  S.  M.  Thomp- 
son, but  he  continued  to  make  his  home  with 
his  parents  until  some  years  after  attaining 
his  majority. 

On  the  7th  of  April,   1847.  ^Ir.  Stroud 


was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eh'v 
Adams,  who  was  born  in  Bedford  county, 
Tennessee,  January  9,  1826,  and  daughter 
of  Captain  John  G.  Adams,  a  native  of  one 
of  the  Carolinas.  but  who  came  to  Illinois 
and  located  in  Tazewell  county  in  1828, 
when  his  daughter  was  but  two  years  old. 
He  was  in  command  of  a  cavalry  companv 
in  the  Black  Hawk  war  and  was  killed  by 
the  Indians.  His  wife  was  so  shocked  by  the 
death  of  her  husljand  that  she  lost  her  mind 
and  never  recovered,  though  she  lived  many 
yeard  afterward.,  dying  when  seventy-five 
years  old.  The  family  were  of  Scotch  an- 
cestry and  were  early  settlers  of  North  Caro- 
lina, from  which  state  they  moved  to  Ten- 
nessee and  later  to  Illinois. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Stroud  bought 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  unimproved 
land,  which  he  improved  and  on  which  he 
continued  to  live  until  1879,  in  the  mean- 
time adding  to  its  area  until  it  comprised  a 
well  improved  farm  of  four  hundred  and 
twenty-five  acres.  Renting  his  place  he 
moved  to  Minier,  where  he  bought  residence 
property  and  wliere  he  made  his  home  for 
ten  years.  He  then  came  to  Livingston 
county  and  took  up  his  residence  on  his 
farm  adjoining  the  city  of  Pontiac,  which  he 
purchased  at  that  time,  comprising  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-three  acres,  all  of  which  is 
under  improvement.  He  had  previously,  in 
1885,  purchased  a  farm  of  four  hundred 
acres  lying  northeast  of  'the  city  of  Pontiac. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stroud  seven  children 
were  born.  Louisa  is  the  wife  of  H.  H. 
Darnell,  of  Tazewell  county,  Illinois.  Mar- 
tha is  the  wife  of  William  Neal  Mountjoy, 
of  Logan  county,  Illinois.  Thomas  Frank 
resides  in  Omaha,  Nebraska.  Mrs.  Sarah 
Jane  Livesay  is  a  resident  of  Livingston 
countv.      Parmelia  Annie  resides  at  home. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


•33 


Joliii  (I.  is  marriecl  aiul  is  entjageil  in  farm- 
ing in  Livingston  county.  Warren  M.  is 
carrying  on  the  home  farm,  .\fter  fifty-twi) 
\-ears  of  a  happy  wedded  life  Mrs.  Stroud 
passed  to  licr  reward  December  5,  iSgt), 
while  on  a  visit  to  the  old  neighborhuod  in 
Logan  county,  where  so  many  years  of  her 
life  were  s])ent.  Her  remains  were  laid  tn 
rest  in  the  Xiblack  cemetery,  there  tn  wait 
the  resurrection  day.  She  was  a  faith fvU 
heliimeet  to  her  husband,  to  whom  she  was 
greatly  attached,  and  was  a  most  loving 
mother.  The  familv  and  all  who  knew  her 
in  tliis  life  will  always  hold  her  in  gr;iteful 
remembrance. 

I'olitically  Mr.  Stroud  isa  Jack.s<!n  Dem- 
ocrat and  he  has  been  an  earnest  advocate 
of  the  principles  of  his  party  throughout 
life.  His  first  presidential  vote  was  cast  for 
James  K.  Polk  in  1844,  and  from  that  time 
to  the  present  the  nominee  of  his  party  lias 
always  received  his  ballot.  By  his  fellow- 
citizens  he  has  been  honored  with  \arious 
local  ofHces.  ser\ing  for  many  years  as  a 
member  of  the  coiuuy  bnard  of  supervisors. 
In  1872  he  was  elected  by  his  party  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Cieneral.\ssembly,the  district  com- 
prising the  counties  of  Tazewell  and  Logan, 
and  ser\ed  two  years,  during  which  time  he 
served  on  several  inijjrotant  committees  and 
was  known  as  a  working  member.  Believ- 
ing that  iithers  shoidd  serve,  he  declined 
further  political  honors.  Since  he  was  eigh- 
teen iif  age  Mr.  Stroud  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Christian  church  and  has  e\er  taken 
an  interest  in  the  work  of  the  church  and  in 
the  evangelization  of  the  world.  His  good 
wife  was  also-a  member  of  the  same  church. 
At  the  ])resent  time  his  membership  is  with 
the  church  in  Pontiac. 

Like  thousands  of  the  well-to-do  luen  of 
this  countrv,  Mr.  Stroud  began  life  with  but 


little  means,  but  he  had  health,  a  gond  con- 
stitution, a  stiiut  heart  and  willing  hands. 
lie  was  not  afraid  nf  work,  and  with  tem- 
])er;ile  habits  and  an  earnest  desire  to  do 
right  with  his  fellnw  men.  he  has  labored  on 
until  to-dav  he  is  the  owner  of  si.x  well  ini- 
l)ro\ed  farms,  comprising  about  two  thou- 
sand acres,  and  is  well  content  to  live  a  (|uiet 
life,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labor  in  the 
past,  while  others  shall  take  up  the  more 
active  duties.  Well  knuwn  ;m<l  universally 
respected,  he  can  quietlv  re\iew  the  jiast  w  ith 
the  satisfaction  nf  cme  wlm  has  nut  lived  in 
\ain.  while  those  that  know  him  can  feel 
that  the  world  is  better  for  the  life  that  he 
has  li\'ed. 


WILLIAM  T,  CR.VWl'ORl). 

William  T.  Crawford,  a  prominent  horse 
dealer,  who  has  since  1875  been  an  active 
factor  in  the  business  life  of  I'lntiac,  Illi- 
nois, was  b(jrn  in  \'ew  \'iirk  City  October 
13,  i8_^_'.  and  is  a  son  of  .\ndrew  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Turner)  Crawford,  the  former  a 
native  of  Ireland,  the  latter  of  .Xew  N'ork, 
where  their  marriage  was  celebrated,  the 
father  having  come  to  this  country  when  a 
voung  man.  Meeting  with  business  reverses 
in  the  metroplis,  he  removed  to  Harrison 
count  V,  ( )hio.  where  he  to(]k  up  laml  and 
Commenced  life  anew  in  very  limiteil  cir- 
cumstances. Though  the  country  where  he 
settled  was  hilly  and  stonv  and  covered  with 
a  heavy  growth  of  timlier.  he  steadily  ])ros- 
pered,  and  by  hard  work,  good  management 
and  close  econ«)my  he  became  possessed  of 
considerable  land,  being  (piite  well  off  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
.Xovember,  i88(>.  The  mother  died  on  the 
old  home  farm  in   1897.     Both  were  faithful 


134 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


meml)ers  of  tlie  Methodist  Episcdpal  church 
and  were  higlily  esteemed  in  the  cir.nniunity 
where  they  made  their  home. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  began  his  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  New  Yori<  Cit}', 
but  was  only  eight  years  old  when  the  family 
removed  to  Ohio.  The  school  house  nearest 
his  father's  home  was  two  miles  distance 
and  the  ]3ath  lay  through  the  wnods.  His 
mother  went  \vitli  him  the  first  day,  carry- 
ing a  hatchet,  with  which  she  marked  the 
trees  that  he  might  find  his  way  lionie  again 
at  night.  The  school  proved  quite  different 
from  the  one  he  had  attended  in  the  city, 
but  he  managed  to  acquire  a  good  practical 
education.  On  leaving  home,  in  1 854,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years,  he  went  to  Scott 
county,  Iowa,  and  spent  one  year  on  a  farm 
some  twentv  miles  west  of  Davenport. 

]\Ir.  Crawford  then  returneil  home  and 
■was  married,  February  14,  1856,  to  Miss 
Sarah  Johnston,  daughter  of  Andrew  John- 
ston, who  was  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry,  and 
to  them  have  been  born  six  children,  namely : 
Elizabeth,  now  the  wife  of  Charles  Strevelle, 
of  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah ;  George  A.,  who  is 
in  business  with  his  father  and  has  served 
as  alderman  in  Pontiac;  Ada,  wife  of  Albert 
Dolde;  Elmer,  a  resident  of  Montana;  Will- 
iam, who  has  been  connected  with  the  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Pontiac  for  some  years;  and 
Maude,  at  home. 

In  the  spring  of  \H^('>.  a  short  time  after 
his  marriage,  Mr.  L'rawford  mo\-ed  to 
Bloomington,  Illinois,  where  he  followed 
farming  for  three  years,  and  then  bought  a 
farm  in  Tazewell  county,  which  he  operated 
six  years.  His  ne.xt  home  was  a  farm  north- 
west of  Bloomington,  nn  which  was  laid  out 
the  town  of  Yuton,  and  on  selling  that  place 
he  mo\-ed  to  Bloomington.  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  horse  and  cattle  business  for  a 


number  of  years,  beciuning  a  \-ery  extensi\'e 
shipper  of  cattle  and  hogs.  He  was  among* 
the  first  from  that  city  to  send  cattle  to  the 
Union  stockyards,  Chicago,  to  be  sold  on 
ci^mmission,  and  was  the  first  to  ship  horses 
there  fur  that  purpose.  He  owned-  the  first 
car-load  of  horses  e\er  put  in  the  old  brick 
barn  knuwn  as  the  G:ioper  barn,  and  has 
handled  those  animals  on  quite  an  extensive 
scale  e\er  since.  He  buys  mainly  in  Iowa 
and  Montana,  and  sells  from  three  to  five 
hundred  western  h(.irses  ex'ery  year,  dealing' 
in  draft  horses  and  fine  drivers.  No  one  in 
this  section  handles  as  many  as  the  Craw- 
fords — father  and  son — and  they  have  met 
with  most  excellent  success.  Although  he 
has  traveled  so  extensively  in  the  interests 
of  his  business  and  been  brought  in  contact 
with  all  classes  of  iieople,  Mr.  Crawford  has 
ne\-er  tasted  intoxicating  drinks,  and  has 
led  a  most  exemplary  life,  commanding  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  all  who  know  him. 
He  has  never  taken  an  active  part  in  poli- 
tics, ]ireferring"  to  give  his  undix'ided  atten- 
tion to  his  business  interests. 


JOHN  DENEHE. 

It  is  said  that  biograjihy  yields  to  no 
cither  su1)ject  in  ])oint  of  interest  and  profit 
and  is  is  especially  interesting  to  note  the 
])rogress  that  has  been  made  along  various 
lines  of  business  by  those  of  foreign  birth, 
who  have  sought  homes  in  America — the 
readiness  with  which  they  adapt  themselves 
to  the  different  methods  and  customs  of 
America,  recognize  the  advantages  offered 
and  utilize  the  o])portunities  which  the  new 
world  attords.  \\'e  find  a  worth}-  repre- 
sentative of  this  class  in  John  Denehe,  the 


THE    LiOGRAPniCAL    RECORD. 


135 


present  foreman  of  the  locomotive  and  car 
dei)artnient  at  tlic  rouiul  house  in  Dwiglit. 
whicli  is  the  end  of  the  Peoria  (U\  ision  of 
tlie  C'liicagfo  &  Alton  Railroad. 

Mr.  Henehe  was  I>orn  in  ci>unty  Water- 
ford,  Ireland,  Decemher  23,  1846,  a  son  of 
Edward  and  Margaret  Denelie,  farming  peo- 
l>le,  wliii  spent  their  entire  lives  in  that  coun- 
trv.  (  )ur  suhect  grew  to  manhood  on  the 
lK>me  farm  with  \-ery  limited  educational  ad- 
vantages. At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he 
crossed  the  ocean  alone  anil  landed  on  .\mer- 
ican  soil,  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land,  lie 
stopped  first  in  Xew  \'(irk,  and  remaineil 
ahont  three  vears  in  that  city  and  \icinity. 
where  he  \\:is  eniplciycd  as  a  gardener  and 
farm  lahorcr. 

.\t  h'lathusli,  Xew  \i<vk,  Mr.  Denehe  was 
marrie<l.  .\ugust  J,  iS()8,  to  Miss  Briilget 
Taylor,  a  nati\e  of  count}'  West  Meath,  Ire- 
land, who  came  to  this  country  ahont  the 
same  time  as  her  husband.  They  have  three 
sons:  'i'homas  ]•"..,  inspector  and  repairer  of 
cars  at  Dwight:  William,  who  married 
limma  Smith,  of  JJwight,  and  is  now  a  tire- 
man  on  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroatl,  and 
John  E.,  at  home. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Denehe  moved 
to  \  alparaiso,  Indiana,  where  he  worked  in 
a  saw-mill  one  season,  and  then  went  to  Ee- 
mont,  Illinois,  where  he  was  employed  on 
the  construction  of  the  canal  two  years.  In 
1871  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Blooming- 
ton  and  entered  the  shops  of  the  Chicago  & 
Alton  Railroad,  where  he  worked  as  car 
truck  builder  until  the  fall  of  iS/j.  Xeed- 
iiig  a  reliable  man  at  Dwight,  the  company 
sent  Mr.  Denehe  there  in  September  of  that 
year  to  take  charge  of  the  car  department. 
He  held  that  jHisition  until  1885,  when  he 
was  promoted  to  foreman,  in  which  capacit}' 
he  has  since  served  the  road  to  their  entire 


satisfaction.  He  has  under  him  four  men 
in  the  car  department  and  seven  in  the  lo- 
comotive de[)artnient,  besides  seven  regular 
train  crews.  He  also  has  charge  of  their 
shop  at  \\'ashington,  Illinois,  and  for  some 
lime  had  charge  of  those  at  Eacon  and 
Streator.  He  came  U<  the  new  world  with 
the  hope  of  making  his  fortune  and  his 
lireams  have  been  more  than  realized,  and 
he  is  to-day  a  well-to-do  man.  Besides  his 
])leasant  residence  in  Dwight,  erected  by 
him  in  1874,  he  has  a  fine  farm  of  six  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  in  Trego  county,  Kan- 
sas. He  is  intelligent  and  well  informed 
and  that  he  has  pro\-ed  an  efficient  and  x'alued 
cniplciyee  is  proxed  by  his  long  retention 
with  one  company,  for  he  has  now  been  with 
liie  Chicago  iS;  Alton  Railroad  Com])any  for 
twenty-eight  years.  His  success  in  life  is 
(hie  entire!}'  to  his  own  well-directed  and 
energetic  efforts,  for  he  came  to  this  coun- 
try empty-handed  and  has  had  to  make  his 
own  way  in  the  world  unaided.  He  and  his 
family  are  communicants  of  the  Catholic 
church,  and  he  is  identified  w  ilh  the  Republi- 
can i^art}'.  He  takes  an  acti\e  interest  in 
public  affairs  and  has  efticiently  servetl  as 
.school  trustee.  Eratcrnallv,  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Ancient  (_)rder  of  Hiijernians, 
and  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the 
lodge  in  Dwight.  He  has  held  all  the  offices 
in  the  lodge,  l)eing  active  in  the  order  as 
\\ell  as  in  public  affairs. 


Hi:RM.\X  EOM.M.VTSCH. 

Many  of  the  most  enteri)rising  and  pri/- 
gressive  farmers  r)f  Livingsttjn  cciunty  have 
come  from  the  land  beyond  the  sea.  and  al- 
though they  had  no  capital  when  the}'  lo- 


136 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


cated  liere  they  are  now  prosperous  and  suc- 
cessful. Among  the  most  prominent  of  tliese 
is  Herman  Lommatsch,  wlio  owns  and  oc- 
cupies on  excellent  farm  of  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  on  sections  23  and  24,  I'ike 
township,  and  also  has  property  elsewhere 
in  the  county. 

He  was  horn  in  Saxon\-.  (ierniany,  Oc- 
tober. 27.  1835.  '^''"'  ^^'^^  reared  on  a  farm 
in  his  native  land,  at  the  same  time  attentl- 
ing  school  for  eigljt  years.  In  1854,  at  the 
age  of  nineteen,  he  came  to  America  with 
his  father.  \\'illiam  Lommatsch.  taking  i)as- 
sage  on  a  sailing  vessel  at  Bremen  and  ar- 
riving in  Xew  ^'ork  after  a  \i)\age  of  six 
^\'eeks.  They  ])roceeded  at  once  to  Cincin- 
nati, and  from  there  went  to  Riple\'  county. 
Indiana,  where  for  fi\e  ^■ears  our  subject  as- 
sisted his  father  in  opening  up  a  farm. 

There  !Mr.  Lommatsch  was  married,  in 
June,  t8^C),  to  Augusta  I'ellwock.  also  a 
native  of  Saxony,  who  came  to  the  new 
world  when  a  girl  of  tweKe  \ears  and  grew 
to  womanhood  in  Indiana.  Ily  this  union 
ha\e  been  born  nine  children. namely  :Kmma. 
Wife  of  Jonathan  Chicodanse.  a  farmer  of 
Pike  township,  Lixingston  county:  Laura, 
wife  of  Fred  Altnian,  of  the  same  comity; 
Theodore,  who  is  married  and  li\es  on  the 
farm  in  Pike  township,  where  Mr.  Lom- 
matsch first  settled:  Louis,  w  lio  is  married 
and  follows  farming  in  the  same  township: 
Charles,  who  is  married  and  enga.ged  in 
business  in  Chenoa ;  Herman  1-.,  a  farmer 
of  Eppards  I'tiiiU  township;  Melan,  a 
farmer,  at  honie :  Lena  and  Xettie,  both  at 
home. 

After  his  marriage  ^Ir.  Lommatsch  con- 
tinued to  engage  in  farnnng  upon  his  fa- 
ther's place  in  Ripley  county.  Iniliana,  for 
two  years.  In  1861  he  came  to  Livingston 
county,  Illinois,  and  purcha.sed  eighty  acres 


f)f  land  in  Pike  township,  but  for  two  years 
he  operated  a  rented  farm  in  Eppards  Point 
townshi].).  and  then  located  upon  his  own 
place,  which  he  impros'ed  by  the  erection 
of  a  comfortable  resilience.  That  farm  was 
his  home  for  several  years,  during  which 
time  he  added  to  it  a  tract  of  one  hundred 
and  forty  acres  adjoining,  so  that  he  had 
two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  all.  Sub- 
scc|uently  he  purchased  eighty  acres  wdiere 
he  now  resides,  and  located  thereon  in  1878. 
He  has  extended  the  boundaries  of  his  place 
until  the\'  now  include  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  and  to  its  improvement  and 
cidtivation  he  has  devoted  his  energies  with 
excellent  results.  He  has  erected  a  large, 
neat  residence,  a  commodious  barn,  cribs  and 
sheds,  has  tiled  the  land,  set  out  shade  and 
fruit  trees,  and  has  converted  it  into  one 
of  the  most  desirable  farms  in  the  township, 
i'.esides  his  valuable  property  he  has  an- 
other farm  of  one  hundred  and  si.xty-seven 
acres  in  Eppards  Point  township.  His  suc- 
cess is  due  to  his  industry,  energy  and  i)er- 
severance.  and  c<imes  as  a  fitting  reward  for 
honest  toil.  J'olitically,  ]\lr.  Lommatsch  is 
a  stanch  Republican,  and  religiouslv  he  and 
l-.is  famil\-  are  members  of  the  I'^-vangelical 
cluu'ch. 


JOSIAH  X.  I'..\RR. 

For  forty-five  years  this  gentleman  has 
been  identified  witli  the  agricultural  interests 
of  Livingston  county,  and  now  owns  antl 
operates  a  well-improved  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  on  section  17,  F'lsmen 
township.  He  was  born  in  Lancaster  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  July  6,  1833,  and  is  a  son 
of  Jacob  and  Susan  (Rarr)  Barr.  also  na- 
tives of  Pennsvlvania  and   of  German  de- 


J.  N.  BARR. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


139 


scent.  Our  subject's  paternal  grandtatlier. 
Jacob  Barr.  Sr..  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
I  ancaster  county,  wbere  tlie  family  con- 
tinued ti>  make  their  home  until  1836,  when 
tiie  parents  of  our  subject  moved  to  Clark 
county,  Ohio,  and  tliere  tiie  father  cleared 
and  improved  a  farm.  In  that  county  they 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  the  mother 
dyinji' January,  1846.  and  the  fatlier  in  1848. 
At  the  death  of  the  mother  there  were  seven 
children  living,  of  whom  five  yet  survive: 
Jacob,  cif  Lawrence  county.  Illinois:  Josiah 
X..  oiu"  subject;  Cyrus,  of  Dwight,  Illinois; 
Susan,  now  Mrs.  Kemp,  of  Iowa,  and  Laura 
B.,  now  Mrs.  Foy,  a  widow  living  in  Wash- 
ington county,  Nebraska.  The  oldest  daugh- 
ter. Elizabeth,  died  in  November,  1846. 

Josiah  N.  Barr  was  fifteen  years  old 
<it  the  time  of  his  father's  death.  He  then 
went  to  work  for  various  farmers,  and  con- 
tinued to  be  thus  employed  in  that  vicinity 
mitil  he  was  twentj'-one  years  old,  in  the 
meantinie  securing  a  fair  common  scimol  e<l- 
tication.  and  then  came  to  Illinois,  in  1834. 
locating  first  in  Kane  county,  where  he 
worked  by  the  month  as  a  farm  hand  for  one 
year.  At  llie  cn<i  of  that  time  lie  purcliased 
one  liundretl  and  si.xty  acres  of  land  on  sec- 
tion 17,  Esmen  township,  Livingston  countv, 
where  he  now  resides,  to  its  improvement 
and  cultivation  he  has  since  devoted  his  en- 
ergies with  tiie  e.xception  of  the  time  spent 
in  his  country's  service  during  the  Civil  war. 
He  broke  about  half  of  this  tract  before  en- 
tering the  army.  It  is  now  a  well  improved 
place,  being  tiled,  fenced  and  under  a  high 
state  of  culti\ation.  The  buildings  are  neat 
and  .substantial,  and  tiie  whole  farm  indicates 
the  thrift  and  enterjjrise  of  the  owner. 

On  the  30th  of  August,  1862.  Mr.  I'arr 
enlisted  in  Company  M,  I'irst  Illinois  Ar- 
tillery, which  was  organized  at  Camp  Doug- 


las and  sent  from  there  to  Louisville,  spend- 
ing the  time  from  October  until  the  follow- 
ing J'cbruary  in  Kentucky  in  ])ursuit  of 
Morgan.  They  ne.xt  went  down  the  Ohio 
and  uj)  the  Cumberland  rivers,  joining  Rose- 
crans  at  Fort  Donelson,  where  they  were 
held  in  reserve  for  a  time,  afterward  going 
to  Naslnille  and  Franklin.  As  a  re.serve 
corps  tliey  proceeded  to  Chickamauga,  in 
whicli  engagement  they  took  ])art.  it  being 
their  first  important  battle.  .  Later  they 
were  in  the  battle  of  Missionary  Ridge,  and 
were  sent  with  Sherman  to  relieve  the  forces 
at  KnoxviJJe.  ( )ii  the  Jd  day  of  May,  1864, 
they  started  on  the  .\tlanta  campaign,  and  for 
ninety  da\s  were  under  fire  almost  constant- 
ly. They  i)articii)ated  in  the  battle  of  Kene- 
saw  Mountain  and  assisted  in  the  capture 
of  Atlanta,  after  which  the  artillery  was  sent 
back  to  Chattanooga,  where  thev  were  on 
duty  until  the  following  spring,  and  then 
])roceeded  to  Cleveland,  Tennessee,  remain- 
ing there  until  the  clnse  i)f  the  war.  .Mr. 
Harr  was  honor;ibly  discharged  at  Camp 
Douglas  July  J^.  1865.  He  had  lost  but 
little  time  on  ;iccount  of  sickness,  and,  al- 
though disabled  for  dnt_\-  a  sJiort  time,  lie  w;is 
ne\er  in  the  Imspital. 

-Mr.  r>arr  w:is  married,  in  Livingston 
county.  December  24.  187J,  to  Miss  Tinnie 
.\nnis,  a  nati\e  of  London,  Englanil,  and  a 
tlanghter  of  .Mr.  Chalmers.  .\s  her  father 
died  when  she  was  (piite  small,  she  was 
adojjted  by  a  Mrs.  .\nnis.  with  whom  she 
came  to  America  during  childhood.  They 
located  first  in  \  ermont.  but  when  she  was 
about  nine  years  of  age  moved  to  Nebraska, 
where  she  grew  to  womanhood.  She  died 
.September  jj.  1895,  and  was  laid  to  rest 
in  the  Esmen  cemetery.  By  this  union  were 
born  four  children,  namely:  Lutie,  who  is 
now  keeping  house  for  her  father;  Lorenzo 


140 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


N.,  a  pliarmacist,  \\'lio  is  now  engas^ed  in  tlie 
drug  business  in  Idaho,  and  Tlieda  M.  and 
Loren  C,  both  at  home. 

Islv.  Barr  cast  his  first  j^residential  vote 
for  John  C.  Fremont,  in  1856,  and  as  a  Re- 
])ubHcan  lie  has  since  taken  an  active  and 
prominent  part  in  local  politics.  He  helped 
organize  his  tnwnship  and  was  elected  first 
collector,  in  which  capacity  he  .served  for 
two  years.  He  was  township  trustee  six 
years,  and  at  interxals  has  filled  the  office  of 
supervisor  for  twelve  years,  during  which 
time  he  served  on  various  important  commit- 
tees. He  has  also  been  a  delegate  to  nu- 
merous county  conventions  of  his  party,  and 
whate\er  position  he  has  been  called  upon 
to  fill,  it  duties  he  has  always  faithfull}^  and 
satisfactorily  performed.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  church  until  it 
was  disbanded,  and  now  attends  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  church,  to  which  he  contributes 
liberally.  He  takes  quite  an  active  and 
jirominent  ])art  in  church  and  Sabbath  school 
work,  and  is  now  serving  as  superintendent 
of  the  Sabbath  school.  He  has  witnessed 
the  wonderful  development  and  progress 
made  in  this  region  in  the  last  half-century, 
has  seen  Pontiac  grow  from  a  cross  roads 
town  of  two  stores  to  be  one  of  the  important 
cities  in  this  section  of  the  state,  and  in  the 
work  of  advancement  he  has  e\er  borne  an 
active  part  and  is  numbered  among  the  most 
useful  and  valued  citizens  of  his  comnumitv. 


XELSOX  COUXTRYMAX. 

Xelson  Countryman,  deceased,  was  for 
several  years  prominently  identified  with  the 
business  interests  of  Pontiac,  where  he  lo- 
cated in  1859,  and  bore  an  active  part  in  the 


early  develnijment  of  the  city.  He  was  born 
in  St.  Johnsxille.  Xew  York,  July  ir,  1832, 
a  son  I  if  Jacob  Cnuntrx-man.  The  father, 
who  belonged  to  an  old  Xew  York  family, 
was  a  shipbuilder  by  trade,  and  also  engaged 
in  the  i^ractice  of  law  in  that  state.  For  a 
time  he  made  his  home  in  Syracuse  and 
later  in  Buffalo,  and  built  many  of  the  early 
lake  boats.  On  coming  west  he  soon  located 
in  Ottawa,  Illinois,  where  he  purchasetl  land 
and  engaged  in  farming  until  1859,  which 
year  witnessed  his  arrival  in  P'ontiac,  \\here, 
as  a  well-to-do  man  he  li\ed  retired  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  ten  or  fifteen  vears 
later.  He  erected  one  of  the  first  brick 
stores  on  the  square.  Religioush",  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

X'elson  Countryman  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Syracuse  and  Buffalo,  Xew  York, 
and  later  accompanied  his  parents  rm  their 
removal  to  Ottawa,  Illinois.  As  previously 
stated  the  family  came  to  this  county  in 
1859,  and  our  subject  bought  and  openetl  up 
the  first  stone  quarry  near  Pontiac,  it  being- 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  northeast  of  the 
court  house,  and  for  this  land  he  gave  two 
hundred  dollars  per  acre.  From  his  quarry 
nearly  the  stone  for  the  foundations  of 
buildings  in  the  city  were  obtained.  He  did 
a  large  and  prosperous  business,  furnishing 
employment  to  many  men,  and  had  the  name 
of  being  one  of  the  best  workmen  in  his  line 
in  this  seceion  of  the  state.  He  c<.intracted 
to  put  in  foundaticins  and  also  shipped  rock 
and  sand. 

On  the  3(1  of  October,  1854,  INIr.  Coun- 
tryman married  Miss  Paskalenia  Reynolds, 
and  to  them  were  born  two  children,  namely  : 
Mary  E..  wife  of  D.  B.  Shiland,  of  Pontiac, 
and  ?ilinnie,  wife  of  Frank  Sinclair,  also  of 
Pontiac.  Beniamin  B.  Reynolds,  Mrs. 
CountrvmanV  father,  was  born  in  Lewiston, 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


141 


Minlin  county.  Pennsylvania.  June  10.  1810. 
an<l  there  inarrieil  rjeamn"  Scut'ield.  who  was 
horn  in  Clearfield.  Clearfield  eountv,  Penn- 
sylvania. August  14,  181J.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  the  hanlware  husiness  in  I,e\viston 
until  1833,  when,  with  his  wife  and  two  chil- 
dren, he  removed  to  Ottawa,  Illinois,  being 
one  of  its  first  settlers.  He  had  lost  a  fort- 
une of  nearly  fifty  thousand  dollars  by  the 
I'aiiure  of  the  state  to  jiav  for  an  ac(|ueduct. 
In  La  Salle  county,  he  purchased  six  hun- 
dred anil  forty  acres  of  land  six  miles  from 
Ottawa,  where  he  made  his  home  until  1877, 
and  then  went  to  Indiana,  but  his  last  days 
were  passed  in  Texas.  His  brother.  Dr. 
John  P.  Reynolds,  was  killed  at  the  Alamo, 
and  his  property,  consisting  of  four  thou- 
sand and  forty-seven  acres  of  land  and  two 
thousand  dollars  fell  to  Mrs.  Countryman's 
father  and  his  sister  in  Indiana.  The  fa- 
ther went  south  to  take  possession  ui  the  land 
antl  located  every  acre.  The  property  also 
included  thirteen  houses  and  lots  in  Wells 
Point,  Texas.  He  died  in  that  state  Febru- 
ary 2,  1882,  leaving  eight  children,  his  wife 
passed  away  February  16.  1874.  P)oth  were 
active  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  were  people  of  prominence  in 
the  community  where  they  resided. 

Mrs.  Countryman  was  reared  on  a  farm 
near  Ottawa  and  was  mostly  educated  by  her 
father,  who  had  been  a  professor  of  sciiools 
for  thirty  years.  He  also  served  as  super- 
visor of  his  township  for  over  forty  years, 
and  was  considered  the  leading  man  of  the 
community,  his  fellow  citizens  always  gi\- 
ing  him  their  political  support  regardless  of 
party  lines.  He  also  took  an  active  interest 
in  state  affairs,  and  was  well  acquainted  with 
l^incoln  and  other  prominent  politici.ans  cif 
his  day. 

Mr,   and   Mrs.   Countrvman   resided    for 


a  short  time  in  Wisconsin,  and  then  returned 
to  Ponliac.  where  she  has  since  made  her 
home  at  .\'o,  313  I'.ast  Lix'ingston  street. 
Here  be  died  b'cbruary  23,  1886,  Through 
bis  own  well-directed  efforts  he  acijuired  a 
comfortable  competence,  and  also  won  by  an 
honorable,  upright  life,  an  untarnished  name, 
and  the  record  which  he  left  behind  is  one 
well  worth)'  of  emulation.  Since  her  hus- 
band's death  Mrs.  Comitryni:ui  has  carried 
on  the  business  and  (|uarry  interests  and  has 
met  with  marked  success.  ba\ing  more  or- 
tlers  than  she  can  till,  although  she  knew 
nothing  of  the  business  when  it  came  under 
her  management.  She  gives  employment 
to  ten  men,  and  ships  stone  quite  extensively, 
having  the  only  quarry  in  this  neighborhood. 
Jt  is  a  \-ery  valuable  piece  of  property,  co\- 
ering  two  acres  of  the  eighteen  and  a  half 
tract  which  she  owns.  She  is  a  member  of 
the  liaptist  church,  and  is  honored,  mU  alone 
for  her  business  ability,  but  for  her  straight- 
forward, womanly  course  and  true  nobility 
of  character.  Her  circle  of  friends  and  ac- 
iiuaintances  is  e.\tensi\'e. 


WALTER  HART, 

Walter  Mart,  a  successful  florist  now  en- 
gaged in  business  at  a'o,  507  North  Ladd 
street,  Pontiac.  Illinois,  was  Ixjrn  near  Xor- 
age,  England,  February  27,  1833,  and  when 
eighteen  years  of  age  emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica with  his  i)arents,  Ceorge  and  Mary  Ann 
(Locke)  Hart,  also  natives  of  England, 
where  the  father  earned  a  livelihood  as 
a  fisherman.  The  family  settled  near 
Aurora,  in  Kane  county,  Illinois,  where 
the  father  engaged  in  farming  until  a 
few  vears  before  his  death,  when  he  came 


142 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


to  Pdiitiac,  w  here  he  passed  awa}-  SeiJteniber 
15.  1884.  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years. 
After  his  death  the  mother  lived  with  our 
suhject  and  at  his  home  she  died  Decemljer 
9,  1884,  at  the  age  of  nearly  eighty-four. 
They  had  a  family  of  nine  children,  all  Ixiru 
in  England,  but  only  three  are  now  li\ing. 
namelv:  Dennis,  a  farmer  of  Sac  county. 
Iowa :  George,  a  machinist  of  Des  Moines. 
Jowa,  and  Walter,  our  suhject.  The  others 
all  (hed  in  England,  with  the  exception  of 
^Irs.  Alehalah  Huggins.  who  died  in  Dwight, 
Illinois. 

^\'alter  Hart  never  left  the  home  of  his 
parents  until  his  father's  death.  He  ob- 
tained the  greater  part  of  his  literary  educa- 
tion in  the  evening  schools  of  Norage,  Eng- 
land, and  for  a  brief  time  after  coming  to 
this  country  attended  school  in  Bristol,  Ken- 
dall county,  Illinois,  where  his  father  was 
engaged  in  farming.  In  November,  1875, 
he  came  to  Pontiac  with  his  parents  and 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Illinois  State  Re- 
formatory as  gardener,  remaining  in  their 
employ  for  two  years,  after  which  he  leaseil 
a  greenhouse  on  Maplewood  avenue,  and  en- 
gaged in  business  there  as  a  florist  for  fi\e 
years.  The  following  eight  years  he  carried 
on  business  in  the  northern  part  of  the  cit}-. 
and  then  purchased  his  present  place  at  Xo. 
507  North  Ladd  street.  Here  he  constructed 
:i  greenhouse,  but  his  business  has  increased 
50  rapidly  that  it  is  fast  outgrowing  his  pres- 
ent (|uarters.  A  man  of  artistic  tastes  and 
go(vd  Imsiness  ability,  he  has  met  with  suc- 
cess in  his  chosen  calling.  He  lias  been  a 
life-long  member  of  the  Methodist  church, 
and  his  career  has  ever  been  such  as  to  com- 
mend him  to  the  confidence  and  high  regard 
of  all  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact, 
either  in  business  or  social  life.  In  his  po- 
litical views  he  is  a  Republican. 


In  i860,  in  Kendall  county,  Illinois,  was 
celebrated  the  marriage  of  ]\Ir.  Hart  and 
;\Iiss  Sarah  Springer,  of  that  county,  the 
sixth  child  of  James  and  Katherine  Springer. 
She  was  bi un  in  Indiana  and  came  to  this 
state  with  her  parents  when  quite  young. 
Tn  Mr.  and  ISIrs.  Hart  were  born  seven  chil- 
dren, namely:  Anna  C.,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  one  year  and  eleven  months;  Sebina,  who 
died  in  Pontiac  at  the  age  of  five  months; 
one  who  died  in  infancy  unnamed;  James 
\\  ..  who  married  Laura  McKinsev.  of  Mc- 
Dowell, Illinois,  and  is  an  electrician  in  the 
emplo)'  of  the  Electric  Light  Company  of 
I'ontiac ;  Marv  Ann,  wife  of  Pearl  Carrier, 
a  farmer  of  Chenoa,  Illinois;  .\deline,  wife 
I  if  Charles  Page,  a  painter  and  paper  hanger 
of  I'ontiac,  and  George  R.,  who  is  employed 
i:;  a  shoe  factor^•  in  Pontiac. 


JOHN  H.KNCOCK. 

John  Hancock,  whose  home  is  on  section 
25,  Pike  townshii),  Li\ingston  county,  is  one 
of  the  most  preeminent  and  influential  citi- 
zens of  his  commimity.  He  takes  an  active 
and  commendable  interest  in  public  affairs, 
and  gives  his  support  to  all  enterprises  which 
he  believes  will  prove  of  public  lienefit  or 
will  in  any  wa_\'  ad\ance  the  interests  of  his 
adoptetl  county. 

Mr.  Hancock  was  born  in  Franklin  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  January  13,  1839,  a  son  of 
John  and  Catherine  (Mooney  )  Hancock,  na- 
li\es  of  iMaryland  and  Pemisylvania,  re- 
s]iectively.  Throughout  the  greater  por- 
tion of  his  life  the  father  made  his  home  in 
Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  his  time  and 
attention  being  devoted  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits, and  he  died  there  in  1875.     His  wife, 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


143 


who  still  survives  him.  a  liale  and  hearty  nld 
lady  of  seventy-five  years,  continues  to  re- 
side on  the  old  homestead  with  lier  xnunt^- 
est  son,  Solomon  Hancock. 

During^  his  boyhood  our  suhject  attended 
the  common  schools  and  remained  in  his  na- 
tive county  until  eighteen  years  of  age.  when 
he  came  to  Illinois,  locating  in  McLean 
county.  March  i,  1857.  There  he  worked 
by  the  month  tor  two  years,  and  then  came 
to  Livingston  county,  operating  rented  land 
in  I'ike  township  until  the  imtbreak  of  the 
Civil  war.  On  the  14th  of  June,  18O1,  he 
enlisted  for  three  years,  in  Company  .\. 
First  Illinois  Cavalry,  which  was  assigned 
to  the  western  army,  and  his  tirst  engagement 
was  at  Lexington,  Missouri.  He  partici- 
pated in  numerous  skirmishes  in  that  state 
and  .\rkansas,  and  was  in  active  service  two 
years,  being  mustered  out  and  honorably 
discharged  at  Benton  Barracks,  St.  Louis, 
in  1863.  After  his  return  from  the  war  Mr. 
Hancock  continued  to  engage  in  farming 
upon  rented  for  several  years,  after  which 
he  speculated  in  farm  property  quite  exten- 
sively, buying  and  selling  several  places.  In 
1878  lie  purchased  his.  present  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  on  section  25,  Pike 
township,  and  has  since  successfully  engaged 
in  its  operation.  He  has  erected  thereon 
good  and  substantial  buildings,  and  has  made 
many  other  improvements,  which  add  greatlv 
to  the  value  and  attractive  appearance  of  the 
place,  making  it  one  of  the  best  farms  of  its 
size  in  the  township.  By  untiring  industry 
and  sound  judgment  he  has  won  a  merited 
success  in  his  undertakings,  and  is  in  all  re- 
spects worthy  the  high  regard  in  which  he 
is  held  by  his  fellow  citizens. 

On  the  2d  of  June,  1863,  in  Livingston 
county,  while  home  on  a  furlough,  Mr.  Han- 
cock  was   united   in   marriage    with     Miss 


Rachel  Campbell,  who  was  born  antl  reared 
in  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Archibald  Campbell,  a 
teacher  by  profession,  and  a  life-long  resi- 
tlent  of  the  Keystone  state.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hancock  were  \x)t\\  five  children, 
namely:  Ida,  wife  of  Harry  Reed,  of  Pon- 
tiac;  Lettie,  Charles,  Josephine  and  Bessie, 
all  at  home.  Josephine  was  educated  at  the 
Pontiac  high  school  and  is  now  one  of  the 
successful  teachers  of  the  county,  and  Bessie 
is  now  a  student  at  the  Chenoa  high  school. 
Formerl}-  Mr.  Hancock  was  identified 
with  the  Republican  party  and  cast  his  first 
presidential  ballot  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  in 
i860,  but  is  now  a  stanch  Democrat,  and 
takes  quite  an  active  and  prominent  part  in 
local  politics  and  public  affairs,  having  served 
his  fellow  citizens  as  township  collector,  com- 
missioner of  highways  and  a  member  of  the 
school  board.  He  has  filled  the  last  position 
for  some  \cars  and  is  now  president  of  the 
board.  As  a  citizen  he  ever  stands  ready 
to  discharge  any  duty  devolving  upon  him, 
and  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  promot- 
ing the  welfare  of  his  township  and  county, 
his  patriotism  being  manifest  in  days  of  peace 
as  well  as  when  he  followed  the  old  flag 
to  victory  on  southern  battle  fields.  He  is 
an  honored  member  of  the  Grand  Army  Post 
of  Chenoa,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  hold 
membership  in  the  Presbyterian  church  of 
that  place,  with  which  he  has  been  connected 
since  I8^8. 


JOHN   STEWART. 

John  Stewart  is  a  well  known  rejjre- 
sentative  of  the  business  interests  of  Dwight, 
Illinois,  where  he  is  extensively  engaged  in 
contracting  and  building,  and  also  deals  in 


'44 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


lunilier  and  cual.  Of  excellent  business  abil- 
ity and  bniad  resources,  he  has  become  one 
of  the  well-to-do  citizens  of  tiie  place.  He 
has  won  success  by  his  well-directed,  ener- 
getic efforts,  and  the  prosperit)-  that  has 
come  to  him  is  certainly  well  deserved. 

Mr.  Stewart  was  born  in  the  north  of 
Ireland  June  ii.  1846.  and  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Mary  A.  (McKelvey)  Stewart,  also 
natives  of  Ireland,  but  of  Scotch  parentage. 
There  the  father  learned  the  weaver's  trade, 
A\hich  he  followed  until  his  emigration  to 
America  in  1850,  bringing  with  him  his 
family,  consisting  of  wife  and  eight  children. 
He  located  in  Warrensburg.  Warren  coun- 
ty. New  York,  and  accepted  a  position  as 
finisher  in  a  tannery,  but  he  was  not  long 
permitted  to  enjoy  his  new  home,  for  he 
died  five  years  after  his  arrival,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-three.  He  had  ten  children :  Jane, 
\\'illiam,  Mary  A.,  Robert,  Thomas,  Eliza- 
beth. Ellen,  Margaret,  John  and  Rosa,  all 
still  living,  but  none  residing  in  this  county 
with  the  exception  of  our  subject.  He  has 
one  brother  and  three  sisters  in  Aurora, 
Kane  county;  one  sister  in  Kendall  county, 
Illinois;  a  brother  in  Missouri,  and  the 
others  are  in  New  York  state. 

Our  subject  was  only  four  years  old  when 
brought  by  his  parents  to  this  country,  and 
he  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  and  seminary  of  Warrensburg,  New 
York.  After  leaving  school  he  worked  in 
lumber  mills  for  four  years,  and  on  the  1 5th 
of  March,  1865,  came  to  Aurora,  Illinois, 
working  one  year  on  a  farm  in  Sugar  Grcne 
township,  Kane  county.  He  then  entered 
the  car  shops  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Ouincy  Railroad,  where  he  followed  the 
trade  of  a  carbuilder  four  years,  but  on  the 
advice  of  his  physician  he  again  turned  his 
attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.     Going  to 


Grundy  county,  Illinois,  he  rented  a  farm  for 
a  vear  and  a  half,  and  then  came  to  Livings- 
tun  county,  pm-chasing  a  farm  of  eighty  acres 
(if  im])rii\-ed  land  in  Ne\:i  la  tciwnship,  to 
the  culti\ation  nf  which  he  at  once  turned 
his  attention.  About  six  years  later  he 
bought  another  eighty-acre  tract,  making  in 
all  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  on  section  12,  Nevada  township,  which 
he  thoroughly  tiled  and  placed  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  He  gave  the  greater 
[jart  of  his  time  and  attention  to  the  raising 
of  st(_ick,  feeding  from  two  to  three  car- 
loads of  cattle  per  year  and  one  of  hogs.  In 
this  way  he  more  than  used  all  of  the  grain 
raised  upon  his  own  land.  After  fourteen 
years  devoted  to  agricultural  pursuits,  Mr, 
Stewart  moved  to  Dwight  in  the  spring  of 
1890  and  commenced  working  at  the  carpen- 
ter's trade.  Since  the  fall  of  1891  he  has  en- 
gaged in  contracting  and  building  on  his 
own  account  and  has  erected  many  of  the 
fine  residences  in  the  place.  In  1900  he 
])urchased  the  coal  business  of  F.  B.  Chester, 
known  as  the  Dwight  Coal  Company,  and 
now  carries  it  on  in  connection  with  his 
other  Ijusiness. 

On  the  14th  of  September,  1870,  Mr. 
Stewart  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mary  E.  \^eale,  a  native  of  Grundy  county, 
Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary 
\'eale,  who  were  born  in  England  and  came 
to  this  country  in  early  life,  settling  in  Grun- 
dy county,  where  Imth  died  when  Mrs.  Stew- 
art was  a  child  of  four  years.  She  then 
made  her  home  with  her  uncle,  John  Vick- 
erv.  Thev  were  among  the  first  settlers 
i)f  Grundy  count}-  and  while  improving  his 
l;:nd  ^Ir.  A'eale  lived  in  a  wagon.  To  Mr. 
and  ^Irs.  Stewart  were  born  three  children, 
namely:  Ernest  P.,  who  died  on  his  thir- 
teenth birthday  and  the  anniversary  of  his 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


145 


parents"  marriage:  Xellie  O..  who  was  grad- 
uated from  the  Dwight  h'gli  school  in  tlie 
spring  of  1899  and  is  at  home;  and  Roliert 
Earl,  aged  ten  vears.  is  still  in  school. 

Mr.  Stewart  is  an  earnest  memher  of 
the  .Methodist  Episcopal  church,  has  always 
Ined  up  ti)  his  jirofessions  and  taken  an  ac- 
tive part  in  churcli  work.  He  lias  heen  an 
official  nieniher  for  the  past  si.xteen  years 
and  is  now  trustee  of  the  church  and  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday  school.  Eraternally 
he  is  a  memher  of  Dwight  Lodge.  Xo.  513, 
I.  ().  ().  E.,  of  which  he  is  deputy,  and  po- 
litically is  a  Prohihitionist  and  served  as 
a  delegate  to  the  county  conventions  of  his 
])arty  and  as  chairman  of  the  township  Pro- 
hihition  committee.  When  there  is  no  Pro- 
hihitinn  ticket  in  the  field  he  sup])iirls  the 
Repuhlican  party.  Eor  the  last  four  years 
he  has  heen  an  active  and  efficient  mem- 
ber of  the  village  hoard  of  trustees  and  has 
been  chairman  of  the  water  works  committee 
for  the  past  three  years,  during  which  time 
the  system  has  been  im])roved  and  a  stand- 
pipe  placed.  He  has  the  entire  confidence 
and  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens  and  is  held 
in  high  regard  I)y  all  with  whom  he  comes  in 
contact,  either  in  business  nr  scKial  life. 


SAML"I:L     (iOODWILL     .MORKISOX. 

.Samuel  (inodwill  Morrison,  a  promi- 
nent farmer  of  Avoca  townshi])  and  a  worth}' 
representative  of  one  of  its  old  and  honored 
families,  was  Ijorn  in  the  house  he  now  oc- 
cupies October  20,  1857,  a  sou  of  Samuel 
and  Mary  A.  (Rockwood)  Morri.son,  both 
of  whom  were  born  near  Buffalo,  Xew 
^'i>rk.  and  with  their  respective  parents  came 
tci  Illinois  when  children,  being  married  in 
this   state.      Our  subject's  paternal   grand- 


father only  lived  a  few  years  after  settling 
in  Livingston  county,  and  his  wife  did  not 
long  survive  him.  They  were  pioneers  of 
the  county  and  made  their  home  near  where 
our  subject  now  resides.  The  Rockwood 
lamily  were  also  among  the  early  settlers, 
who.  by  persistent  labors,  subdued  the  wild 
l)rairie  lauds  and  made  homes  for  their  de- 
scendants. The  grandparents  both  died  in 
Livingston  county.  The  father  was  one  of 
the  most  successful  farmers  of  .\\oca  town- 
ship, where  at  one  time  he  owned  five  hun- 
dred acres  of  land,  but  later  sold  all  but  two 
hundred  and  forty-four  .-icrgs.  which  he  re- 
tained as  a  home  ])lace.  This  was  .school 
land  when  he  ])urchased  it  and  abounded 
with  pniirie  grass  and  rattle  snakes,  but  he 
impro\e<l  and  ci>n\erle(l  the  same  into  one 
of  the  most  fruitful  and  valuable  farms  of 
his  locality.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican 
and  held  minor  offices  in  the  township,  which 
were  thrust  upon  him,  as  he  never  sought 
political  honors.  His  first  wife  died  in  1866. 
Si.x  children  were  born  to  them,  four  sons 
and  two  daughters,  namely:  Betsy,  who 
died  in  infancy:  Susan  .\.,  wife  of  C.  D. 
Hering.  of  Indiana;  John  O.,  an  employee 
of  H.  O.  Babcock.  of  Pontiac ;  George  D., 
a  successful  farmer  of  .\voca  township; 
James  )..  a  resident  of  Spear,  Xebraska; 
and  Samuel  G.,  our  subject.  For  his  second 
wife  the  father  married  Maria  Phillips,  of 
Livingston  county,  by  whom  he  had  seven 
children:  Xellie.  wife  of  Joel  W.  Banker, 
of  Pontiac ;  Joseph  C,  of  I'age  county.  Iowa ; 
Lenora.  wife  of  Charles  Friant,  of  .Avoca 
township;  \\'illiam  R.,  of  Owego  township; 
Harry  L.,  of  Lodemia;  iMary,  who  lives 
with  our  subject;  and  Charles,  a  farmer  of 
.\voca  township,  .\fter  a  successful  and 
hou(jrable  career  the  father  died  at  home 
May  I,  1884,  at  the  age  of  sixtv-five  vears. 


146 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


During  liis  Imyliorid  Samuel  (i.  Morri- 
son pursued  liis  studies  in  tlie  district  scliool 
near  his  home  and  when  his  efhication  was 
completed  he  worked  witii  his  father  on  the 
farm  until  the  latter's  death,  when  he  was 
appointed  administrator  of  the  estate.  He 
purchased  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs 
in  the  home  farm  and  now  has  one  hundred 
and  eighty  acres,  on  which  he  is  successfully 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  raising  stock 
for  market. 

On  the  1 8th  of  February,  1892,  Mr. 
Morrison  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Rose  Gregg,  who  was  born  in  Osceola  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  in  1868,  and  he  brought  his  bride 
to  the  farm  which  has  since  been  their  home. 
Two  children  bless  their  union :  I\-an  G. 
and  Samuel  \\'..  both  bright  boys.  ]Mrs. 
Morrison  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  and  her  husband  is  a  supporter 
of  the  same.  He  holds  membership  in  the 
Modern  Woodmen  Camp,  Xo.  6,  of  Fair- 
bury,  and  n  politics  always  affiliates  with 
the  Republican  party,  though  he  would  never 
accept  public  office  other  than  school  di- 
restor,  a  position  he  acceptably  filled  for 
twelve  years.  He  has  led  a  quiet,  uneventful 
life  in  the  same  neighborh(X)d  where  there 
are  many  who  were  his  boyhood  friends,  and 
those  who  know  him  best  hold  him  in  the 
highest  regard.  His  genial,  pleasant  man- 
ner makes  him  quite  popular,  and  he  is  rec- 
ognized as  a  valued  citizen  of  the  com- 
munitv. 


DAVID  E.  CAPES. 

David  E.  Capes,  a  successful  ice  dealer 
of  Pontiac,  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  his  birth 
occurring  June  16,  1862,,  six  miles  south 
of  Washington,   in  Tazewell  county.     His 


parents,  Willoughby  and  Elizabeth  (  Milner) 
Capes,  were  born,  reared  and  married  in 
Lincolnshire,  England,  where  they  continued 
to  make  their  home  until  after  the  birth  of 
three  of  their  children.  Then  the  family,  in 
1852,  came  to  the  new  world  and  settled  in 
Washington, Illinois, where  for  two  years  the 
father  supported  his  wife  and  children  by 
workingasadaylaborer  at  fifty  cents  per  da\-. 
The  second  year  he  was  able  to  purchase  a 
horse, and  the  following  year  bought  another, 
after  which  he  engaged  in  farming  on  his 
own  account,  operating  rented  land  for 
eleven  years.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he 
purchased  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres  of 
raw  prairie  land  on  section  9,  Pike  township, 
Livingston  county,  for  which  he  paid  se\en 
dollars  and  a  quarter  per  acre.  He  located 
thereon  in  the  spring  of  1864,  aiid  at  once 
turned  his  attention  to  the  improvement  and 
cultivation  of  his  place,  soon  converting  it 
into  a  most  desirable  farm.  In  connection 
with  general  farming  he  was  also  engaged 
in  stock  raising,  and  each  fall  shipped  a  car- 
lod  of  hogs  to  market.  He  built  a  fine  house 
upon  his  place  and  made  many  other  im- 
provements, costing  as  much  as  two  sections 
of  land  would  have  cost  when  he  purchased 
his  property.  As  an  agriculturist  he  met 
with  marked  success  and  was  able  to  assist 
his  sons  in  getting  a  start  in  life.  He  was 
one  of  the  early  members  of  the  Bethel 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Greymont, 
which  he  helped  to  establish,  and  was  one 
of  the  main  standbys  in  the  erection  of  the 
house  of  worship.  From  the  first  he  served 
as  steward  of  the  church,  and  was  recognized 
as  one  of  the  most  honest,  honored  and 
highly  respected  men  of  his  community. 
He  was  never  an  aspirant  for  ofifice,  but  was 
always  a  consistent  and  earnest  Republican, 
and  never  failed  in  his  duties  of  citizenship. 


i 


WILLOUGHBY  CAPES. 


D.  E.  CAPES. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


151 


He  was  lidrn  at  Mar's  Chapel,  near  (irimsey, 
Lincolnshire,  England,  October  18,  1819. 
and  died  October  4,  1899.  He  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Elizal)eth  Milner.  in  1844, 
and  they  became  tiie  parents  of  thirteen  chil- 
dren. She  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England, 
March  13.  1827.  in  her  seventeenth  year 
she  was  converted  and  joined  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  iicr  lite  was  freely 
given  to  the  labors  of  the  church,  and  her  in- 
fluence upon  Bethel  community  will  be  felt 
in  the  years  tt)  come.  After  a  long  illness 
she  fell  asleep  September  4,  1898. 

Our  subject  was  the  eighth  in  order  of 
birth  in  the  family  born  to  this  worthy 
ci  luple.  1  )uring  his  boyhood  he  attended  the 
l>ublic  schools  of  Pike  township,  and  aided 
his  father  in  the  work  of  the  home  farm  vmtil 
he  attained  his  majority.  On  the  28th  of 
December,  1882,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Alice  A.  i'iper,  of  Rock  Creek, 
Illinois,  and  they  now  have  two  children; 
Delbert  R.,  born  January  8,  1884,  and  Cora 
Belle,  born  February  i,  1886.  Both  are  now 
attending  the  high  school  of  Pontiac. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Capes  remained 
at  home  until  the  fall  of  1883,  when  he  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  raw  prairie  land  only 
three  miles  from  Pontiac — a  rare  thing  for 
that  late  date.  He  had  no  money  and  it  was 
only  with  the  help  of  his  father  as  security 
for  the  first  payment  that  he  was  able  to  pur- 
chase it.  That  fall  he  built  a  house  and  com- 
menced breaking  the  land.  He  tiled  it  the 
next  spring  and  continued  the  work  of  im- 
provement and  cultivation  until  he  had  one 
of  the  best  farms  of  its  size  in  the  locality, 
raising  as  nuich  on  it,  b)'  working  it  thor- 
oughly, as  many  did  who  owned  twice  the 
number  of  acres.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he 
commenced  rutming  a  threshing  machine, 
which  he  operated  thirteen  years,  and  this 


helped  him  out  considerably  in  paying  for 
his  lands  which  was  soon  free  from  debt; 
He  was  one  of  the  youngest  threshers  in  the 
county  and  made  a  success  of  the  business.' 
He  continued  to  carry  on  his  farm  until 
1893.  when  he  sold  it  for  ninety-tive  dollars 
per  acre,  having  paid  forty  dollars  for  it. 
Mr.  Capes  then  moved  to  Pontiac,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  different  lines  of  trade 
for  a  time,  including  the  implement  and  milk 
business.  In  Jul\-,  1895,  he  turned  his 
attention  to  the  ice  business.  At  that 
time  there  were  two  tirms  of  the  kind 
in  the  city ;  one  of  these  he  got  his 
brother  to  bu)',  while  he  purchased  the 
other  and  then,  buying  his  brother's  business, 
he  had  entire  control  of  the  ice  trade.  His 
ice  houses  were  located  on  the  Vermilion 
ri\er  near  the  Wabash  Railroad,  where  he 
owns  two  acres  of  land,  (jn  which  are  six 
houses,  with  a  storage  capacity  of  eight 
thousand  tons.  He  puts  up  a  full  supply 
and  gives  employment  to  many  men  in  cut- 
ting the  ice.  During  the  summer  he  runs 
iour  teams  and  employs  nine  men  in  its  dis- 
tribution to  his  customers,  and  for  the  past 
three  years  has  controlled  the  ice  trade  of 
tlie  cit)-  and  done  a  good  business.  He  has 
a  fine  property  on  the  south  side  of  the  river, 
opposite  the  Chautauciua  grounds  and  ex- 
tending to  the  river.  Here  he  has  a  nice 
home  where  he  can  enjoy  the  results  of  his 
labor.  He  belongs  to  that  class  of  men 
whom  the  world  terms  self-made,  for,  com- 
mencing life  empty  handed,  he  has  con- 
quered the  obstacles  in  the  path  to  success, 
and  has  not  only  secured  a  comfortable  com- 
petence, but  by  his  efforts  has  materially 
advanced  the  interests  of  the  community 
with  which  he  is  associated.  Politically,  he 
is  identified  with  the  Republican  party  and 
fraternally   affiliated   with   the   Knights   of 


152 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Pythias.  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
Royal  Neighbors  and  Toilers  Fraternity.  He 
attends  and  aids  in  the  support  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  his 
wife  is  a  member. 


SAMUEL  J.  PRISK. 

Samuel  J.  P'risk.  a  well-known  nursery 
man  and  highly  respected  citizen  of  Pontiac. 
who  has  made  his  home  in  this  county  for 
the  past  eighteen  years,  was  born  in  Corn- 
wall, England,  December  20,  1836,  a  son  of 
Samuel  and  Grace  (Williams)  Prisk,  na- 
tives of  the  same  place,  where  the  father 
engaged  in  mining  until  his  emigration  to 
America  in  1840.  The  grandfather,  Joseph 
Prisk,  had  previously  crossed  the  Atlantic 
and  located  on  a  branch  of  the  East  Fork 
river,  four  miles  southeast  of  Galena,  erect- 
ing one  of  the  pioneer  homes  of  that  lo- 
cality. With  his  two  sons,  William  and 
Paul,  he  built  the  first  ?\Iethodist  Episcopal 
church  east  of  Galena,  a  log  structure,  also 
laid  out  a  cemetery  and  a  mound  there,  which 
is  still  known  as  Joseph  Prisk  mound.  He 
owned  and  operated  a  farm  of  forty  acres 
and  also  engaged  in  mining.  He  was  a 
very  active  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  and  his  home  became  the  stop- 
ping place  for  all  the  ministers.  The  fa- 
ther of  our  .subject  bought  a  farm  of  eighty 
acres  between  Scales  Mound  and  Council 
Hill,  Jo  Daviess  county,  and  built 'the  first 
stone  house  in  that  part  of  the  country,  it 
being  also  the  first  good  house.  During  the 
construction  of  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road through  that  locality  be  boarded  the 
hands,  and  throughout  his  active  business 
life  engaged  in  farming  and  mining.     He 


finally  sold  his  farm  and  bought  a  two-hun- 
dred-and-twenty-acre  farm  on  Rush  creek  in 
Woodbine  township,  living  on  it  unt'l  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  July,  1861.  His 
wife  died  June  14.  189J.  at  the  ripe  old  age 
of  seventy-seven  years.  Both  were  earnest 
and  consistent  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 

At  a  very  early  age  our  subject  began 
work,  and  all  the  education  he  acquired  was 
obtained  at  Sunday  school,  which  he  at- 
tended about  three  hours  every  Sunday,  but 
Ijy  reading  and  observation  in  later  vears 
he  has  become  a  man  of  broad  practical 
knowledge.  He  worked  with  bis  father  in 
the  lead  mines  from  the  age  of  eight  years 
until  he  attained  his  majority,  when  he 
started  out  in  life  for  liimself.  Going  to  La 
Salle,  he  found  em])loyment  in  the  coal 
mines,  where  he  worked  fifteen  years. 

There  Mr.  Prisk  was  married,  December 
31,  1859,  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Case,  who  was 
born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  in  1843.  Her 
father,  Conrad  Case,  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  went  to  Preble  county,  Ohio, 
when  a  young  man,  locating  eighteen  miles 
from  Dayton,  where  he  married  Sarah  Ann 
Combs.  He  engaged  in  farming  there  until 
1854,  when  he  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  at 
Jericho,  near  Aurora,  where  he  followed 
the  same  occupation  two  or  three  years.  His 
next  home  was  four  miles  from  De  Witt, 
Iowa,  where  he  located  when  the  country 
was  all  wild  and  unimproved,  but  he  bought 
land,  built  a  house  and  engaged  in  the  cul- 
tivation of  his  farm  for  three  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  sold  out  and  returned 
to  Illinois,  this  time  locating  in  La  Salle, 
but  his  last  days  were  spent  in  Ohio,  where 
he  died  in  1863.  His  wife  had  died  in  Jeri- 
cho, Illinois.  Both  were  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church.    He  was  a  cooper  by  trade. 


i 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


"53 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Prisk  have  eight  children 
hving,  while  Mary  Jane,  wife  of  Albert  Ber- 
nell,  of  Streator,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
four  year.s.  Allen,  a  re.-;ident  of  Poiitiac, 
married  Maggie  Lampkin  and  has  four  chil- 
dren, Robert.  Marguerite.  Allen  and  Levi. 
William  J-  is  now  living  in  Springfield. 
Samuel,  a  resident  of  Pontiac,  married  Ida 
Block,  and  has  four  children.  May,  Lloyd 
Lincoln,  Lillian  and  Dewey,  Lillie  is  at 
home.  Mrs.  Estella  McGill  has  one  child. 
Pearl,  and  lives  with  her  parents.  Wesley 
married  Emma  Laycock,  now  decea.sed,  and 
is  serving  as  corpciral  of  Company  H,  Thir- 
ty-ninth United  States  Volunteer  Infantry, 
in  the  Philippines.  Clara  and  May  are  both 
at  home. 

After  President  Lincoln's  first  call  for 
seventy-five  thousand  men  at  the  opening 
of  the  Civil  war,  Mr.  Prisk  was  the  eight- 
eenth to  enroll  his  name  among  the  volir 
teers  at  La  Salle,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
first  company  to  leave  that  place,  it  being 
Comj)any  K,  Eleventh  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. They  went  to  Springfield,  Illinois. 
April  20,  1 86 1,  and  from  there  proceedeil 
to  Villa  Ridge,  near  Cairo,  where  they  were 
detailed  to  guard  a  bridge.  They  were  next 
ordered  to  Bridge  Point,  Missouri,  and  when 
their  term  of  enlistment  expired  were  honor- 
ably discharged. 

Returning  to  La  Salle.  Mr.  Prisk  en- 
gaged in  mining  and  farming  there  for  some 
time  and  then  devoted  four  years  to  the  latter 
inirsuit  at  Rush  creek,  Jo  Daviess  count}', 
after  which  he  returned  to  La  Salle,  where 
he  again  followed  farming.  Sul)sequently 
he  engaged  in  mining  at  Streator  until  com- 
ing to  Livingston  county  in  1882,  when  he 
U-cated  northwest  of  Pontiac  and  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  until  1889,  in  the 
meantime  serving  as  roadmaster  two  years. 


He  then  came  to  Pontiac  and  has  since  de- 
voted his  attention  to  the  nursery  business, 
becoming  one  of  the  best  known  and  most 
successful  nursery  men  of  this  section.  In 
1895  he  built  a  fine  home  at  No.  117  Park 
street,  facing  River  \'iew  Park.  He  was 
the  first  to  build  on  that  street  and  the  peo- 
ple laughed  at  him  for  going  so  far  out,  but 
it  is  now  well  built  up  and  is  one  of  the  most 
pleasant  parts  of  the  city,  being  advan- 
tageously located  near  the  park  and  river. 
Mr.  Prisk  has  charge  of  the  park,  in  which 
the  Chautauqua  Association  is  held.  He 
is  a  member  of  T.  Lyle  Dickey  Post,  No. 
105,  G.  A.  R.,  of  which  he  is  now  officer 
of  the  guard,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are 
active  and  faithful  members  of  the  Methodist 
Lpisco])al  church,  in  which  he  has  served  as 
steward,  class  leader  and  suijcrintendent  of 
the  Sundav  school. 


JOHN  C.  TAYLOR. 

John  C.  Taylor,  who  resides  on  section 
36,  Pontiac  township,  Livingston  county,  is 
the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred 
and  thirty-six  acres,  within  three  and  a  half 
miles  of  the  city  of  Pontiac.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  Saratoga  county.  New  York,  born 
near  the  great  Saratoga  springs  October  5. 
1843,  and  is  a  son  of  George  C.  Taylor,  a 
native  of  the  West  Indies,  born  on  the  island 
of  St.  Bartholomew  January  30,  181 7.  The 
grandfather,  George  W.  Taylor,  was  a  pro- 
fessional sailor  and  followed  the  sea  for 
many  years,  but  later  settled  in  Saratoga 
county.  New  York,  where  his  last  days  were 
spent.  George  C.  Taylor  was  reared  in  Sar- 
atoga county  and  there  married  Miss  Uretta 
Bentley,  a  native  of  Saratoga  county  and 


'54 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


a  daughter  of  Otis  Bentley.  one  of  the  pin- 
neers  of  Saratoga  count}-,  who  lived  to  the 
remarkable  old  age  of  ninety-nine  years  and 
six  months,  and  whose  faculties  were  pre- 
served to  tlie  last.  He  continued  to  vote 
at  every  election  until  within  one  month  of 
his  death,  voting  at  an  election  in  March  and 
dying  the  next  April.  He  never  wore  glasses 
and  could  see  to  read  until  near  the  last. 

In  Saratoga  county  George  C.  Taylor 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  his 
removal  to  Livingston  county  in  1858.  Here 
he  purchased  an  undivided  half  of  a  half- 
section  of  land  which  had  !:>een  entered  by  his 
brother.  John  J.  Taylor,  and  which  had  been 
partially  improxed.  In  partnership  with  his 
brother  he  commenced  the  further  improve- 
ment of  the  place  and  in  due  time  had  one  of 
the  best  farms  in  the  township.  He  later 
jxirchased  the  interest  of  his  brother  in  the 
half-section  and  continued  to  li\'e  on  that 
homestead  until  his  death.  Decemlier  9.  1893, 
'  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  He  was 
twice  married,  liis^  first  \\ife  d}-ing  ]\Iarch 
8,  1877.  The  second  wife  is  )-et  living.  By 
the  first  wife  three  sons  were  born.  Otis  B. 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war  and  died  in 
1862,  at  Buck's  Lodge,  Tennessee,  while  in 
the  service.  John  C,  of  this  review,  was  the 
second  in  order  of  birth.  George  W.  died 
at  the  ag-e  of  twenty-one  years.  He  died 
in  Saratoga  county  and  at  his  death  was 
just  the  same  age  as  his  brother  when  he 
died. 

John  C.  Taylor  came  to  Livingston  coun- 
ty in  his  fifteenth  )-ear.  His  educatit)n, 
which  was  begun  in  the  common  schools  of 
his  native  state,  was  completed  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Livingston  county.  While 
he  gave  the  greater  portion  of  his  time  in 
assisting  his  father  with  the  farm  work, 
he  spent  a  short  time  in  teaching  in  the  dis- 


trict schools,  in  which  line  he  met  with  a 
reasonable  degree  of  success.  He  was  first 
married,  April  22,  1866,  to  Miss  Cecelia 
Zeph,  a  native  of  W'urtemberg,  Germany, 
but  who  came  to  this  country  in  early  life 
and  was  reared  to  womanhood  in  Livingston 
county.  By  this  union  were  three  children, 
as  follows :  Hattie,  now  the  wife  of  Grant 
McCormack,  of  Livingston  county;  Zephyr, 
wife  of  Lincoln  Tuttle,  of  Graymont,  Illi- 
nois :  and  \Villiam,  who  married  Daisy 
I'earre,  and  now  resides  in  Arkansas,  where 
he  is  engaged  in  farming. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Taylor  continued 
tc  operate  the  home  farm,  on  which  he  made 
many  improvements,  including  the  erection 
of  a  large  barn.  For  some  years  he  engaged 
quite  extensively  in  the  stock  business,  in 
which  he  met  with  good  success.  His  wife 
died  in  1872  and  October  i,  1873,  '''^  mar- 
ried Miss  Eliza  McManis,  a  native  of  Ohio 
and  daughter  of  Joseph  McManis,  who  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  but  who  removed  to 
Ohio  and  later  to  Illinois.  He  was  married 
three  times  and  was  the  father  of  nineteen 
children,  sixteen  of  whom  grew  to  mature 
years.  Mrs.  Taylor  was  mostly  reared  in 
Livingston  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  ha\-e  five  children : 
George,  who  is  assisting  in  the  cultivation 
of  the  home  farm ;  John,  a  teacher  in  St. 
Alban  Academy,  Knoxville,  Illinois;  Ar- 
thur G.,  a  student  at  Zion  College,  Chicago; 
-Mice,  a  student  in  the  Pontiac  high  school; 
and  Harry,  in  the  home  school. 

Politically  Mr.  Taylor  was  originally  a 
Republican  and  supported  the  men  and  meas- 
ures of  that  party  for  many  years.  Of  late 
he  has  given  his  support  to  the  Prohibition 
jiarty.  He  never  sought  or  desired  public 
office  and  declined  several  that  were  offered 
him ;  however,   he  served   for  a  time  as  a 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


155 


nieniljer  of  tlie  scIkidI  Ixianl  and  as  president 
of  his  school  district.  Reared  a  Baptist,  lie 
lias  since  undergone  a  cliange  of  faith  and  is 
now  a  member  of  the  Christian  CatlioHc 
ciiurch  in  Zion,  of  whicli  body  liis  wife  is 
also  a  member.  As  a  citizen  lie  has  always 
enjoyed  the  resided  and  confidence  of  those 
l.v  whom  he  is  surrounded  and  by  those  who 
know  him  best. 


WILLI. \.M  II.  P,K.\CK. 

William  II.  I'race.  who  is  now  success- 
fully engaged  in  the  milk  business  in  Ponti- 
ac,  Illinois,  was  born  in  Baldwinsville.  Xew 
York.  February  21,  1845.  a  son  of  Moses 
and  Frances  (Sibbelds)  Brace,  also  natives 
of  the  Empire  state.  His  paternal  grand- 
father. Benjamin  Brace,  was  born  in  Eng- 
land and  on  his  emigration  to  this  countr\- 
settled  in  Baldwins\ille.  \\  hen  our  subject 
was  eight  years  old  his  father  remove<l  to 
Chicago  and  shortly  afterward  located  in 
Will  county.  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming  throughout  the  remainder  of  his 
life. 

William  II.  Brace  was  reared  on  the 
home  fartii  in  Manhattan  townshiij,  \\  ill 
county,  and  was  educated  in  the  local  schools. 
In  .\ugust,  i86j.  he  enlisted  in  Company 
E,  One  Hundredth  Illinois  X'olunteer  Infan- 
try, being  one  of  the  youngest  to  serve  for 
three  years  as  a  regular  soldier.  His  regi- 
ment, which  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of 
the  Cumberland,  went  first  to  Louisville  and 
spent  some  time  in  Kentucky  following 
Bragg's  army.  Mr.  Brace's  first  battle  was 
that  of  Perryville,  followed  by  the  engage- 
ments at  Stone  River,  Nashville  and  Chick- 
amauga.  He  i)articipatecl  in  the  siege  of 
.\tlanta    and    went    with    Sherman    on    the 


march  to  the  sea.  He  was  mustered  out  at 
Chicago  in  .\ugu.st,  1865.  At  Chickamauga 
he  received  two  fiesh  wounds,  but  was  never 
seriously  injured. 

While  home  on  a  furlough,  in  1864;  Mr. 
Brace  married  Miss  Adeline  Mosscnv,  of 
Manhattan,  Illinois,  who  came  here  fnmi 
Xew  ^'ork.  .\fter  the  war  our  subject  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Will  county  on  his  own 
account  for  two  years,  and  then  went  to 
Chicago,  where  he  had  charge  of  the  team- 
ing business  of  .\.  II.  Andrews  &  Company 
for  eight  years.  On  leaving  there  he  came 
to  Chatsworth,  Livingston  county,  where  he 
followed  farrming  one  year,  and  engaged  in 
the  same  pursuit  in  Eppards  Point  township, 
successfully  operating  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  si.xty  accres  for  eight  years.  On  sell- 
ing out,  he  mo\ed  to  Pontiac  and  bought 
thirteen  lots  on  West  Washington  street, 
where  he  has  a  nice  home  surrounded  by  a 
beautiful  lawn.  He  also  has  a  house  and  lot 
elsewhere.  For  four  years,  under  Dr. 
Scouller,  he  held  the  position  of  night  of^ 
ficer  at  the  reform  school,  having  charge  of 
a  dormitory,  but  on  account  of  ill  health  he 
was  obliged  to  resign, and  after  a  six-months' 
rest  he  became  night  police  in  I'oniiac,  serv- 
ing as  such  for  ten  years  with  credit  to  him- 
self and  satisfaction  of  all  concerned,  being 
one  of  the  best-known  and  most  highly-re- 
spected ofificials  the  city  has  e\er  had.  lie 
resigned  that  position  in  1898  and  embarked 
in  the  dairy  business,  keeping  cows  and  sell- 
ing his  own  milk,  but  on  account  of  his  wife's 
health  he  sold  his  dairy,  though  he  still  re- 
tains his  milk  route,  which  is  the  largest  in 
the  city.  He  is  a  good  business  man,  being 
energetic  and  nrogressive,  and  has  met  with 
success  in  this  undertaking. 

Mr.  Brace  lost  his  first  wife  May  30^ 
1894.  and  on  the  7th  of  October,   i8g6,  he 


156 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


married  Miss  Lizzie  Krell,  of  Pontiac,  a 
daughter  of  John  Krell,  of  Havana,  Illinois. 
In  his  political  views  he  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican, and  while  living  in  the  county  served 
as  deputy  under  three  different  sheriffs. 
Fraternallv  he  is  a  member  of  T.  Lyle 
Dickey  Post,  G.  A.  R.  A  pleasant,  genial 
gentleman,  he  makes  friends  and  is  held  in 
high  regard  by  all  who  know  him. 


PETER  BAUMAN. 

Peter  Bauman,  one  of  the  representative 
German-American  citizens  of  Livingston 
county  and  a  prosperous  farmer,  residing  on 
section  26,  Pike  township,  two  miles  from 
Chenoa,  was  born  in  Luxemburg,  Germany, 
April  30,  1834,  and  there  grew  to  manhood. 
He  had  good  educational  advantages,  at- 
tending school  eight  years,  becoming  familiar 
with  the  German  language,  but  his  knowl- 
edge of  English  has  been  acquired  through 
his  own  unaided  efforts  since  coming  to  the 
new  world.  In  1854  he  was  one  of  the  pas- 
sengers on  a  sailing  vessel,  which  left  the 
harbor  of  Havre,  France,  and  arrived  in 
New  York  after  twenty-eight  days  spent  upon 
tlie  water,  which  was  considered  a  quick 
trip  at  that  time.  He  proceeded  at  once  to 
Chicago,  joining  his  brother,  Michael  Bau- 
man,  who  had  located   in   Illinois   in   1849. 

Our  subject  found  emploment  on  a  farm 
in  ^\'oodford  county,  working  by  the  month 
several  years  there  and  in  Marshall  county. 
His  first  purchase  of  land  was  a  partially  im- 
proved farm  of  one  hundred  acres  in  the  lat- 
ter county,  on  which  was  standing  a  small 
house,  and  there  he  made  his  home  for  sev- 
eral years.  In  1888  he  bought  the  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  si.xtv  acres  on  section  26, 


Pike  township,  Livingston  county,  where  he 
now  resides,  and  to  its  further  improvement 
and  development  he  has  since  devoted  his 
time  and  attention,  success  attending  his  well- 
directed  efforts. 

While  a  resident  of  Woodford  county, 
Mr.  Bauman  was  married,  in  January,  1861, 
to  Miss  Helen  Balbach,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  August  and  Anna  Elizabeth  (Keeler) 
Balbach.  The  mother  died  in  that  country, 
and  in  1854,  the  father,  with  his  three  daugh- 
ters and  one  son,  came  to  America,  joining 
his  older  son,  Jacob  Balback,  who  had  been 
a  resident  of  W'oodford  county,  Illinois,  since 
1852,  and  who  is  now  a  merchant  of  Chenoa. 
The  other  son,  Paul  Balbach,  is  a  farmer  of 
Pike  township,  Livingston  county.  The  fa- 
ther died  in  Woodford  county,  in  1856.  Mr 
and  Mrs.  Bauman  have  a  family  of  eight 
children,  namely:  ]\Iar\-.  wife  of  Chris 
Pfeffinger,  of  Waldo  township,  Livingston 
county;  Lizzie,  at  home;  Effie,  widow  of 
Alaxander  Black,  and  a  resident  of  Wood- 
ford county ;  Peter,  who  is  married  and  lives 
in  Pekin,  Illinois;  Lena,  Anna  and  Clara,  all 
at  home.  The  last  named  was  educated  at 
Chenoa  and  the  normal  college  at  Valpar- 
aiso, Indiana,  and  is  now  one  of  the  success- 
ful teachers  of  Livingston  county. 

Politically  Mr.-  Bauman  is  a  stanch  Dem- 
ocrat, and  cast  his  first  presidential  ballot 
for  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  in  i860.  He  has 
never  cared  for  public  office,  but  has  pre- 
ferred to  devote  his  undivided  time  and  at- 
tention to  his  business  interests.  His  life 
has  been  one  of  industry  and  due  success  has 
not  been  denied  him.  His  honorable,  upright 
course  commends  him  to  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  all,  and  he  is  well  worthy  of  rep- 
resentation in  the  history  of  his  atlopted 
countv. 


J 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


"57 


W  ILLIA.M  I.  St.  JOHX. 

\\'illiam  I.  St.  Juliii.  an  lionored  veteran 
of  the  Civil  war.  \\  Iki  is  ncnv  living  a  retired 
life  in  Pontiac,  was  horn  in  \\  arren  connty, 
Indiana,  July  20,  1844,  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
Margaret  (Coldren)  St.  John,  both  of  whom 
were  horn  in  Ohio,  the  latter  near  Zanesville, 
but  were  married  in  Indiana,  where  the  fa- 
ther located  when  a  young  man,  and  where 
he  engaged  in  farming  until  coming  to  Liv- 
ingston county,  Illinois,  about  1853.  He 
settled  near  Ocoya,  in  Eppards  Point  town- 
ship, where  he  purchased  one  hundred  and 
si.xty  acres  of  unimproved  land.  That  lo- 
cality was  then  all  wild,  there  being  but  four 
houses  scattered  through  the  timber,  and  his 
nearest  neighbor  was  some  ilistance  away. 
He  devoted  his  time  and  attention  to  the  im- 
])rovement  and  cultivation  of  that  farm  until 
1866,  when  he  rented  it  and  moved  to 
Chenoa,  where  he  worked  at  wagonmaking 
until  called  to  his  final  rest.  He  was  one 
of  the  early  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  in  this  county,  and  was  a  Re- 
j)ul)lican  in  jjolitics. 

IJefore  k'a\ing  Indiana,  \\'illiam  I.  St. 
John  attended  school  a  term  or  two. but  there 
was  no  school  hou.se  in  his  district  when  the 
family  came  to  Illinois,  and  he  was  well 
grown  before  a  school  which  he  could  at- 
tend was  built.  His  educational  advantages 
were  therefore  limited,  but  he  has  become 
a  well  informed  ni.ui  by  reading  and  ob- 
ser\ation  in  later  years.  He  remained  on 
the  home  farm  until  after  the  Ci\il  war  broke 
out,  when  he  enlisted,  August  6,  i86j,  in 
Company  (i.  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  The  regi- 
ment spent  much  time  in  Louisville,  hut  par- 
ticipated in  the  engagements  at  Frankfort, 
Crab  Orchard  and  Bowling  Green,  and  did 


garrison  duty  at  Mitchellville,  Tunnel  Hill 
and  Gallatin,  Tennessee.  From  there  they 
went  to  Nash\-ille  and  participated  in  the  bat- 
ties  of  Chattanooga  and  Missionary  Ridge, 
being  on  the  march  most  of  the  time  during 
that  campaign.  They  were  also  with  Sher- 
man on  his  celebrated  march  to  the  sea,  and 
at  Peach  Tree  Creek,  in  front  of  .\tlanta, 
Mr.  St.  John  was  wounded  He  was  sent  to 
the  hospital  at  Chattanooga,  was  later  trans- 
ferred to  Xashville,  and  from  there  was  sent 
home.  At  the  end  of  three  months  he  was 
able  to  rejoin  his  regiment  in  time  to  take 
part  in  the  Carolina  campaign.  He  was  in 
the  battle  of  Goldsl)oro,  and  was  at  Raleigh 
when  lobnston  surrendered.  He  then 
marched  to  Washington.  D.  C,  and  partici- 
pated in  the  grand  review,  after  which  he  was 
mustered  out  at  that  place  and  discharged  at 
Chicago,  after  almost  three  years  of  faithful 
service  on  .southern  battle  fields. 

Returning  to  his  home,  i\Ir.  St.  John 
engaged  in  farm  work  one  year,  and  then 
went  to  Chenoa,  where  he  worked  at  the 
carpenter's  trade  four  years.  On  the  fjth  of 
September.  1866,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Amelia  Stone,  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam Stone,  a  farmer  of  Ohio.  By  this  union 
were  born  two  children :  William  Seth,  who 
now  operates  his  father's  farm,  married 
Minnie  Talbot  and  has  four  children  :  Mabel, 
Roy,  Bert  and  an  infant.  Burton  G.  is  a 
resident  of  I'ontiac. 

On  leaving  Chcn(}a  Mr.  St.  John  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  forty  acres  in  Ejjpards 
Point  township,  which  he  sold  three  years 
later  and  boughtfi  fifty  acres  of  land  in  .\mity 
township,  but  this  he  disposed  of  a  year  later 
and  bought  an  eighty-acre  tract  in  the  same 
township,  where  he  successfully  engaged 
in  farming  for  twelve  years.  At  the  end  of 
tha  ttime  he  traded  it  for  a  farm  of  two  hun- 


TSi 


THE  •  BIOGRAPHICAlL   RECORD. 


dred  and  thirty-fi\e  acres  in  Amity  town- 
ship, which  lie  has  greatly  improved  and 
still  owns.  In  1880.  he- moved  to  Pontiac 
and  bought  property  at  No.  2 1 1  South  Ver- 
milion street,  where  he  has  a  large  and  nicely 
kept  place.  Here  he  worked  at  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  for  a  time,  but  is  now  living  re- 
tired, enjoying  a  well-earned  rest,  tree  from 
the  cares  arid  responsibilities  of  business  life. 
Religiously  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  he 
'also  belongs  to  T.  Lyle  Dickey  Post,  G.  A. 
R.,  of  which  he  is  junior  vice  commander. 
He  has  always  been  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
Republican  party  and  its  principles,  and  he 
has  ever  been  a  loyal  citizen,  co-operating 
in  all  that  is  calculated  to  promote  the  inter- 
ests of  his  state  or  nation,  his  patriotism 
being  manifest  in  times  of  peace  as  well  as 
in  war. 


BEXNET  HL'MISTOX. 

Bennet  Humistcjn.  deceased,  was  one  of 
the  leading  business  men  of  Pontiac,  Illi- 
nois, who  in  his  successful  career  showed 
that  he  had  the  ability  to  plan  wisely  and 
execute  with  energy,  a  combination  which, 
when  possessed  by  men  in  any  walk  of  life, 
never  fails  to  effect  notable  results. 

Mr.  Humiston  was  born  in  I'lyniouth 
Hollow,  Connecticut,  September  6,  1830.  a 
son  of  Bennet  and  Emily  (  Warner)  Humis- 
ton, representatives  of  old  and  honored  fam- 
ilies of  that  state.  On  attaining  to  man's 
estate  the  father  started  out  in  life  for  him- 
self as  a  peddlet,  traveli'ig  tiirough  the 
south  for  many  years,  but  after  his  marriage 
he  settled  on  a  farm  in  Plymouth  and  de- 
\()ted  the  remainder  of  his  life  to  agricult- 
ural ]jursuits. 


Our  subject  grew  to  manhootl  on  the 
home  farm  and  was  provided  with  better 
educational-  privileges  than  most  farmer 
boysi  attending  school  at  Warren,  Litchfield 
county,  Connecticut,  for  two  years.  He  then 
followed  farming  in  his  native  state  until 
the  fall  of  1852,  when  he  came  west  with 
Apollos  Camp,  and  together  they  took  up 
a  section  of  land  in  Esmen  township,  Liv- 
ingston county,  Illinois.  May  22.  1856.  he 
married  his  partner's  daughter.  Miss  Harriet 
Camp,  and  they  made  their  home  on  his  half- 
section  of  land  until  1876.  In  the  mean- 
time he  erected  good  and  substantial  build- 
ings thereon  and  placed  the  land  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation.  He  introduced 
some  of  the  first  fine  horses  into  the  countv 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
Xo\-eml)er  15.  1883.  '^^  '''^''  ""^  hundred 
heatl.  He  and  Mr.  Cam])  were  always  in 
business  together  and  owned  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  two  thousand  acres  of  \'aluahle 
land.  The}-  expended  larse  anmunts  in  til- 
ing and  con\erting  their  land  into  highl_\- 
productive  tracts.  They  were  among  the 
original  stockholders  of  the  Pontiac  Xa- 
tional  Bank,  of  Pontiac,  of  which  Mr,  Camp 
was  also  a  director.  In  his  political  views 
Mr.  Hinniston  was  a  Democrat.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternit}-  anil  a 
Uian  of  high  standing  in  the  community. 
Of  keen  perceptit)n.  of  unbounded  enterprise, 
his  success  in  life  was  due  to  his  own  well-di- 
rected efforts,  and  he  deserves  jjrominent 
mention  among  the  leading  and  representa- 
ti\e  business  men  of  the  coimt\'. 

Since  her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Humis- 
ton has  successfully  carried  on  the  vast  es- 
tate, and  has  displayed  most  excellent  busi- 
ness and  executive  ability  in  its  management. 
She  was  one  of  the  heavy  original  stock- 
holders of  the  Pontiac  State  Bank,  and  from 


BENNET  HUMISTON. 


THE    BIOGiiAPHICAL    RECORD. 


i6i 


its  i_)rganization  has  been  a  director.  She 
t.wns  a  good  deal  of  property  in  Pt)ntiac. 
also  in  Odell.  Illinois,  and  Eldorado.  Mis- 
souri, wliere  she  has  a  business  block.  She 
has  been  a  liberal  donator  to  the  public  li- 
brarv  of  Pontiac  and  other  charitable  insti- 
tiitions.  and  never  witliholds  her  liberal  sun- 
port  from  any  enterprise  which  she  Ijeheves 
will  i)rove  of  benefit  to  the  community.  In 
1876  Mr.  Humiston  built  a  lieautiful  resi- 
<lence  on  North  Main  street.  Pontiac.  which 
is  still  owned  and  occupied  by  his  widow. 
I:  occupies  a  whcjle  block  on  the  hill  and  is 
one  of  the  most  attractive  places  in  the  city. 
Over  this  home  Mrs.  Humiston  presides 
with  fjiacious  dignity  and  its  hospitable 
<loors  are  ever  open  for  tlie  reception  of  lier 
manv  friends. 


JOHN  T.  ARMSTROXC;. 

The  subject  of  this  personal  narrative  is 
one  of  the  most  successful  and  prosperous 
farmers  of  Eppards  Point  township.hishome 
being  on  section  16,  five  miles  .south  of  Pon- 
tiac. He  has  made  his  special  field  of  in- 
dustry an  eminent  success,  and  is  highly  re- 
spected and  esteemed  by  those  who  know 
him. 

Mr.  Armstrong  was  born  in  Madiscjn. 
Ohio.  April  28.  1839.  and  there  grew  to  man- 
hood, receiving  a  common-school  education. 
In  April.  1864.  during  the  dark  days  of  the 
Civil  war,  he  enlisted  in  the  one-hundred-day 
service,  as  a  private  in  Company  C,  One 
Hundred  and  Forty-fourth  Ohio  National 
Guards.  The  regiment  went  to  Virginia  and 
took  jiart  in  the  battle  of  New  Creek  and 
several  skirmishes,  but  only  one  man  died 
in  the  service,  his  death  occurring  in  a  hos- 
pital.    On  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  en- 


listment. Mr.  Arnistrong  was  honorably  dis- 
charged at  Camp  Dennison,  in  August.  1864, 
and  returned  to  his  Ohio  liome. 

Jn.  the  spring  of  1865  he  came  to  Liv- 
ingston county,  Illinois,  and  located  upon  lus 
present  farm  in  Ei)pards  Point  township, 
purchasing  four  hundred  acres,  about  half 
of  which  had  been  broken  and  a  small  house 
erected  thereon.  He  has  since  purchased 
more  land,  and  to  the  further  improvement 
and  cultivation  of  his  place  he  has  devoted 
his  energies  with  most  gratifying  results,  so 
that  he  now  has  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the 
township.  In  connection  with  general  farm- 
ing he  is  engaged  in  feeding  and  dealing  in 
slock,  and  in  this  branch  of  his  business  he 
has  also  prospered. 

Returning  to  his  old  home  in  Madison 
county.  Ohio,  in  March.  1869.  Mr.  Arm- 
trong  married  Lydia  Cousins,  who  was 
born  in  Pickaway,  that  state,  but  was  reared 
in  the  same  neighborhood  as  her  husband 
and  educated  in  the  same  .school.  They 
became  the  parents  of  six  children,  but  only 
three  are  now  living ;.\rchic  ]•...  a  pharmacist 
of  Dwight:  Lida  W.  and  (irant  C,  both  at 
iinine.  Bernard  C.  and  jolm  Ixith  died  in 
childhood,  and  Sarah  L..  wife  of  O.  I.  Ellis, 
died  in  Ancona.  Illinois,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  years,  leaving  two  children.  ().  1.  and 
Sadie  Ellis. 

Mr.  .Xrmstrong  cast  his  first  presidential 
vote  for  .\hraham  Lincoln,  in  i860,  and  has 
since  been  an  ardent  Republican.  Although 
he  has  never  sought  i)olitical  preferment,  he 
was  elected  and  served  three  years  as  high- 
way commissioner  and  was  a  member  of  the 
school  hoard  f(jr  a  number  of  years,  during 
which  time  he  did  all  in  his  power  to  secure 
competent  teachers  and  advance  the  educa- 
tional interests  of  his  community.  Relig- 
iouslv.  both  he  and  his  wife  are  active  mem- 


1 62 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


bers  of  tlie  Centre  Methodist  Episcopal 
churcli  and  they  give  their  support  to  every 
worthy  enterprise  which  they  lieheve  calcu- 
lated to  advance  the  moral,  social  or  material 
welfare  of  the  township  and  county  in  which 
thev  live. 


JARVIS  C.  SUMXER. 

Jarvis  C.  Sumner,  one  of  the  l)est  known 
citizens  of  Pontiac,  was  born  in  Elkhart,  In- 
diana, November  7,  1843.  '^  *'"!  '^f  John  M. 
and  Ann  (Strong)  Sumner.  The  father 
was  born  in  New  York,  March  3,  181 2,  and 
was  a  son  of  Harvey  and  Sally  (Sherwin) 
Sumner,  who  were  born,  reared  and  married 
in  \''ermont.  The  latter  was  a  daughter  of 
Ahamaz  Sherwin,  a  drum  major  from  \'er- 
niont  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  At  an  early 
day  Harvey  Sumner  and  wife  moved  to 
Westport  township,  Essex  C(junty,  New 
York,  and  in  181 8  went  to  Ohio,  .sailing  out 
of  BufYalo  on  the  first  steajner  that  ever  navi- 
gated the  great  lakes.  They  located  four 
miles  east  of  Cleveland,  where  Mr.  Sumner 
followed  farming  for  some  time,  but  spent 
his  last  days  in  Elkhart,  Indiana.  His  wife 
died  in  Cleveland  about  1825. 

John  M.  Sumner,  father  of  our  subject, 
accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to 
Oiiio,  and  later  went  with  his  father  to  Elk- 
hart, Indiana,  in  the  fall  of  1834,  when  that 
place  contained  but  few  inhabitants.  On  his 
arrival  there  he  had  but  six  and  one-fourth 
cents,  but  he  soon  found  employment  and 
the  next  summer  was  able  to  purchase  forty 
acres  of  land.  ^ There  he  married  Ann  Strong, 
a  daughter  of  Walter  Strong,  who  went  to 
Indiana  from  Ohio,  but  was  born  in  Con- 
necticut. He  gave  his  daughter  forty  acres 
of  land,  and  upon  that  place  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


Sumner  lived  until  1850,  when  they  moved 
to  Wisconsin,  but  a  year  later  returned  to 
Indiana,  He  followed  farming  throughout 
the  greater  part  of  his  active  business  life, 
but  is  now  living  retired  with  our  subject. 
The  wife  and  mother,  who  was  a  member 
of  the  Universalist  church,  died  November 
24,  1886. 

Our  subject  acquired  his  education  in  the 
common  and  high  schools  of  Elkhart,  and 
assisted  his  father  in  the  operation  of  the 
home  farm  until  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
He  manifested  his  patriotism  by  enlisting  in 
the  Civil  war,  but  was  discharged  on  account 
of  illness  and  sent  home  before  leavinv  the 
state.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Chandler 
Horse  Guards  of  Coldwater. 

In  1864  Mr.  Sumner  moved  to  Eureka, 
Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  on  his 
own  account.  Prior  to  his  removal,  he  was 
married,  in  Cass  county,  Michigan,  to  Miss 
Sarah  ■Martin,  who  was  born  in  Elkhart 
county,  Indiana,  February  6,  1846,  a  daugh- 
ter of  A\'illiam  and  Mary  .A.  (^Clinger) 
Martin,  nati\es  of  Ohio,  whose  home  was 
five  miles  east  of  Middlebury,  in  La  Grange 
county,  Indiana.  The  mother  died  when 
Mrs.  Sumner  was  only  two  years  old,  and  the 
father  departed  this  life  at  Benton  Harbor, 
^Michigan,  September  27,  1872.  ]\Ir.  and 
Airs.  Sumner  have  three  children,  namely : 
Charles  M.,  May  Belle  and  William  Roy. 
The  last  named  was  a  member  of  the  state 
militia,  but  was  not  accepted  into  the  United 
States  service  during  our  recent  war  with 
Spain. 

\\'hile  at  Eureka,  Mr.  Sumner  served  as 
constable  and  deputy  sheriff  under  Frank 
Roman  and  Garman  Gish  for  eight  years. 
He  attended  to  all  the  sherifif's  business  in 
his  part  of  the  county  and  served  all  the  pa- 
pers in  the  Workman  murder  case.     He  also 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


163 


carried  on  the  largest  and  most  imjxsrtant 
livery  business  in  the  town.  He  finally  sold 
out  and  moved  to  Livingston  county,  in 
tiie  spring  of  1881.  For  two  years  he  was 
engaged  in  farming  in  Pontiac  township, 
and  then  mo\ed  to  the  city  of  Pontiac  that 
lie  might  provide  his  children  with  better 
educational  advantages,  but  was  mostly  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  teaming  until  ap- 
jK)inted  deputy  by  Sheriff  Reed.  He  was  re- 
appointed by  SheritY  Talbot  and  most  cred- 
itably and  satisfactorily  filled  that  jMsition 
for  seven  years.  He  did  a  good  deal  of  work 
in  connection  witii  the  bank  robbery  case 
of  Cornell  and  the  Rightsel  murder  case  of 
Fairbury,  besides  a  large  amount  of  civil 
business  and  collecting.  In  November, 
1896,  he  was  elected  constable,  and  is  still 
filling  that  office  in  a  most  capable  manner. 
He  also  has  considerable  property  in  his 
Jiands  to  rent,  and  does  a  good  life  insurance 
business.  He  owns  a  lovely  home  situated 
on  a  large  lot  at  the  corner  i>f  Plum  and  , 
Cleary  streets,  surrounded  1)y  Iteautiful  trees 
and  shrubs  and  is  one  of  the  l)est  kept 
places  of  the  city.  Since  attaining  his  ma- 
jority Mr.  Sumner  has  affiliated  with  the 
Republican  party,  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
are   members   of   the    Presbvterian   church. 


WTLLI.VM  H.  KFiTCH.X.M. 

One  of  the  lousiest,  most  energetic  and 
most  enterprising  men  of  Dwight,  Illinois, 
ii  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  w  ho  is  success- 
fully engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  loan  busi- 
ness, as  well  as  the  practice  of  law.  He  was 
born  in  that  place,  February  9,  1861,  and 
there  the  greater  part  of  iiis  life  has  been 


spent — an  important  facti>r  in  business  and 
])ublic  affairs. 

William  H.  Ketchani.  Sr.,  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Fishkill.  Dutchess  coun- 
ty. New  ^'ork,  November  28,  1821.  He  re- 
ceived a  good  English  education  and  re- 
mained at  home  until  1852,  when  he  set  sail 
for  California,  leaving  New  York,  February 
4,  and  arriving  in  San  Francisco  Auril  i. 
He  was  shi])wrecked  ofY  the  coast  of  Mexico 
and  delayed  five  weeks.  He  was  success- 
fully engaged  in  mining  about  three  years 
and  a  half  near  Marys ville,  and  then  returned 
to  his  native  state  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of 
P'anama.  In  Dutchess  county,  he  was  mar- 
ried, November  30,  1840,  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Losee,  who  was  born  there  May  2^,  1822,. 
and  was  a  daughter  of  John  Losee,  whose 
ancestry  can  be  traced  back  to  \\'ilbur  Weber, 
King  of  Holland  and  a  son  of  the  Prince  of 
Orange.  His  daughter,  Anna  Kanjanse 
\\  eber,  married  Everetus  Bogardus,  the  first 
])reacher  who  came  to  New  York  Cit\'.  Mrs. 
Ketcham  was  the  se\'enth  generation  from 
this  king,  wlio  left  an  immense  fortune,  now 
amounting  to  ajjout  five  million  dollars,  and, 
which  is  in  litigation  at  present.  In  the  fall 
of  1855,  shortly  after  his  return  to  New 
York  from  California,  Mr.  Ketcham  mi- 
grated to  Dwight,  Illinois,  which  place  then 
contained  only  eight  families.  Here  he  at 
first  worked  at  anything  he  could  find  to  do, 
and  for  a  time  engaged  in  farming  and  op- 
erated a  corn  sheller  a  number  of  years.  He 
was  a  public-spirited  man  and  did  much  to 
advance  the  interests  of  his  adopted  town, 
taking  ([uite  an  active  part  in  public  affairs, 
and  serving  as  justice  of  the  peace  fourteen 
}ears.  school  director  a  number  of  years, 
and  also  village  trustee  some  time,  and  dep- 
uty sheriff  of  the  county  in  early  days.  In 
1874   he  joined   Dwight   Lodge,    No.    513, 


•164 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  later  became  a  member  of 
Pacific  Encampment,  No.  126.  He  died, 
April  19,  1882. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  young- 
est in  a  family  of  seven  children,  the  others 
being  as  follows:  Berwin  L.,  the  eldest,  died 
in  infancy.  John  L.,  a  member  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-ninth  Infantry,  was 
wounded  in  the  battle  of  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
and  died  in  the  hospital  at  Chattanooga,  June 
25,  1864.  Jane  E.  married  J.  J.  Smith  and 
both  are  now  deceased.  Frank  is  the  wife 
of  Hugh  Thompson,  of  Poatiac.  Mary  H.  is 
the  wife  of  George  Hoover,  of  Chicago. 
Emma  Y.  is  the  widow  of  W.  A.  Chamberl- 
lain  and  resides  with  her  children,  Marietta 
and  Frank  William,  who  live  in  Chicago. 

William  H.  Ketcham,  Jr.,  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Dwight,  and  began  his  business 
career  as  bookkeeper  in  the  grain  elevator 
of  Hugh  Thompson,  of  that  place,  remain- 
ng  with  him  one  year.  He  then  became  in- 
terested in  the  stock  business,  which  he  car- 
ried on  alone  for  one  year,  buying  cattle  in 
Livingston  and  Grundy  counties.  .\t  the 
end  of  that  time  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  John  Thompson  in  the  same  business, 
shipping  stock  to  the  Chicago  market.  This 
connection  lasted  two  years,  and  Mr.  Ketch- 
am  ne.xt  purchased  the  real  estate  business 
of  Alexander  McKay,  which  he  conducted 
from  December,  1886,  until  April,  1887, 
when  he  sold  out  to  Hetzel  &   Romberger. 

After  disposing  of  his  real  estate  busi- 
ness, Mr.  Ketcham  moved  to  Marion  county, 
Kansas,  where  he  was  interested  in  the  same 
pursuit  until  the  fall  of  1887,  when  he  en- 
tered the  law  office  of  Kellar  &  Dean,  study- 
ing under  their  instruction  and  at  the  same 
time  doing  office  work.  Before  his  admis- 
sion to  the  bar  he  drew  up  the  papers  for 
twenty-one    forclosures  in  one  week.      He 


v.as  admitted  to  practice  by  examination  be- 
fore Judge  Doster,  the  present  chief  justice 
of  the  state  of  Kansas,  August  20,  1888, 
and  before  the  supreme  court  at  Topeka, 
June  2,  1891.  He  was  associated  in  prac- 
tice with  W.  H.  Carpenter,  of  Marion,  Kan- 
sas, from  1889  to  July,  1891,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Dwight  and  resumed  business  as 
a  real  estate  dealer,  in  partnership  with  Frank 
1.  Smith,  under  the  firm  name  of  Ketcham 
&  Smith.  On  the  23d  of  March,  1892,  he 
was  admitted  to  practice  in  lUinois,  and  later 
in  the  state  of  Indiana.  By  mutual  agree- 
ment the  partnership  between  Mr.  Ketcham 
and  Mr.  Smith  was  dissolved  in  October, 
1895,  since  which  time  our  subject  has  been 
alone  in  business.  He  gi\'es  the  greater  part 
of  his  attention  to  real  estate,  but  is  also  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  law  in  the  courts  of 
this  state  and  Indiana.  He  carried  the 
Clauson  case  through  the  supreme  court  of 
Illinois. 

On  the  19th  of  .April,  1893,  Mr.  Ketcham 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Nora  A. 
Taylor,  a  native  of  Grundy  county,  Illinois, 
and  one  of  a  family  of  four  daughters,  all 
living.  Her  father,  G.  L.  Taylor,  was  one 
of  the  first  settlers  of  Grundy  county,  but 
is  now  a  resident  of  Dwight  township,  Liv- 
ingston county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ketcham 
have  three  children,  namely :  Mary  Emma, 
Gertrude  Nora  and  Nellie  Maurine. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Ketcham  is  a  member 
of  Dwight  Lodge,  No.  513,  and  Pacific  En- 
campment, No.  313.  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  Liv- 
ingston Lodge,  No.  371,  F.  &  A.  M.  Since 
reaching  his  majority  he  has  always  affil- 
iated with  the  Democratic  party  and  taken 
an  active  interest  in  politics.  He  is  now  an 
advocate  of  the  free  coinage  of  silver,  and  in 
1896  took  the  stump,  speaking  in  Chicago 
and  other  parts  of  the  state.     \Mule  engaged 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


165 


in  the  i)ractice  of  law  in  Kansas  lie  assisted 
tiie  county  attorney  and  during  liis  residence 
in  Dwight  has  taken  an  active  part  in  puhlic 
affairs.  He  was  elected  mayor  in  1896  and 
efficiently  tilled  the  office  one  term,  during 
which  time  the  park  ordinance  was  passed 
and  Udtahle  improvements  made.  He  was 
once  a  candidate  hefore  the  Democratic  con- 
vention, f<ir  judge  on  the  Democratic  ticket, 
but  was  defeated.  In  1886  he  was  elected 
village  treasurer  and  was  filling  that  office 
when  he  moved  to  Kansas,  and  in  April, 
1900,  was  elected  village  trustee,  in  which 
capacity  lie  is  now  serving  in  a  most  credit- 
able and  satisfactory  manner.  A  man  of 
keen  perception,  of  unbounded  enterprise,  his 
success  in  life  is  due  to  his  own  efforts,  and 
he  deserves  prominent  mention  among  the 
leading  representative  business  men  of  the 
county.  His  genial,  pleasing  manner  makes 
him  quite  popular  in  both  business  and  social 
circles,  and  as  a  pul)lic-si)irited,  enterpris- 
ing man  he  is  recognized  as  a  valued  citizen 
of  the  communitv. 


JOHN    R.  OUGHTOX. 

To  the  ])rcscnt  mayor  of  Dwight.  Hon. 
John  R.  (Jughton.  the  city  owes  a  deep 
debt  of  gratitude,  for  through  many  years 
he  has  been  an  important  factor  in  its  prog- 
ress and  ad\ancement  along  social,  educa- 
tional, material  and  moral  lines.  His  active 
co-operation  has  been  given  to  every  move- 
ment for  the  public  good,  and  his  support  has 
been  withheld  from  no  movement  calculated 
to  advance  the  general  welfare.  His  aid, 
too,  has  been  of  a  practical  nature  and  the 
substantial  growth  of  the  city  is  the  out- 
come of  his  well-directed  and  discriminat- 
ing effort. 


It  is  not  an  easy  task  to  descrilje  ade- 
<|uately  a  man  w  ho  has  lead  an  eminently  act- 
ive and  busy  life  and  who  has  attained  to  a 
position  of  high  relative  distinction  in  the 
more  important  and  exacting  fields  of  human 
endeavor.  But  biography  finds  its  most 
perfect  justification,  nevertheless,  in  the 
tracing  and  recording  of  such  a  life  historv. 
It  is,  then,  witii  a  full  a])])reciation  of  all 
that  is  demanded,  and  oi  the  painstaking 
scrutiny  that  must  be  accorded  each  state- 
ment, and  yet  witli  a  feeling  of  significant 
satisfaction,  that  the  writer  essays  the  task 
of  touchinbg  brietly  upon  the  details  of  such 
a  record  as  has  ben  the  voice  of  the  char- 
acter of  the  hoiKired  sulijcct  whose  life  no\v' 
comes  under  review. 

John  R.  Ougluoii  was  burn  in  County 
Tip])erary,  Ireland,  in  1857.  and  resided  in 
his  iiati\e  land  until  sixteen  _\ears  of  age, 
when  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  U)  America,  lo- 
cating in  Chicago,  Illinois.  He  acquired  his 
preliminary  education  in  the  schools  of  Ire- 
land and  there  took  up  the  study  of  chemis- 
try: After  reaching  Chicago  he  resumed 
his  studies  along  that  line  in  the  Chicago 
College  of  Pharmacy  and  later  in  the  Rush 
Medical  College.  Previous  to  entering  col- 
lege, however,  he  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  the 
drug  store  of  his  cousin,  Mr.  Lee,  who  was 
doing  business  on  the  west  side  of  the  city. 
After  completing  his  collegiate  course  he 
came  to  Dwight  and  soon  afterward  formed 
an  association  with  Dr.  Keeley  in  the  work 
which  has  since  made,  them  and  the  city  of 
their  residence  famous  throughout  the  land. 
For  many  years  Mr.  Oughton  was  vice- 
president  and  chemist  of  the  Leslie  E. 
Keeley  Company,  but  after  the  death  of  Dr. 
Keeley  he  was  elected  president  and  has  since 
served  in  that  capacity.  The  history  of  the 
institution  is  too  well  known  to  need  further 


1 66 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


comment  liere.  Its  splendid  work  is  shown 
by  thousands  of  reformed  men  to  wiiom 
manhood  has  been  restored  and  who  now  oc- 
cupy Iionored  positions  in  society  and  in 
business  life.  The  volume  of  their  business 
has  constantly  increased  and  has  assumed  gi- 
gantic proportions.  Their  extensive  insti- 
tution is  fitted  up  with  one  of  the  most  com- 
plete laboratories  of  the  country,  and  the 
work  is  progressing  with  undiminished 
strength,  its  beneficent  purpose  resulting  in 
good  immeasurable. 

Mr.  Oughton  has  two  children,  sons, 
James  H.  and  John  R.  Socially  he  is  a  Ma- 
son and  has  taken  the  degrees  of  the  blue 
l(jdge,  chapter  commandery,  consistory  and 
the  Mystic  shrine.  He  belongs  to  the  Epis- 
copal church,  and  in  his  political  affiliations 
is  a  Republican,  ardent  and  earnest  in  his  ad- 
^'ocacy  of  the  principles  of  the  party.  He 
has  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board, 
has  held  a  number  other  city  offices,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1896  was  elected  mayor  of 
Dwight,  to  which  position  he  has  been  re- 
elected each  succeeding  spring.  In  1898 
Mr.  Oughton,  Major  Judd  and  Dr.  Leslie  E. 
Keeley  erected  and  gave  to  the  city  of 
Dwight  the  present  standpipe  and  water- 
works, built  at  a  cost  of  twenty  thousand 
dollars  and  unequalled  by  any  system  in  the 
state  in  a  town  approaching  the  size  of 
Dwight.  The  cement  sidewalks  of  the  city 
have  been  constructed  during  the  mayoralty 
of  Mr.  Oughton  and  the  town  now  has  bet- 
ter sidewalks  in  proportion  to  its  size  than 
any  other  in  the  state.  Many  other  im- 
provements have  received  his  co-operation 
and  Dwight  owes  much  to  his  progressive 
spirit. 

In  1895  Mr.  Oughton  erected  his  pala- 
tial residence  at  a  cost  of  about  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars — one  of  the  finest  homes  in 


Illinois  and  the  best  in  this  section  of  the 
state.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  very  fine  ken- 
nel, having  some  very  fine  dogs,  including 
the  famous  prize  winner,  "Heather  Lad," 
valued  at  six  thousand  dollars.  This  fine  an- 
imal has  taken  prizes  at  all  of  the  bench 
shows,  and  in  1893  and  1894  carried  off  first 
prize  at  everv  bench  show  in  the  United 
States.  Mr.  Oughton  also  has  a  deer  park 
upon  his  place,  containing  some  fifteen  or 
twenty  head  of  fine  deer.  His  saddle  horses 
are  noted  throughout  this  section  of  the  state 
and  for  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Oughton 
was  extensively  engaged  in  breeding  fine 
Kentucky  stock.  He  owns  over  four  thou- 
sand acres  of  land  in  Livingston  and  Grundy 
counties,  and  with  the  exception  of  eight  hun- 
dred acres,  all  is  in  Dwight  township  and  is 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  While 
intensely  devoted  to  business  and  a  man  of 
very  decided  views  and  strong  convictions, 
he  is,  by  nature,  of  a  very  gentle  and  affec- 
tionate disposition.  His  moral  standing  is 
high  and  he  lives  up  to  it.  His  genial  com- 
panionship, his  tenacious  regard  for  the  sim- 
l)le  truth,  his  unostentatious  generosity  and 
his  large-hearted  Christian  benevolence  are 
among  the  qualities  which  have  greatly  en- 
deared him  to  his  fellow  men.  His  wealth 
has  made  no  difference  in  his  friendships  and 
the  humblest  can  obtain  from  him  an 
audience. 


FRANCIS  FREMONT  FRAKES 

Francis  Fremont  Frakes,  a  well-known 
carpenter  of  Pontiac,  Illinois,  was  born  in 
Avoca  township,  September  12,  1856,  a  son 
of  Labin  and  Mary  A.  (Tracy)  Frakes. 
The  mother  was  born  at  Sandy  Creek,  New 
York,  not  far  from  Syracuse,  a  daughter  of 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


167 


A.  E.  Tracy,  and  came  liere  alioiit  tlie  same 
time  as  her  sister,  Mrs.  Maria  Owens,  a 
pioneer  of  Pontiac.  wliose  sketcli  appears  on 
another  page  of  tiiis  volume. 

Labin  Frakes,  father  cif  our  subject,  was 
born  in  the  southern  part  of  this  state,  near 
the  Missouri  line,  and  as  a  young  man  came 
to  Pontiac,  where  he  purchased  property.  He 
was  a  tailor  by  trade,  but  here  he  engaged 
ii\  the  real  estate  business  and  also  con- 
ducted a  liverv  stable  and  stage  and  transfer 
line  between  Pontiac  and  Bloomington.  He 
was  married  here  and  later  moved  to  Ne- 
vada City,  Missouri,  where  he  owned  proper- 
ty. He  also  built  a  large  livery  stable  at  that 
place  and  ran  a  stage  between  Sadlia  to  Fort 
Scott.  After  the  railroad  was  built  he  re- 
moved to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and 
while  there  the  Civil  wr  broke  out  and  he 
enlisted.  He  participated  in  the  first  and 
second  battles  of  Bull  Run,  and  was  wounded 
in  the  latter  engagement,  being  taken  to 
Beverly,  West  \'irginia,  where  he  died  from 
the  effects  of  his  wounds.  His  wife  then 
returned  to  Pontiac,  where  she  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  her  life. 

After  the  death  of  his  lather  Francis  F. 
Frakes  lived  witii  his  aunt,  Mrs.  Maria 
Owens,  in  Pontiac,  for  seven  years,  and  at- 
tended school.  The  only  schot)l  house  then 
in  the  place  stood  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
near  the  jail.  He  served  a  two  years'  ap- 
prenticeship to  the  carpenter's  trade  with 
Andrew  Pierce,  and  later  was  with  William 
Holmes,  during  which  time  he  helped  erect 
many  of  the  early  buildings  of  Pontiac.  .Vs 
a  journeman  he  worked  in  most  of  the  build- 
ings erected  at  that  time,  and  also  those  built 
in  later  years,  including  the  Sterry  block. 
He  is  now  one  of  the  oldest  carpenters  erf  the 
city  in  years  of  continuous  .service,  and  is 
an  expert  and  skillful  workman. 


On  the  _'4th  of  March,  1878.  Mr.  Frakes 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Orilla 
I'.ngland,  a  native  of  Pontiac  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Rue  I'jigland,  who  came  here  from 
Ohio  in  ])ioneer  days.  P.y  this  union  were 
born  six  children,  namely:  Orxille  Leon 
and  Rud\'  Rue,  who  are  both  emploved  in 
the  shoe  factory  in  Pontiac;  Coral,  who  was 
graduated  from  the  public  schools  in  1900; 
Lorene.  Fremont  and  Emma  Susan,  who  are 
all  attending  school.  Mrs.  Frakes  and  the 
children  are  members  of  the  Episcopal 
church,  while  our  subject  leans  toward  the 
Methodist  E])iscoi)al  church  in  religious  be- 
lief. The  family  is  tpiite  well  known  and 
highly  respected.  Mr.  ]->akes  purchased 
over  a  half-acre  of  ground  ;it  1003  West 
^Ladi.son  street,  and  has  erected  thereon  a 
nice  residence  which  has  now  been  his  home 
for  se\en  years,  though  he  is  one  of  the 
oldest  property  holders  of  the  citv. 


JEAX    1".   A.   \L\CEXT. 

Jean  P.  A.  X'incent,  deceased,  for  many 
years  one  of  the  honored  and  highly-re- 
spected citizens  of  Pontiac,  was  born  in  De- 
troit, Michigan,  January  9,  1827,  a  son  of 
Xarcis.se  and  Clotilda  (Prevolsel)  Vincent, 
both  of  French  descent.  He  died  the  .same 
year  at  Detroit  when  our  subject  was  about 
eleven  years  of  age,  and  he  was  then  ap- 
l)renticed  to  Charles  Buhl,  a  hat  manufac- 
turer of  that  city,  with  whom  he  remained 
until  attaining  his  majority.  There  he  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  Mr.  \'incent 
was  sent  by  the  firm  of  Buhl  Brothers  to  their 
Chicago  store,  where  he  clerked  for  one  year, 
and  then  was  employed  on  a  railroad  survey 


1 68 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


tlirougli  Bureau  'county.'  Illinois.  In  1859 
lie  entered'  the  service  of  the  government 
to  go  to  the  northAve'st  with  a  party  to  take 
meteorological  observations,  receiving  his  ap- 
pointment to  this  position  through  the  influ- 
ence of  General  Lewis  Cass,  of  Michigan,, 
who  always  took  a  warm  personal  interest  in 
our  subject  and  befriended  him  in  many 
ways.  Remaining  with  this  expedition 
over  a  year  and  a  half,  Mr.  Vincent  returned 
to  Illinois  in  the  fall  of  i860,  and  went  to 
Cairo  and  also  to  Vicksburg,  where  he  was 
in  government  employ.  While  at  the  lat- 
ter place  he  was  drafted,  and  served  in  Com- 
pany C,  Fifty-ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantrv.  until  the  close  of  the  Civil  war,  when 
he  returned  to  Illinois  and  passed  the  winter 
in  \\'enona.  In  the  following  spring  he 
mo\-ed  to  Pontiac,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
the  sale  of  pumps,  etc.,  for  about  five  years, 
when,  on  account  of  failing  health,  he  re- 
tired from  active  business. 

In  Lacon,  Illinois,  August  17,  1861,  Mr. 
Vincent  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Emma  Stevens,  a  daughter  of  Nathaniel  W. 
and  Mary  (Mix)  Stevens.  In  early  life  her 
father  was  a  resident  of  Lowell,  Massa- 
chusetts, but  shortly  after  his  marriage  re- 
moved to  Lacon,  Illinois,  where  his  death  oc- 
curred. His  wife  died  at  Spring  Valley, 
this  state,  in  1888,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
four  years. 

Two  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Vincent.  Lewis  Cass,  the  elder,  died  in 
Henry,  Illinois,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  months. 
He  was  named  for  General  Lewis  Cass,  of 
Detroit,  previously  mentioned  as  a  friend  of 
Mr.  Vincent.  Nathaniel  N.,  born  in  Stark 
county,  Illinois,  April  8,  1864,  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Spring  Valley,  where  he  is  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  cigars.  He  mar- 
ried Lucy  O'Keef,  by  whom  he  had  two  chil- 


dren, Pauline  and  Gwendoline,  who,  since 
the  death  of  their  mother,  have  made  their 
home  with  Mr.  X'incent  in  Pontiac.  For  his 
second  wife  Nathaniel  married  Agnes  Weir. 
The  only  child  born  of  this  union  died  in 
infancy. 

Mr.  Vincent  died  at  his  home  in  Pontiac 
from  a  stroke  of  paralysis  January  16,  1898, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years.  He  had 
drawn  a  pension  since  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  was  always  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
Republican  party  and  its  principles,  and  was 
an  honored  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic  and  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  belonging  to  the  latter  fra- 
ternity in  Chicago.  An  honest,  upright  man. 
he  was  highly  respected  by  all  who  knew 
him,  and  was  a  faithful  and  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Mrs.  Vin- 
cent, who  is  a  most  estimable  lady,  resides 
in  a  pleasant  home  on  North  Hazel  street, 
Pontiac. 


JOEL  D.  FOSDICK. 

Joel  D.  Fosdick.  familiarly  known  as 
Squire  Fosdick,  owns  and  operates  a  valu- 
able farm  of  four  hundred  acres  on  sec- 
tion 20,  Pike  township,  whose  neat  and 
thrifty  appearance  well  indicates  his  care- 
ful supervision.  Substantial  improvements 
are  surrounded  by  well  tilled  fields  and  all 
the  accessories  and  conveniences  of  a  model 
farm  are  there  found. 

Mr.  Fosdick  was  born  in  Allegany  coun- 
ty. New  York,  October  4,  1832,  a  son  of 
Aaron  C.  and  Olive  (Moon)  Fosdick,  also 
natives  of  that  state.  The  father,  who  was 
Ijorn  in  1808,  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and 
was  also  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lum- 
ber for  a  quarter  of  a  century.     In  1844  he 


J.  D.  FOSDICK. 


■■ 

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c*^2^^^^u<j^^&|s^^^B 

MRS.  J.  D.  FOSDICK. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


173 


came  to  TUinciis.  niaking-  tlie  tri]i  with  a  team 
in  twenty-two  days,  and  locating  in  Mar- 
shall county,  where  he  bought  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  and  opened  u[i  a 
farm.  He  sul)sequently  purchased  two  hun- 
tlred  acres,  and  was  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  lumber  in  Peoria  county  for  al)Out 
six  years,  after  which  he  returned  to  his 
farm  in  Marshall  county,  but  spent  his  last 
years  with  a  daughter  in  Weston,  where  he 
died  April  5.   1885. 

Our  subject  was  a  lad  of  twebe  years 
when  he  came  with  the  family  to  Illinois, 
and  in  Marshall  county  he  -^rew  to  manhood, 
his  education  being  obtained  in  the  common 
schools.  He  remained  at  home  assisting  in 
the  operation  of  the  farm  until  twenty-the 
years  of  age,  and  was  then  married,  in 
Boyd's  Grove  church.  Bureau  covuity.  May 
24,  1857.  to  Miss  Caroline  C".  (;riswi>ld,  a 
native  of  that  county  and  a  daughter  of 
Henry  Griswold,  one  of  its  early  settlers. 
Of  the  five  ciiildren  born  of  this  imion  three 
are  living,  namely:  Olive,  wife  of  John 
Scanlan;  and  Charles  and  Albert,  who  are 
l)oth  married  and  live  on  the  home  farm. 
L'elphi  E.  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years, 
and  Joel  C.  died  at  the  age  of  eleven. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Fosdick  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Saratoga 
township,  Marshall  county,  but  operated  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  on  disposing 
of  that  place  bought  eighty  acres  adjoining 
his  fatiier's  place  and  thirty  acres  along  the 
creek.  This  lie  broke,  fenced  and  improved, 
and  continued  its  cultivation  until  1875, 
\\hen  he  traded  it  for  three  himdred  and 
twenty  acres  of  his  present  farm  in  Pike 
township,  Li\ingston  county,  to  which  he 
lias  since  added  an  eighty-acre  tract,  making 
a  valuble  place  of  four  hundred  acres.  He 
also  owns  eighty  acres  in  Odell  township. 


He  commenced  life  for  himself  in  limited 
circumstances,  but  being  industrious,  enter- 
l)risiug  and  of  good  business  ability  and 
.sound  judgment  he  has  steadily  prospered, 
and  is  to-day  one  of  the  most  substantial  and 
prosperous  men  of  his  community,  as  well 
as  one  of  its  highly  honored  and  respected 
citizens.  In  connection  with  farming  he 
iil)crated  a  threshing  machine  during  season 
fur  fort}'  \-ears.  and  in  that  iniderlaking  was 
also  successful. 

.Since  casting  his  first  ]>residcntial  ballot 
for  Abraham  Lincoln  in  i860  Mr.  Fosdick 
has  been  a  stanch  Republican,  but  has  never 
sought  nor  desiretl  public  office.  He  has, 
howe\er,  taken  an  active  interest  in  educa- 
tional afl'airs  and  has  been  an  efficient  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  for  twenty-five 
years.  Without  his  knowledge  he  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace  and  filled  that 
office  to  the  satisfaction  of  all. 


EPHRAIM  HOUDER. 

Ephraim  Houder,  an  industrious  and 
skillful  farmer  who  is  now  practically  liv- 
ing a  retired  life  on  section  13,  Eppards 
I'oint  township,  Livingston  county,  was  born 
in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  Decem- 
ber 24,  1822,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Bar- 
bara (Kurtz)  Houder,  the  former  also  a  na- 
tive of  that  county,  the  latter  of  Germany. 
Our  subject'o  paternal  grandfather,  David 
Houder,  was  of  German  descent.  In  183 1 
the  fatlicr,  with  his  family,  moved  to  Mont- 
gomery county,  Ohio,  where  he  cleared  and 
improved  a  farm,  making  it  his  home  until 
his  emigration  to  Ilinois  in  1856,  when  he  lo- 
cated in  Livingston  county,  buying  a  farm 
three  miles  southeast  of  Pontiac,  upon  which 


174 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


lie  spent  t!ie  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died 
in  i86j.  his  wife  the  year  following.  In 
their  family  were  six  children,  three  sons  and 
tnree  daughters,  of  whom  Ephrann  is  the 
oldest :  David  is  a  resident  of  Pontiac ;  Eliz- 
abeth and  Mary  both  died  luimarried ;  Henry 
was  killed  in  the  Civil  war;  Martha  is  the 
wife  of  Joseph  Thomas,  of  Pontiac;  and 
Nancy  is  the  wife  of  Daniel  Shafer,  of  Mont- 
gomery county,  Ohio. 

Oiu-  subject  received  a  fair  common- 
school  education  in  Montgomery  county, 
Ohio,  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  He 
c.'ime  with  the  family  to  this  state  in  1856, 
and  in  October,  1861,  enlisted  in  Company 
C,  Thirty-ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
which  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac and  was  first  under  the  command  of 
General  Butler.  They  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Hancock,  Virginia,  Winchester, 
Chapins  farm  and  Weirbottom  Church, 
where  Mr.  Houder  received  a  gun  shot 
wound  through  the  ankle  and  was  disabled 
for  a  time.  His  next  engagement  was  at 
Fort  Wagner,  followed  by  the  battle  of 
Drury  Bluff,  and  many  others.  He  enteretl 
the  service  as  a  private,  but  was  promoted 
to  corporal;  and  as  such  was  honorably  dis- 
charged December  6,  1865.  After  his  re- 
turn home  he  helped  carry  on  the  farm  for  a 
few  years. 

In  Joliet,  Illinois,  May  15,  1867,  Mr. 
Houder  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Hannah  F.  Harder,  who  was  born  near  Port 
Byron,  Wayne  county.  New  York,  where 
she  was  reared  and  educated,  and  when  a 
young  lady  came  to  Ilinois.  Her  father, 
John  I.  Harder,  was  a  native  of  Hudson, 
New  York,  and  from  that  place  to  Wayne 
county,  where  he  espent  the  remainder  of  his 
life."  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Houder  began  their  do- 
mestic life  upon  his  father's  farm  near  Pon- 


tiac, w  here  they  remained  several  years,  and 
then  moved  to  a  farm  in  Eppards  Point 
township,  which  was  their  home  three  years. 
The  following  year  was  spent  in  McLean 
county,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  our  sub- 
ject purchased  his  present  farm  of  eighty 
acres  on  section  13,  Eppards  Point  township, 
Livingston  county,  which  at  that  time  was 
only  partially  improved.  He  has  tiled  the 
place,  built  a  barn  and  niaile"  other  substan- 
tial improvements,  but  is  now  living  retired, 
while  his  only  son,  Leroy  G.  Houder,  oper- 
ates the  farm.  Besides  this  property  he 
owns  another  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Owego 
township. 

In  1852  Mr.  Houder  suppported  Frank- 
lin Pierce  for  the  presidency,  but  since  the 
organization  of  the  Republican  party  four 
years  later  he  has  been  one  of  its  stalwart 
supporters  and  earnest  advocates  of  its  prin- 
ciples. He  w'as  formerly  a  member  of  the 
school  board,  but  has  never  sought  nor  de- 
sired public  office.  At  one  time  he  and  his 
family  were  members  of  the  Christian  church 
at  Pontiac,  but  since  it  broke  up  they  attend 
the  Baptist  church.  They  are  well  and 
favorably  known  throughout  the  community 
in  which  they  reside  and  justly  deserve  the 
high  regard  in  which  thev  are  held. 


ORLIX  CONVERSE. 

Orlin  Converse,  a  worthy  representative 
of  the  agricultural  interests  of  Livingston 
county,  owns  and  occupies  a  fine  farm  of  two 
hundred  acres  of  well-improved  and  valuable 
land  on  section  33,  Owego  township,  and 
also  has  an  eighty-acre  tract  two  miles  from 
his  home.  A  native  of  Addison  county, 
Vermont,  he  was  born  on  Lake  Champlain, 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


175 


under  the  shadows  of  tlie  Green  mountains, 
Xoember  i,  1834,  and  is  a  son  of  Heman 
Converse,  who  was  born  in  the  same  state  in 
1799,  his  ancestors  being  among  the  pioneers 
of  Vermont.  There  his  grandfather,  Pain 
Converse,  spent  his  entire  life.  He  was  a 
soldier  of  the  war  of  181 2.  The  father  grew 
to  manhood  in  his  native  county,  and  married 
Hannah  Crampton,  who  was  born  in  the 
same  house  where  our  subject's  birth  occur- 
red, and  where  both  parents  died,  the  fatiier 
in  1870,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years,  tlie 
mother  in  1888. 

Oriin  Converse  passed  his  boyhood  and 
youth  on  the  home  farm,  aiding  in  its  opera- 
tion and  attending  the  common  schools  of  the 
neighborhood.  He  came  west  in  1855,  join- 
ing his  sister  Emily,  wife  of  Robert  Smith, 
who  had  located  in  Livingston  county,  Illi- 
nois, a  year  or  two  previously.  He  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  partnership  with  his 
brother-in-law  until  August.  1862,  when  he 
enlisted  for  three  years  or  during  the  war  in 
Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
ninth  \'olunteer  Infantry,  which  was  as- 
signed to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  He 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Resaca  and 
Kenesaw,  and  all  the  engagements  of  the 
Atlanta  campaign,  being  under  fire  every 
day  for  a  month.  After  the  capture  of  the 
city  the  regiment  went  with  Sherman  on  the 
march  to  the  sea,  and  was  in  the  Carolina 
campaign,  taking  part  in  the  last  battle  of  the 
war — that  of  Bentonville,  North  Carolina. 
Marching  through  Richmond,  they  proceed- 
ed to  Washington,  D.  C,  and  participated  in 
the  grand  review  in  that  city.  Hostilities 
having  ceased,  Mr.  Converse  was  honorably 
discharged  and  returned  to  his  home  in  Illi- 
nois. He  had  lost  no  time  from  illness  or 
other  causes,  with  exception  of  the  twenty 
days'  furlough  he  was  given  in  1864. 


Before  entering  the  service  Mr.  Con- 
verse was  married,  in  this  county,  January 
7.  1862,  to  Miss  Rebecca  Rockwood,  who 
was  born  here.  Her  father.  Daniel  Rock- 
wood,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  Livingston  county,  hav- 
ing located  here  in  1834.  He  helped  to  lay 
out  tlie  county  seat  and  organize  Owego 
township,  where  he  took  up  a  claim  and  en- 
tered land,  making  it  his  home  until  his 
death.  Two  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Converse,  but  Rollin  P.  enlisted  in  the 
Third  United  States  Infantry  during  the 
Spanish-.Vmerican  war,  and  was  taken  ill 
and  died  at  Atlanta,  Georgia,  September  2^, 
1898.  His  remains  were  brought  back  and 
interred  in  Patty  cemetery.  Jessie,  the  only 
daughter,  died  in  1870,  at  the  age  of  nearly 
three  years. 

Mr.  Converse's  first  purchase  of  land 
consisted  of  forty  acres  in  Owego  township 
where  he  now  resides,  and  as  his  financial 
resources  increased  he  added  to  it  from  time 
to  time  until  he  now  has  over  two  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  oi  fine  farming  land,  which 
he  has  placed  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion and  improved  with  good  and  substantial 
buildings.  He  commenced  life  here  in  lim- 
ited circumstances,  and  the  success  that  he 
has  achieved  is  due  entirely  to  his  own  well- 
directed  and  energetic  efforts.'  After  resid- 
ing here  for  five  years  he  returned  east  in 
1861  to  visit  his  mother,  friends  and  scenes 
of  his  youth.  By  this  time  he  had  accu- 
mulated three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  in 
the  old  George  Smith  money  of  Atlanta, 
Georgia,  but  one  week  after  his  return  home 
it  was  worth  only  fifty  cents  on  the  dollar, 
and  at  the  end  of  another  the  entire  amount 
was  not  worth  a  dollar.  He  was  thus  forced 
to  walk  back  and  was  six  weeks  in  reaching 
this  county. 


176 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Since  casting  his  first  presidential  vote 
for  John  C.  Fremont  in  1856,  Mr.  Converse 
has  been  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Repubh- 
can  party,  and  he  most  acceptably  served  as 
supervisor  of  his  township  two  terms,  during 
which  time  he  was  a  member  of  some  import- 
ant committees.  He  has  ever  taken  an 
active  and  commendable  interest  in  educa- 
tional affairs,  has  been  a  member  of  the 
school  board  twenty  years,  and  clerk  of  the 
district  during  that  entire  time.  He  has 
watched  with  interest  the  wonderful  devel- 
opment of  this  region  during  his  residence 
here  and  has  always  borne  his  part  in  its  up- 
building and  advancement. 


JUDGE  NATHANIEL  J.  PILLSBURY. 

During  the  last  half  century  the  lawyer 
has  been  a  pre-eminent  factor  in  all  affairs  of 
private  concern  and  national  importance.  He 
has  been  depended  upon  to  conserve  the  best 
and  permanent  interests  of  the  whole  peo- 
ple and  is  a  recognized  power  in  all  the  ave- 
nues o5  life.  He  stands  as  the  protector  of 
the  rights  and  liberties  of  his  fellow  men, 
and  is  the  representative  of  a  profession 
whose  followers,  if  they  would  gain  honor, 
fame  and  success,  must  be  men  of  merit  and 
ability.  Such  a  one  is  Judge  Pillsbury, 
who  served  three  terms  as  circuit  judge  and 
is  to-day  a  prominent  citizen  of  Pontiac. 

He  was  born  in  Shapleigh,  York  county, 
Maine,  October  21,  1834,  a  son  of  Stephen 
N.  and  Susan  (Averill)  Pillsbury,  also  na- 
tives of  that  county  and  representatives  of 
good  old  New  England  families.  He  is  of 
the  ninth  generation  in  direct  descent  from 
William  Pillsbury,  who  came  to  the  new 
world   in    1640  and   settled   in   Dorchester, 


Massachusetts,  where  he  lived  until  185 1, 
and  then  moved  to  Newburyport,  the  same 
state,  where  he  purchased  land  that  is  still  in 
possession  of  his  lineal  descendants.  From 
him  all  the  Pillsburys  in  this  country  are 
descended.  The  father  of  our  subject,  who 
was  a  farmer  and  machinist  by  occupation, 
continued  his  residence  in  York  county, 
Maine,  until  after  the  birth  of  all  of  his  six 
children,  and  held  different  local  offices 
there,  including  those  of  selectman  and 
school  agent.  In  the  fall  of  1855  he  re- 
moved to  Bureau  county,  Illinois,  where  our 
subject  had  located  the  previous  spring,  and 
engaged  in  farming  near  Princeton  for  three 
3-ears.  In  1857  both  father  and  son  pur- 
chased raw  land  in  Nebraska  township,  Liv- 
ingston county,  where  the  former  made  a 
good  home,  living  there  until  1884,  when  he 
moved  to  Pontiac  and  built  a  residence.  This 
continued  to  be  his  home  throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  though  he  died  in  Iowa. 
In  politics  he  was  first  a  Whig  and  later  a 
Republican,  and  he  held  doflerent  township 
offices  here.  He  was  born  July  12,  1812, 
and  died  in  November,  1890,  while  his  wife 
was  born  in  August,  18 12,  and  also  died  in 
Iowa,  in  the  fall  of  1885.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  Averill. 

Judge  Pillsbury  received  a  good  common 
school  education  and  also  attended  an  acad- 
emy in  his  native  county  for  one  term.  He 
remained  on  the  home  farm  with  his  parents 
until  1 85 1,  after  which  he  engaged  in  teach- 
ing school  for  two  years.  He  accompanied 
tlie  family  on  their  removal  to  Saco,  Maine, 
where  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  York 
Manufacturing  Company  for  a  time  and  also 
taught  school  until  1855.  On  the  ist  of  Jan- 
uary, that  year,  he  married  Miss  Eliza  J. 
Cole,  and  the  same  spring,  being  threatened 
w  ith    consumption,    he    came    to    Illinois. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


177 


Thougli  the  journey  was  made  by  rail  it 
])roved  a  long  and  tedious  one.  taking  six 
days  to  reach  Chicago. 

As  previously  stated  the  Judge  first  lo- 
cated in  Bureau  county,  and  in  1857  bought 
a  farm  in  Nebraska  township,  this  county, 
which  he  operated  until  the  spring  of  1863. 
Moving  to  Pontiac  he  entered  the  office  of 
Samuel  Fleming,  and  after  studying  law  for 
some  time  was  admitted  to  the  bar  by  e.xami- 
nation.  He  then  formed  a  partnership  with 
Mr.  Fleming  and  in  a  short  time  had  ac- 
(;uired  a  lucrative  practice  and  excellent  rep- 
utation as  a  sound  and  honest  lawyer.  In 
1869  he  was  elected  a  meml)er  of  the  consti- 
tutional convention  which  met  the  following 
year,  and  in  1873  was  elected  judge  of  the 
thirteenth  judicial  circuit,  then  composed  of 
Livineston,  Kankakee  and  Iroquois  counties. 
I'our  years  later  the  circuit  was  enlarged  by 
adding  McLean  and  Ford  counties  and  be- 
came the  eleventh.  He  was  re-elected  in 
1879  and  again  in  1885.  serving  in  all  eight- 
een years  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  all  con- 
cerned. He  was  also  one  of  the  first  judges 
of  the  appellate  court,  being  on  that  bench 
fen  and  a  half  years  from  1877,  and  an  un- 
deniable proof  of  his  popularity  is  found  in 
his  re-elections  He  wrote  many  opinions 
that  are  to  be  found  in  the  first  sixteen  vol- 
umes I  if  the  appellate  court  rejiorts  of  the 
state  of   Illinois 

In  1891  Judge  Pillshury  was  urged  to 
become  a  candidate  for  a  fourth  term  by  the 
bi.r  and  people  generally,  but  on  account  of 
injuries  recei\ed  during  his  second  term  he 
did  not  feel  physically  able  to  undertake  the 
work.  On  the  ist  of  June.  1882,  while  re- 
turning to  his  home  from  Chicago  the  train 
on  which  he  was  a  passenger  was  besieged 
by  a  mob  of  union  strikers  who  desired  to 
capture  and  beat  certain  non-union  lalx)rers 


who  were  being  carried  to  their  homes  by 
the  railroad  company.  The  rioters  began 
firing  in  and  about  the  cars  and  the  Judge 
received  a  painful  wound  from  which  he  has 
never  recovered.  He  held  the  railroad  com- 
pany liable  and  brought  suit  to  recover  dam- 
ages. After  a  long  and  tedious  litigation 
he  carried  it  to  a  successful  conclusion,  al- 
tluiuo-h  the  great  majority  of  the  bar  of  the 
state,  who  knew  of  the  circumstances,  were 
against  his  views.  The  case  is  reported  in 
volume  123.  rejjorts  of  the  supreme  court, 
being  written  by  Judge  John  M.  Scott,  of 
P.loomington. 

For  some  time  after  his  retirement  from 
the  bench  Judge  Pillshury  attended  to  some 
selected  cases,  but  "was  not  able  to  do  a 
heavy  general  practice.  He  owns  consider- 
heavy  general  practice.  He  owns  consider- 
able real  estate  in  Pontiac  and  built  the  first 
two-story  double  flat  building  ever  erected 
ii;  the  city,  it  being  planned  by  himself.  At 
one  time  he  had  a  valuable  farm  of  four 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  south  of  the  city, 
and  at  different  times  has  owned  consider- 
able real  estate  in  Nebraska,  Kansas  and 
California.  He  still  has  a  fine  ranch  in  south- 
ern California,  devoted  to  oranges  and 
lemons,  and  has  spent  a  number  of  winters 
on  the  Pacific  coast  on  account  of  his  health. 
He  has  traveled  (piite  extensively  and 
crossed  the  continent  a  dozen  times. 

The  Judge  and  his  wife  have  a  family 
of  three  children,  namely :  Clara  .\.  is  the 
wife  of  S.  E.  Sims,  of  Pontiac,  and  they 
have  one  child.  Gladys ;  C.  .Xvis  is  the  wife 
of  E.  J.  Walker,  of  Sheridan,  Indiana,  and 
tl.ey  have  one  son,  Ernest  P. ;  and  Dale  E., 
at  home,  is  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and 
loan  business.  Mrs.  Pillshury  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

In  his  j)olitical  affiliations  Judge   Pills- 


178 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


bury  is  a  Republican  and  has  been  a  delegate 
to  different  state,  county  and  judicial  con- 
ventions. Socially  he  is  a  Knight  Templar 
Mason,  a  member  of  Pontiac  Lodge,  No. 
344,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Fairbury  Chapter,  R.  A. 
M ;  and  St.  Paul  Commandery,  No.  34,  K. 
T.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows lodge  and  encampment,  in  which  he 
has  held  all  the  offices  and  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  grand  lodge  and  grand  encamp- 
ment since  1868.  He  was  chairman  of  the 
building  committee  and  of  the  trustees  that 
erected  the  Odd  Fellows  block,  but  gave  up 
liis  official  position  when  elected  to  the  Ijench. 
He  is  a  man  of  high  intellectuality,  broad 
human  sympathies  and  tolerance,  and  is  im- 
bued with  fine  sensibilities  and  clearly  de- 
fined principles.  Honor  and  integrity  are 
synonymous  with  his  name  and  he  enjoys 
the  respect,  confidence  and  high  regard  of 
the  people  of  this  section  of  the  state. 


NELSON  D.  LAWRENCE. 

Nelson  D.  Lawrence,  one  of  Livingston 
county's  thrifty  and  prosperous  farmers  re- 
siding on  section  26,  Pontiac  township,  with- 
in a  mile  of  the  city  of  Pontiac.  was  born  in 
Warren  county,  Indiana.  June  26,  1850,  and 
is  a  son  of  Richard  Lawrence,  whose  birth 
occurred  in  Ohio  March  8,  1826.  His  grand- 
father, William  Lawrence,  a  native  of  Del- 
aware, was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Ohio 
and  also  of  Warren  county,  Indiana.  In 
the  latter  state  Richard  Lawrence  grew  to 
manhood  and  in  Vermillion  county,  Indiana, 
he  married  Amanda  Deyo,  a  native  of  that 
county.  In  1854  they  came  to  Livingston 
county,  Illinois,  and  settled  on  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  wild  land  near 


Pontiac,  which  Mr.  Lawrence  transformed 
into  a  good  farm.  While  a  resident  of  Indi- 
ana he  conducted  a  wagon  shop,  but  he  soon 
became  a  thorough  farmer  and  acquired  a 
comfortable  competence.  He  was  a  man  of 
fair  education  and  sound  judgment  and 
was  well  and  favorably  known.  He  spent 
liis  last  years  in  this  county,  but  died  while 
at  Kirksville,  Missouri,  March  16,  1894.  His 
first  wife  had  passed  away  many  years  be- 
fore, dying  October  24,  1858.  She  was 
born  February  6,  1830. 

On  the  home  farm  Nelson  D.  Lawrence 
grew  to  manhootl,  assisting  in  the  oi>eration 
of  the  same  and  attending  the  local  schools. 
He  remained  with'  his  father  until  grown 
and  then  worked  by  the  month  as  a  farm 
hand  for  seven  or  eight  years,  after  which 
he  rented  land  and  engaged  in  farming  on 
his  own  account.  In  1880  he  purchased  his 
present  farm  and  since  his  marriage,  in 
1885,  he  has  resided  thereon,  having  im- 
proved the  place  with  a  good  residence  and 
substantial  outbuildings.  He  has  broken 
thirty  acres  of  virgin  soil,  has  laid  many  rods 
of  tiling  and  converted  the  farm  into  one 
of  the  most  valuable  of  its  size  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  county. 

Mr.  Lawrence  was  married,  April  g, 
1883,  to  Miss  Caroline  M.  McKee.  a  daugh- 
ter of  James  and  Nancy  (  Sterrett )  McKee. 
natives  of  Ohio.  Her  father  was  born  in 
Brown  county,  that  state,  June  19,  1813, 
and  brought  his  family  to  Illinois  in  1856, 
locating  in  Livingston  county,  where  he  i^- 
chased  land  and  successfully  engaged  in 
farming  for  some  years,  Init  for  the  j^ast 
five  years  has  lived  retired  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lawrence.  His  first  wife,  who  was 
the  mother  of  Mrs.  Lawrence,  dietl  Sej)- 
tember  5,  1868.  She  was  born  July  14, 
1822,  and  married  ]\Ir.  ]\IcKee  ]March   17, 


1 
1 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


'79 


184 J.  Ten  cliiklreii  were  Iiorn  of  tliat  union, 
five  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  nine 
readied  mature  years,  and  five  sons  and  two 
dausnters  are  still  living.  Mr.  McKee  was 
])ostniaster  of  Rook's  Creek  postoffice  for 
manv  years.  Mrs.  Lawrence  was  reared  and 
educated  in  tliis  county  and  hy  her  marriage 
to  our  suhject  lias  become  the  mother  of 
four  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 
Octa  1).  antl  James  are  students  in  the  home 
school.     Alethea  M.  died  June  29.  1900. 

In  jxilitics  Mr.  Lawrence  is  independent, 
\oting  for  the  men  he  believes  best  (jualified 
to  fill  the  offices,  regardless  of  party  lines. 
He  takes  an  active  interest  in  educational 
affairs  and  for  fifteen  years  has  been  a  most 
efficient  member  of  the  school  Ixiard.  serving 
as  clerk  of  the  board  five  or  six  years.  His 
estimable  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  and  both  are  held  in  high  re- 
gard 1)  \all  will)  lia\e  the  ]ileasure  of  their 
•  accptaintance. 


CH.\RLES  R.  TRL'ITT. 

Charles  R.  Truitt.  the  well-known  and 
j)opular  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Sentinel 
of  Pontiac.  was  born  near  HillsbDrn,  Mnut- 
goniery  cnunty.  Illinois.  Juh-  22.  ICS58,  a 
>on  of  .Samuel  and  Cynthia  Ann  ( Carr ) 
Truitt.  The  father  was  born  aliout  1S18. 
not  far  from  Louisville.  Kentucky,  where 
he  grew  to  manhood  aiul  married.  On  com- 
ing to  Illinois  he  first  located  in  Greene  coun- 
t}-,  where  he  spent  a  few  years,  and  then 
made  an  overland  trip  to  California  during 
the  early  days  of  the  gold  excitement,  re- 
maining there  three  years  and  meeting  with 
fair  success.  He  thus  obtained  a  goo<l  start 
in  life,  and  on  his  return  to  this  state  pur- 
chased land  in  Montgomery  county,  becom- 


ing one  of  its  early  .settlers  and  extensive 
farmers,  owning  and  operating  some  five 
hundred  acres  of  land.  There  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  dying  in  February, 
1863.  He  took  cpiite  an  active  interest  in 
educational  affairs,  but  was  never  an  as- 
])irant  for  political  honors.  His  wife  sur- 
\i\ed  him  for  many  years,  dying  in  the  sum- 
mer of  iS<;4.  Se  was  a  faithful  member  of 
the  Christian  cluu-ch  and  a  most  estimable 
woman. 

In  the  county  of  his  nativi^*-  Charles  R. 
Iruitt  was  reared,  accpiiring  his  early  edu- 
cation in  its  common  schools.  He  is  a  grad- 
uate of  the  W'illiston  Seminary,  a  prepar- 
atory schmil  of  East  Hamjiton,  Massachu- 
setts,and  for  three  years  attended  La  Fayette 
College  at  Easton,  Pennsyhania.  Later  he 
successfully  engaged  in  teaching  for  .some 
years,  being  assistant  princi|)al  of  the  ]niblic 
schools  at  Hillsboro.  He  next  became  in- 
terested in  newspaper  work  in  the  office  of 
the  Hillsboro  Journal  and  later  purclia.sed 
the  pai)er,  which  he  conducted  about  four- 
teen years  with  good  success.  While  there 
he  took  an  active  part  in  Re])ublican  politics, 
was  a  member  of  the  county  and  township 
central  committees  and  served  as  a  delegate 
to  the  state  convention  of  his  party.  L'nder 
1  resident  Harrison  he  served  as  <leputy  col- 
lector of  internal  re\enue  in  the  eight  of 
Springfield  district  for  two  years. 

.\fter  selling  the  llillsboro  Journal,  in 
1895.  Mr.  Truitt  was  out  of  business  one 
year  and  then  went  to  Belvidere,  Illinois, 
and  ])urcha.sed  a  half  interest  in  the  Belvi- 
dere Xorthwestern,  which  he  sold  in  the 
sjiring  of  1897.  In  July  of  that  year  he  came 
to  Pontiac  and  bought  the  Sentinel,  which  is 
the  oldest  paper  in  the  county,  being  estab- 
lished in  1857.  and  which  has  always  been 
the  official   Republican  \y.\\>cx  of  the  county. 


i8o 


THE    BIOGRAPHiCAL   RECORD. 


It  is  an  eijsi'ht-page  weekly  journal  with  a 
large  circulation,  which  extends  all  ov?r  the 
county,  and  is  in  a  flourishing  comlition 
under  the  ahle  management  of  our  suhject, 
who  has  entire  charge  of  its  publication. 
Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  past  grand  in 
the  latter  lodge  at  both  Hillsboro  and  Belvi- 
dere.  He  attends  and  supports  the  Presby- 
terian church,  of  which  his  wife  is  a  mem- 
ber. 

On  the  ist  of  October,  1882,  Mv.  Truitt 
n  arried  Miss  Libbie  E.  Webber,  whc^  was 
born  near  Collinsville,  Madison  county,  Illi- 
nois, a  daughter  of  Nicholas  W'ebber,  and 
they  have  become  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren :  Ora,  Albert  and  Beulah. 


JEREMIAH  COLLI XS. 

Jeremiah  Collins  is  one  of  the  representa- 
tive agriculturists  of  Esmen  tiiwnship,  his 
fine  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  be- 
ii'g  con\eniently  located  on  sections  23  and 
2S,  w.ithin  two  miles  and  a  half  of  CayUga. 
He  was  born  in  Miami  county.  Ohio.  Jan- 
uary 22,  1 83 1,  find  is  a  son  of  Daniel  Col- 
lins, a  native  of  Darke  county,  the  same 
state.  His  grandfather.  Captain  Jeremiah 
Collins,  was  born  and  reared  in  Erance  and 
came  to  the  United  States  with  La  Fayette 
to  fight  for  American  independence.  He 
held  a  captain's  commission  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  His  last  days  were  spent  in 
Darke  county,  Ohio,  where  he  opened  a 
farm.  There  Daniel  Collins  grew  to  man- 
hood and  married  Nancy  Penney,  a  native 
of  Kentucky  and  a  daughter  of  James  Pen- 
ney, who  was  born  in  Virginia  and  was  later 


one  of  the  pioneers  of  Kentucky,  In  early 
life  the  father  of  otn-  subject  followed  black- 
smithing  in  his  native  state  until  1835.  when 
he  moved  to  Michigan  and  settled  at  St. 
Joseijh,  but  three  years  later  he  crossed  the 
lake  and  came  to  La  Salle  county,  Illinois, 
becoming  one  of  the  first  blacksmiths  of  Ot- 
tawa, where  he  arrived  July  16,  1838;  and 
where  he  made  his  home'  for  some  years.  In 
1844  he  located  on  a  farm  in  Rutland  town- 
ship and  resided  there  until  crossing  the 
])lains  to  California  in  1850.  After  two 
vears  spent  in  the  mines  he  returned  east 
l)-""  wav  of  the  Panama  route  and  New  York. 
He  continired  to  live  on  his  farm  for  many 
years,  but  died  at  the  home  of  a  daughter 
ir  Seneca  about  1890.  His  wife  had  passed 
a  wav  some  years  previously.  Of  their  thir- 
teen children,  six  reached  years  of  maturity, 
but  only  Jeremiah  and  Maria,  wife  of 
(leorge  Pope,  of  Seneca,  Illinois,  are  now 
In-ing. 

Our  subject  grew  to  manhood  in  La 
Salle  county  and  obtained  a  rather  limited 
education  in  the  district  schools.  In  1852 
h.e,  too,  crossed  the  plains  to  the  Pacific  slope, 
being  six  months  upon  the  road,  anil  arriv- 
ing in  \"olcano,  California,  September  16, 
that  )ear.  He  spent  three  years  in  that  state, 
but  only  engaged  in  mining  for  a  short  time. 
He  raised  a  crop  of  fall  wheat,  worked  in 
the  lumber  wocxls  over  two  years  and  in  the 
fall  of  185^  operated  a  threshing-  machine. 
In-  way  of  the  Panama  route  he  returned 
home  and  saw  the  first  railroad  train  he  ever 
saw  on  the  isthmus.  From  New  York  he 
proceeded  to  Chicago  and  arrived  home  in 
October,  1855.  He  purchased  a  farm  in 
La  Salle  county,  which  he  operated  until 
1872  and  then  sold,  coming  to  Livingston 
county.  He  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  where  he  now  resides ;  not  a 


JEREMIAH  COLLINS. 


MRS.  JEREMIAH  COLLINS. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


-^      185 


tree  or  shrul)  adorned  tlie  place,  with  tlie 
exception  of  a  wild  rose,  and  the  house  was 
small,  hut  to  its  improvement  and  cultiva- 
tion he  has  since  devoted  his  energies  and 
now  has  one  nt  tlic  most  desirahle  farms  of 
its  size  in  the  township.  He  has  erected 
thereon  a  pleasant  residence,  two  good  harns 
and  other  outhuildings,  lias  tiled  the  land 
and  placed  it  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion and  has  set  out  both  fruit  and  shade 
trees,  which  add  not  a  little  to  the  attractive 
appearance  of  the  place.  He  has  also  added 
an  eight}--acre  tract  to  his  first  purchase. 

In  La  Salle  county,  November  19,  1865, 
Mr.  Collins  married  Miss  Eliza  J.  Turner, 
a  native  of  England  and  a  daughter  of 
George  Turner,  who  came  to  the  L'nited 
States  in  1844  and  started  as  operator  in 
the  first  woolen  mills  at  Dayton,  Illinois. 
Mrs.  Collins  died  in  La  Salle  county  Feliru- 
ary  6,  1872,  leaving  five  children:  (jeorge; 
William;  Martha  J.,  wife  of  Simon  Slyder, 
of  Owego  township.  Livingston  countx'; 
Charles;  and  Warren.  Mrs.  Slyder  is  the 
owner  of  a  can  of  cherries  jiut  up  by  her 
mother  in  July,  1859,  and  they  arc  still  in 
a  perfect  state  of  i)reservation  an<l  which 
are  claimed  to  be  the  oldest  in  the  state.  .Ml 
of  the  sons  are  married  and  li\'e  in  Esmen 
township  with  exception  of  A\'arren,  who 
makes  his  home  in  Pontiac  township.  Mr. 
Collins  was  again  married,  in  Livingston 
county,  October  20,  1872,  his  second  union 
being  with  Miss  Rachel  \\'ilkerson,  who  was 
born  and  reared  in  Bixinesboro,  Kentucky, 
and  came  to  McLean  county,  Illinois,  with 
her  parents,  John  and  Mary  Wilkerson.  P.y 
this  marriage  four  children  were  born, 
namely;  Mary,  wife  of  Samuel  Spears,  a 
farmer  of  Pontiac  township;  Grace,  wife  of 
Arthur  Donahue,  a  farmer  of  Miimesota ; 
John  E.  and  Sadie,  both  at  home. 


Politically  IMr.  Collins  and  all  his  sons 
are  stanch  supporters  of  the  l\ei)ublicau 
party.  He  was  originally  a  Democrat  and 
cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Franklin 
Pierce  in  1852.  On  the  5th  of  August,  1862, 
he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Eighty-eighth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  participated 
in  the  battle  of  Perryville,  Kentucky,  Init 
was  soon  discharged  for  disability,  after 
being  confined  in  the  hospital  at  Xashville 
for  some  time.  He  is  now  a  member  of  the 
T.  Lyle  Dickey  Post.  Xo.  105,  G.  .\.  R.,  at 
pontiac.  -Mways  a  friend  of  education  and 
our  public  schools,  he  was  for  some  years 
an  active  member  of  the  school  board  both 
ir  La  Salle  and  Livingston  counties.  He 
lias  been  a  resident  of  this  state  for  sixty- 
two  years  and  has  therefore  witnessed  al- 
most its  entire  develoi)ment,  at  the  same  time 
aiding  in  its  advancement  and  progress. 


.\LBERT  L.  Y.\TES. 

Albert  L.  Yates,  a  successful  veterinary 
surgeon  of  Dwight,  Illinois,  was  born  in 
this  county  November  21,  1868,  a  son  of  Dr. 
Chri.stopher  and  Almira  (Beal)  Yates,  l)oth 
natives  of  New  York,  the  former  born  in 
Montgomery  county  December  25,  1837,  the 
latter  in  Yates  county  December  23,  1842. 
The  father,  who  was  also  a  prominent 
veterinary  surgeon,  enlisted  in  the  govern- 
ment service  in  that  capacity  during  the 
Civil  war  and  served  over  three  years. 
-Vfter  the  w;vr  he  located  in  Livingston 
cotmty,  Illinois,  and  engaged  in  farming  on 
the  Smith  farm  in  Dwight  township  for 
some  time,  then  removed  to  Kankakee  coun- 
tv  and  from  there  to  Inxjuois  county,  but 
in  1880  he  returned  to  this  county  and  again 


1 86 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


took  up  his  residence  on  a  farm  in  Dwight 
townsliip.  His  s^ns  then  l)eing;  old  enough 
to  carry  on  the  farm  work,  he  devoted  his 
time  to  the  practice  of  \eterinary  surgery. 
In  1885  lie  moved  to  tlie  village  of  Dwight 
and  from  that  time  until  his  death  he  gave 
his  entire  attention  to  practice.  Politically 
he  was  an  active  worker  for  the  Repuhlican 
party  and  held  a  number  of  local  ofifices  in 
Livingston  count  v.  He  was  a  man  of  fine 
phvsi(|ue,  being  over  six  feet  in  height,  was 
well  informed,  intelligent  and  generous  to 
a  fault,  and  possessed  a  kindly  disposition. 
Fraternally  he  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order  and  Grand  Army  of  tiie  Republic.  His 
wife  died  in  Dwight  township  October  27. 
1 88 1,  and  iiis  death  occurred  in  the  village 
November  17,  1892. 

After  the  death  of  the  mother  the  eldest 
daughter  took  her  place  as  far  as  possible, 
and  the  family  remained  together  on  the 
farm,  which  the  boys  operated.  There  were 
eight  children,  namely :  George  C.  and 
^Viliiam  E..  who  are  now  farmers  of  South 
Dakota:  Albert  L.,  our  subject:  Nellie  M., 
wife  of  John  Perkins,  of  Montgomery.  Kane 
county,  Illinois :  Bert,  a  farmer  and  school 
teacher  of  South  Dakota :  Harry,  who  was 
born  July  2.  1877,  and  died  December  21. 
1880:  Alice,  wife  of  \\'illiam  Neel,  of  Kane 
county;  and  Lefa  M..  wife  of  Fred  Neel.  a 
brother  of  William. 

The  boyhood  and  ynuth  of  iiur  subject 
were  passed  u]ion  the  home  farm  and  as  he 
grew  up  he  receixed  excellent  practical  train- 
ing and  experience  in  ^■eterinary  work  from 
association  with  his  father.  He  assisted 
him  in  his  work  and  also  pursued  a  course 
of  study  untler  his  direction.  He  then  passed 
a  creditable  examination  and  was  granted 
a  license  by  the  state  board.  After  his  fa- 
ther's death  he  succeeded  to  his  practice  and 


was  alone  until  1895.  \^hen  he  formed  a 
partnershij)  with  M.  L.  Livingston,  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Ontario  \'eterinary  College,  but 
after  being  associated  with  him  in  practice 
for  two  years  he  purchased  his  interest  and 
has  since  been  alone.  Possessed  of  excellent 
ability  and  skill  in  his  chosen  profession  he 
has  built  up  a  large  practice,  and  by  his 
straightforward  course  has  won  the  esteem 
of  the  community  in  which  he  lives.  Po- 
litically the  Doctor  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  fraternally  is  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Sons 
of  Veterans. 

Mr.  Yates  was  married.  May  29,  1900, 
to  Miss  Agnes  Chalmers,  of  Dwight,  which 
was  her  home  from  childhood.  She  is  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  church  of 
Dwight. 


SAMUEL  H.  NICHOLS. 

Samuel  H.  Nichols,  a  dealer  in  paints, 
wall  paper,  etc..  at  No.  1 13-1 15  West  Water 
street,  Pontiac,  and  one  of  its  leading  busi- 
ness men,  was  bom  in  that  city  January  t, 
1863,  a  son  of  Samuel  B.  and  Lucretia 
(  Fox)  Nichols.  The  father  was  a  native 
of  Norwich,  England,  where  he  was  reared 
and  educated.  At  the  age  of  twenty  years 
he  crossed  the  broad  Atlantic  and  settled 
in  Hamilton.  Canada,  where  he  was  engaged 
as  a  sailor  on  the  great  lakes  and  followed 
that  life  for  some  years.  He  came  to  Pon- 
tiac, Illinois,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1853.  ar- 
riving in  this  city  on  the  first  train  that  came 
over  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad.  He 
had  been  previously  married,  at  Cincinnati. 
Ohio,  to  Miss  Lucretia  Fox,  a  nati\e  of 
Keene.  New  Hampshire,  and  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Dorothv  Fox,  and  bv  this  union 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


187 


were  born  two  cliildren :  Mrs.  L.  G. 
Sdiwartz.  i)t  Cliicago,  and  Samuel  H.,  our 
subject.  After  coming  to  Pontiac  the  fa- 
tlier  engaged  in  the  restaurant  business, 
which  lie  continued  until  his  death,  wliich  oc- 
curred September  30,  1865.  He  was  a  sol- 
liier  of  the  Me.xican  war  and  a  man  liiglily 
respected  and  esteemed  by  all  who  knew 
him.  His  wife  survived  him  many  vears, 
dying  at  Pontiac.  in  1887.  at  the  age  of  six- 
ty-three years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  indebted 
to  the  public  schools  of  Pontiac  for  his  edu- 
cational advantages.  During  his  youth  he 
learned  the  painter's  and  paper  hanger's 
trade  and  worked  as  a  journeyman  until 
1884.  when  he  embarked  in  the  same  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account,  and  has  succeeded 
in  building  up  a  large  and  lucrative  trade. 
He  has  the  only  exclusive  wall  paper  and 
jiaint  store  in  the  city  or  in  fact  in  the  coun- 
ty, and  occupies  two  large  sales  rooms.  Xo. 
1 13  and  1 15  West  Water  street,  keeping  on 
hand  a  large  stock  of  paints,  oils,  brushes, 
wall  paper,  room  moulding,  etc.  Mr.  Nich- 
ols devotes  his  entire  time  to  the  store,  tak- 
ing contracts  for  large  jobs  of  painting  and 
paper  hanging,  and  furnishes  emplovnient 
to  a  large  force  of  skilled  workmen. 

On  the  8th  of  September,  1888,  in  Pon- 
tiac, Mr.  Nichols  married  Miss  Mollie  Har- 
rison, of  Carthage,  Missouri,  a  daughter  of 
John  W.  and  Mary  Ann  Harrison,  of  that 
city,  where  her  father  is  engaged  in  business 
as  a  dealer  in  staple  and  fancy  groceries  at 
731  West  Chestnut  street.  At  present  Mr. 
Nichols  is  living  at  705  West  Howard 
street,  Pontiac,  in  a  modern  two-story  frame 
dwelling  erected  by  him  in  1898. 

He  is  an  active  and  prominent  member 
of  Pontiac  Camp,  No.  5,  M.  W.  .A.,  of  which 
he  is  at  present  banker,  antl  a  member  of 


the  Pioneer  Reserve  .Association,  in  which 
order  lie  is  serving  as  local  deputy.  Re- 
ligiously he  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  By  his  ballot  he  supports  the  men 
and  measures  of  the  Republican  party,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1900  was  its  candidate  for 
alderman  from  the  secontl  ward,  where  he 
is  so  well  anil  faxorably  known,  it  having 
always  been  his  home.  As  a  business  man 
lu  ranks  among  the  ablest  in  the  city,  being 
enterprising,  energetic  and  industrious,  and 
the  success  that  he  has  achieved  in  life  is  due 
to  his  own  well-directed  efforts,  for  in  start- 
ing out  in  life  for  himself  he  was  without 
capital  or  influential  friends  to  aitl  him,  but 
to-day  is  a  prosperous  and  successful  busi- 
ness man. 


JOHN  MUNSON. 

John  Munson.  one  of  the  honored  vet- 
erans of  the  Civil  war  and  a  well  known 
tarmer  residing  on  section  20.  Owego  town- 
shi]),  four  miles  from  Pontiac.  was  born 
Xo\ember  _'8,  184J.  in  Denmark,  where  he 
was  reared  and  educated.  He  worked  on  a 
farm  and  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  l)e- 
forc  bis  emigration  to  .\mcrica  in  i860. 
On  landing  in  this  country  he  proceeded  to 
]-a  Salle  county.  Illinois,  where  he  found 
employment  as  a  farm  hand  for  one  year. 
In  i86j  he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  One 
Hundred  and  Fourth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, which  formed  a  part  of  the  .Vrmy  of 
the  Tennes.see,  and  he  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Hartsville,  Tennessee,  where  he 
was  taken  prisoner  with  his  regiment.  He 
was  held  a  captive  at  Murfreesboro  until 
])aroIed  and  sent  to  Camp  Chase,  Ohio,  and 
later  to  Camp  Douglas,  Chicago,  where  he 
was  exchanged  at  the  end  of  si.x  weeks.     In 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


the  meantime  he  contracted  inflammatory 
rheumatism  and  was  sent  to  the  hospital. 
When  lie  had  sufficiently  recovered  his 
health  to  he  about  he  was  placed  on  hospital 
duty  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  hon- 
orably discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war,  in 
1865.  He  has  never  yet  full}-  reco\-ered 
from  the  effects  of  his  army  service. 

On  receiving  his  discharge  Mr.  Munson 
joined  a  brother  in  Livingston  county,  but 
later  returned  to  La  Salle  county,  where  he 
spent  one  year.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
located  permanently  in  this  county,  where  he 
and  his  brother  operated  a  rented  farm  fur 
two  or  three  years,  and  for  three  years  he 
clerked  in  a  store  in  Pontiac.  Subsecjuently 
he  engaged  in  the  clothin.o-  and  gents  fur- 
nishing business  in  that  city  for  fi\-e  years, 
and  at  the  end  of  that  time  traded  his  stock 
of  goods  for  a  farm  west  of  Pontiac,  but 
sold  that  place  at  the  end  of  a  year  and 
bought  the  farm  in  Owego  township  where 
he  now  resides.  At  that  time  it  was  but 
slightly  improved,  but  he  has  planted  an 
orchard,  erected  a  neat  and  substantial  resi- 
dence and  a  good  l)arn,  and  to-day  has  a 
well-improved  and  valuable  farm  of  eighty 
acres.  He  also  has  another  eighty  acres  on 
section  18.  the  same  township.  This  prop- 
erty has  all  been  acquired  by  industry,  per- 
severance and  good  management,  for  be 
came  to  this  county  empty-handed  and  has 
had  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world  un- 
aided. 

On  the  30th  of  Decemlier,  1874,  Air. 
Munson  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Elizabeth  Dufif,  a  native  of  Huntingdon 
county,  Pennsylvania,  who  came  to  Illinois 
with  her  father,  Charles  Duff,  in  1866,  at 
the  age  of  about  fifteen  years,  locating  on  a 
farm  in  P*ontiac  township,  this  county.  Bv 
this  union  were  Ixirn  two  children.   Eva,  the 


elder,  is  now  the  wife  of  Benjamin  Miller, 
a  farmer  of  Owego  township,  and  they  have 
two  children.  AN'ilbur  John  and  Frances  Eliz- 
abeth. Louis  D.,  the  only  son  of  our  sub- 
ject, assists  in  the  operation  of  the  home 
farm.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Munson  have  given 
a  home  to  a  little  girl,  Toleto  Hansen,  whom 
they  are  now  rearing. 

Politically  Mr.  Munson  is  a  stanch  sup- 
p<:irter  of  the  Republican  party,  having  cast 
liis  first  presidential  vote  for  U.  S.  Grant  in 
1868,  and  for  every  nominee  of  the  party 
since  that  time.  Socially  he  is  a  Master 
Mason,  and  religiously  both  he  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  of  Pontiac.  They  are  widely  and 
favorably  known  and  ha\'e  a  host  of  warm 
friends  in  the  communitv  where  they  re- 
side. 


HORATIO  N.  VAUGHAN. 

Horatio  N.  Vaugban,  whose  home 
is  at  No.  522  North  Chicago  street,  Pontiac, 
Illinois,  is  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of 
that  place,  a  leader  in  musical  circles.  He 
is  a  native  of  Springfield,  Sullivan  county, 
New  Hampshire,  and  a  son  of  John 
and  Mary  (Moran)  Vaughan.  Her  paternal 
grandparents  were  Samuel  and  Elizabeth 
(Rider)  Vaughan,  natives  of  Halifax,  Nova 
Scotia,  who  moved  from  there  to  St.  Mar- 
tin's, New  Brunswick,  where  the  grandfa- 
ther died  at  an  advanced  age.  He  followed 
the  ship  carpenter's  trade  throughout  life, 
but  also  devoted  a  great  deal  of  time  to  the 
study  of  music  and  was  a  proficient  player 
on  several  instruments,  his  favorite  being 
the  violin.  He  was  a  member  of  an  orches- 
tra antl  band  in  St.  Johns,  New  Bruns- 
wick. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


189 


Jolin  \*aughan,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  also  born  in  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  and 
was  married  at  St.  Martin's,  New  Bruns- 
wick, but  soon  afterward  lie  left  Canada  and 
removed  to  Sullivan  ciuiniy.  New  Hamp- 
shire, where  all  of  his  ten  children  were 
born,  our  subject  being  the  youngest.  There 
he  engaged  in  fanning  on  quite  an  extensi\e 
scale,  though,  during  his  early  life  in  Nova 
Scotia,  he  had  followed  the  ship  carpenter's 
trade.  In  1837  1'^  came  to  Illinois  and  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Princeton,  where 
he  conducted  a  hotel  for  ten  years  and  then 
lived  retired  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1877,  when  he  was  eighty-seven  years 
of  age.  Only  two  of  his  family  are  now 
living,  our  subject  and  his  brother,  John,  a 
retired  merchant  of  Seattle,  Washington. 

Until  he  attained  his  majority,  Horatio 
N.A'aughan  remained  under  the  parental  roof 
and  was  educated  in  Illinois  by  private 
tutors.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  music  and  received  in- 
struction on  the  violin  from  some  of  the 
best  local  teachers  of  that  day.  He  contin- 
ued his  studies  for  a  number  of  years  and 
he  has  since  given  his  time  and  attention  to 
that  art  as  a  profession.  About  1862  he 
became  connected  with  the  band  and  orches- 
tra of  a  theatrical  company,  and,  as  leader 
of  the  orchestra,  traveled  with  some  of  the 
leading  theatrical  and  show  companies  as 
the  Van  Amberg,  and  others,  at  that  time. 
Leaving  the  road  in  1872,  he  taught  music 
as  a  band  instructor  in  various  cities  of  Illi- 
nois and  Wisconsin  until  locating  in  Ponti- 
ac  in  December,  1877.  Here  he  formed  a 
class  on  the  violin,  and  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  years  spent  in  Seattle,  Washington, 
he  has  since  taught  music  at  this  place. 
About  nine  years  ago  he  organized  and  be- 
came leader  of  the  Vaughan  orchestra  of 


Pontiac,  consisting  of  fourteen  pieces,  which 
still  exists  and  is  the  leading  musical  organi- 
zation of  the  city,  its  services  being  in  great 
demand.  Most  of  the  players  were  former 
pupils  of  ]\Ir.  Vaughan. 

In  May,  1880,  at  Pontiac,  Mr.  \'aughan 
married  Miss  Margaret  A.  Stites,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  J.  J.  Stites,  one  of  the  prominent 
physicians  of  this  city.  She  is  a  highly  ed- 
ucated lady  and  also  an  accomplished  mu- 
sician, receiving  her  musical  education  at  the 
College  of  Music  in  Cincinnati,  under  the 
management  of  Theodore  Thomas,  one  of 
the  most  noted  musicians  this  country  has 
produced.  She  plays  first  violin  in  her  hus- 
band's orchestra,  and  as  teacher  of  the  piano 
forte  has  a  large  private  class.  She  is  also 
supervisor  of  music  in  the  public  schools  of 
Pontiac,  a  position  she  has  most  creditably 
tilled  for  a  number  of  years,  and  which  re- 
quires much  of  her  time  and  attention  every 
day.  As  will  be  seen  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vaughan 
are  among  the  most  prominent  musicians  of 
the  city  and  are  entirely  devoted  to  their 
art. 


OWEN  PEEHAN. 

Owen  Feehan,  one  of  the  most  popular 
and  influential  citizens  of  Nevada  township, 
Livingston  county,  whose  home  is  on  sec- 
tion 20,  was  born  in  Grundy  county,  Illi- 
nois, June  15,  1861,  and  is  a  son  of  Owen 
and  Maria  (Killian)  Feehan,  natives  of 
Kings  county,  Ireland,  where  the  father 
followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  Soon 
after  their  marriage  they  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  and  took  up  their  residence 
in  Grundy  county,  Illinois,  where  he  pur- 
chased land,  making  their  home  there  until 
1869,  when  they  removed  to  Nevada  town- 


ipo 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ship,  Livingfston  county.  Here  he  liad  pre- 
viously purchased  the  south  half  of  section 
20,  which  at  that  time  was  unimproved  land, 
but  was  soon  transformed  by  him  into  one 
of  the  most  desirable  farms  in  the  locality. 
He  continued  to  reside  there  until  the  spring 
of  1892,  when  he  moved  to  Odell  and  has 
since  lived  in  retirement  from  active  labor, 
enjoying  a  well-earned  rest.  He  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church  of 
that  place,  and  are  highly  respected  and  es- 
teemed by  all  who  know  them.  To  this 
worthy  couple  were  born  ten  children,  eight 
of  whom  reached  man  and  womanhood, 
namely :  Patrick,  a  resident  of  Nevada  town- 
ship; John,  of  Seward  county,  Nebraska; 
Lawrence,  of  Nevada  township,  this  county; 
Ellen,  wife  of  J.  C.  Lennan,  a  merchant 
of  Odell;  Charles,  a  molder  by  trade  and  a 
resident  of  Morris,  Illinois;  Lizzie,  wife  of 
John  Carey,  a  farmer  living  near  Kinsman, 
Grundy  countv;  Owen,  our  subject,  and  Ed- 
ward, who  was  accidentally  killed  by  the 
train  at  a  crossing-  at  Kinsman. 

The  subject  of  this  review  began  his  ed- 
ucation in  the  schools  of  Grundy  county, 
and  after  coming  to  this  county,  at  the  age 
of  eight  years,  continued  his  studies  in  the 
schools  of  Nevada  township.  When  he  first 
located  here  the  nearest  school  was  three 
miles  from  his  home.  He  continued  to  at- 
tend school  at  intervals  until  he  attained  his 
majority,  and  acquired  a  good,  practical  ed- 
ucation. 

On  the  1st  of  June,  1887,  Mr.  Feehan 
married  Miss  Julia  A.  Feehan,  who  was  born 
in  Grundy  county,  June  18,  1861,  and  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  teaching  for  seven  years 
prior  to  her  marriage,  having  charge  of  the 
school  in  district  No.  4,  where  she  now  re- 
sides, besides  six  years  in  other  counties. 
She  was  educated  in  L^tica,  La  Salle  countv, 


Illinois.  Her  father,  John  Feehan,  was  a 
nati\e  of  Ireland  and  came  to  the  new  world 
in  early  youth.  He  resided  in  La  Salle 
county  for  many  years,  but  his  last  davs 
were  spent  in  Grundy  county,  where  he  died 
in  1891.  He  had  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  and  in 
order  of  birth  these  are  as  follows :  Sarah, 
wife  of  M.  J.  Dempsey,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  shoe  business  in  Chicago;  Kate,  widow 
of  J.  M.  Dempsey,  who  was  engaged  in  the 
grocery  and  meat  business  in  that  city,  where 
she  still  resides;  John,  a  detective  and  ser- 
geant on  the  Chicago  police  force;  Thomas 
I'.,  who  conducts  a  grocery  and  meat  mar- 
ket in  the  same  city;  Julia  A.,  wife  of  our 
subject,  and  Vincent,  who  is  in  the  employ  of 
the  Cuhady  Meat  Company,  pf  Chicago. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Feehan  were  born  five  chil- 
dren, namely:  Edith  Balbina,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  eleven  months;  Mary  Alice,  Grace 
Agnes  and  Julia  K.,  all  in  school,  ^nd  Eliza- 
beth Veronica,  a  bright  baby  of  two  and  a 
half  years. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Feehan  moved 
to  Chicago,  where  he  was  engaged  in  busi- 
ness for  two  years,  but  at  the  end  of  that 
time  he  returned  to  Livingston  county.  He 
operated  rented  land  for  a  time,  and  then  lo- 
cated on  the  old  homestead,  where  he  is  op- 
erating one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  well 
impro\ed  and  highly  cultivated  land,  and  is 
meeting  with  good  success. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Feehan  are  members 
of  the  Catholic  church  of  Odell,  of  which 
Father  Griffey  is  pastor,  and  he  also  belongs 
to  St.  Paul's  Court,  No.  618,  Catholic  Order 
of  Foresters,  of  the  same  place,  of  which  he 
is  one  of  the  trustees,  and  is  a  member  of 
Nevada  Camp,  No.  4070,  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America,  of  which  he  is  advisor.  As  a 
Democrat  he  has  always  taken  an  active  part 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


191 


in  politics;  has  been  a  delegate  to  county 
conventions  a  number  of  times,  and  is  now  a 
member  of  the  township  central  committee 
of  his  party.  On  attaining^  his  majority,  he 
was  elected  school  director,  which  office  he 
held  for  six  years,  and  for  one  year  he 
served  as  collector.  He  was  road  commis- 
sioner the  same  length  of  time,  and  assessor 
six  years.  In  the  spring  of  1900  he  was 
elected  supervisor  of  his  township  and  re- 
signed the  office  of  assessor. 

His  public  service  has  been  most  exem- 
plary and  his  private  life  has  been  marked 
by  the  utmost  fidelity  to  duty.  He  has 
given  his  supixjrt  to  all  measures  for  the  pui> 
lic  good,  and  is  justly  numbered  among  the 
valued  and  useful  citizens  of  his  communitv. 


\\1LL1A.M  F.  C.  LEHAIAXN. 

Germany  has  furnished  to  the  new  world 
many  of  its  most  enterprising  and  progres- 
sive citizens — men  who  have  taken  an  active 
part  in  the  development  of  the  locality  in 
which  the}-  make  their  home,  and  have  ex- 
erted a  great  influence  for  good  in  the  com- 
munity. Mr.  Lehmann  is  a  worthy  repre- 
sentative of  this  class.  He  has  met  with 
well  deserved  success  in  his  adopted  country, 
and  is  now  the  owner  of  a  valuable  farm  of 
four  hundred  acres  on  section  29,  Owego 
townshi]),  Livingston  county,  Illinois,  four 
miles  and  a  half  east  of  Tontiac. 

Mr.  Lehmann  was  born  in  Mecklenburg, 
Germany,  May  i,  1853,  and  attended  the 
schools  of  his  native  land,  but  is  wholly 
self-educated  in  English.  In  1871,  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  years  he  emigrated  to  the 
United  States  and  first  located  in  Peoria 
county,  Illinois,  where  some  friends  from 


the  fatherland  were  living.  He  obtained 
work  on  the  farm  of  William  Spicer,  a  sub- 
stantial farmer  of  that  county,  wlm  proved 
a  good  friend  to  the  German  hul,  and  he  re- 
mained in  his  employ  four  years.  In  1876 
he  came  to  near  Clienoa,  in  Livingston  coun- 
ty, where  he  commenced  life  for  himself 
upon  a  rented  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  which  he  successfully  operated  for 
seven  years.  At  length,  in  188 J,  he  was 
able  to  purchase  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land  in  Owego  township,  where  he 
now  resides.  At  that  time  it  was  only  par- 
tially improved,  and  the  house  standing 
thereon  was  quite  small,  but  it  has  since  been 
replaced  by  a  more  commodious  and  sub- 
stantial residence,  the  land  has  been  tiled, 
fences  built,  also  a  good  barn,  and  water 
works  and  stock  scales  addetl,  making  it  one 
e)f  the  best  ecpiipijcd  farms  in  the  locality. 
He  has  also  extended  the  boundaries  of  his 
farm  until  they  now  include  four  huiulred 
acres  of  rich  and  fertile  land.  This  prop- 
erty has  all  been  acquired  through  his  own 
well-directed  efforts,  and  he  is  to-day  one 
of  the  substantial  men  of  Owego  township. 
In  this  county,  Mr.  Lehmann  was  mar- 
ried, January  22,  1877,  to  Miss  Augusta, 
Louise  Leduc,  who  was  born  in  New  York 
City.  Her  father.  General  Louis  Leduc, 
was  a  native  of  France  and  a  highly  edu- 
cated gentleman,  .speaking  eight  different 
languages.  He  was  an  officer  in  the  French 
army  and  took  part  in  several  wars.  Later 
he  came  to  America  and  was  married  in  New 
York  city,  where  he  made  his  home  for  some 
time,  but  subsequently  came  to  Livingston 
county,  Illinois.  Here  Mrs.  Lehmann  was 
reared  and  educated  by  her  father.  Of  the 
ten  children  born  to  our  sul)ject  and  his  wife, 
two  died  in  infancy.  Those  living  are :  Lena, 
now  the  wife  of  George  Rights,  a  farmer  of 


192 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Owego  townsliip,  by  wliom  she  liad  a  son, 
William;  Albert,  who  assists  his  father  in 
the  operation  of  tlie  farm;  Emma,  William, 
Mattie,  Julius,  Rudolph  and  Willis  Ellis,  all 
at  home. 

By  his  ballot  Mr.  Lehmann  supports  the 
men  and  measures  of  the  Repviblican  party, 
but  has  never  cared  for  official  honors.  He 
is  now  serving  as  Canada  thistle  commis- 
sioner and  as  school  director,  having  been 
president  of  the  district  board  for  fourteen 
years.  He  and  his  wife  are  prominent  and 
influential  members  of  the  German  Baptist 
church,and  he  takes  a  very  active  part  in  Sun- 
day school  work,  serving  as  president  of  the 
township  Sunday  school  society  seven  years. 
For  some  years  he  was  superintendent  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday  school,  and 
now  holds  the  same  position  in  the  Swigart 
Sunday  school.  For  a  few  years  he  was  su- 
perintendent of  both  Sunday  schools  at 
the  same  time.  In  all  the  relations  of  life 
he  has  been  found  true  to  every  trust  reposed 
in  him,  whether  public  or  private,  and  justly 
deserves  in  the  high  regard  in  which  he  is 
uniformly  held. 


JOHN  KLEIN. 

John  Klein,  one  of  Pike  township's  most 
progressive  and  public-spirited  citizens, 
owns  and  operates  a  well-improved  and  val- 
uable farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres 
on  section  22.  He  is  a  native  of  Germany, 
born  in  Rheinpfalz,  Bavaria,  August  24, 
1833,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Margaret 
(Weiser)  Klein,  also  natives  of  that  coun- 
try, where  the  father  followed  the  weaver's 
trade.  In  1855,  accompanied  by  his  family, 
he   emigrated   to   America   and   located    in 


lazewell  county,  where  some  of  his  friends 
from  Germany  had  previously  settled  and 
where  he  rented  a  little  house.  At  that  time 
he  had  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  all  of 
\\hom  worked  and  it  took  their  wages  for 
one  year  to  pay  their  passage  across  the  At- 
lantic and  the  expenses  of  their  trip  to  this 
state.  The  second  year  the  father  rented  a 
farm  in  Deer  Creek  township,  Tazewell 
county,  for  one-half  the  crop  raised,  and  in 
1864  purchased, a  farm  in  Pike  township, 
Livingston  county,  tipon  which  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  dying  there  in  Decem- 
ber, 1878,  his  wife  in  1874.  In  their  family 
were  seven  children,  of  whom  four  sons  and 
one  daughter  are  still  living. 

Our  subject  acquired  a  good  practical 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  na- 
tive land,  which  he  attended  for  eight  years, 
but  his  knowledge  of  the  English  language 
has  been  self-acquired.  At  the  age  of  four- 
teen he  commenced  earning  his  own  liveli- 
liood.  working  out  while  in  Germany,  and 
for  four  years  after  coming  to  this  country 
he  worked  for  and  assisted  his  father  in  get- 
tmg  a  start.  He  then  began  life  for  him- 
self as  a  farmer  upon  rented  land. 

In  Tazewell  county  Mr.  Klein  was  mar- 
ried, January  25,  1864,  to  Miss  Margaret 
Moschel,  also  a  native  of  Bavaria  and  a 
daughter  of  Christian  and  Margaret 
Moschel.  Her  father,  who  was  a  cabinet- 
maker by  trade,  died  in  Germany,  and  sub- 
sequently she  and  her  mother  and  seven 
children  came  to  the  new  world  in  1862,  lo- 
cating in  Tazewell  county,  Illinois,  where 
she  lived  for  several  years  and  then  came  to 
Pike  township,  Livingston  county,  where 
she  purchased  a  farm  and  there  died  Octo- 
ber 4,  1886.  IMr.  and  Mrs.  Klein  are  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  namely :  Katie, 
wife  of  Theodore  Lommatsch,  of  Pike  town- 


JOHN  KLEIN. 


MRS.  JOHN  KLEIN. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


197 


ship,  lias  two  children.  Clara  and  Raliili ; 
Lena,  wife  (if  Louis  Lommatsch.  uf  the 
same  township,  has  one  son.  Elnier ; 
-\nna,  at  home;  John  married  Miss  Katie 
Schocn])eck,  and  they  liave  one  daughter, 
Mahcl,  and  he  operates  a  part  of  his  father's 
farm;  Matilda.  August  and  I'.melia,  at 
liome;  one,  the  oldest  of  the  family,  died  in 
infancy. 

For  finir  years  after  his  marria.<;e  Mr. 
Klein  cnntiuued  to  rent  land  in  Tazewell 
county,  and  in  1869  came  to  Livingston 
county,  locating  upon  a  partially  impro\ed 
tarm  of  forty  acres  in  Pike  township,  which 
he  had  ])urchased  a  year  or  two  hefore.  As 
his  financial  rest)urces  have  increased  lie  has 
added  to  his  landed  possessions  from  time 
to  time  until  he  now  lijis  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  rich  and  arahle  land,  which 
he  has  placed  under  excellent  cultivation  and 
unproved  with  a  gtiod  set  of  farm  huildings. 
His  success  in  life  is  due  to  his  industry, 
enterprise  and  good  management.  He  is 
a  man  of  good  husiness  ahility  and  sound 
judgment,  and  carries  forward  to  successful 
completion  whatever  he  undertakes. 

Originally  Mr.  Klein  was  identitied  with 
the  Democratic  party  and  cast  his  first  pres- 
idential vote  for  Samuel  J.  Tilden  in  1876. 
but  of  recent  years  has  been  independent  in 
politics,  supporting  the  best  men,  regardless 
of  party  affiliations.  He  has  taken  a  very 
active  and  influential  part  in  public  afifairs, 
has  been  a  delegate  to  many  county,  sena- 
torial, congressional  and  state  conventions, 
and  has  been  honored  with  a  number  of  im- 
portant official  positions,  having  ser\ed  as 
township  clerk  fourteen  years,  supervisor 
two  years,  assessor  two  years,  justice  of  the 
peace  eight  years,  a  member  oi  the  school 
board,  and  president  ami  clerk  of  the  dis- 
trict many  years.     His  official  duties  have 


always  been  most  faithfully  and  satisfac- 
torily performed,  winning  the  commenda- 
tion of  all  concerned.  In  1885  Mr.  Klein 
and  X.  J.  Myer  antl  others  established  the 
Eppards  Point  Fire  Insurance  Company, 
and  the  former  was  made  i)resident,  the 
latter  secretary  of  the  same.  Our  subject 
is  one  of  the  most  public  spirited  and  enter- 
prising men  of  his  community  and  has  done 
much  to  aid  in  the  development  and  further 
the  interests  of  Pike  townshi]).  Religiously 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  (jf  the  Lu- 
theran church. 


CHARLES  l-:i)\VAR])  WATSOX. 

Charles  Edward  W^atson,  now  deceased, 
was  born  in  Indiana,  in  which  state  he  was 
reared  and  educated.  In  his  youth  he  learned 
the  trade  of  wagonmaker  and  when  a  young 
man  he  came  to  Pontiac,  first,  in  1857,  and 
for  a  time  engaged  in  his  chosen  occupation. 
He  later  returned  to  his  native  state,  but  in 
1862  again  came  to  Pontiac,  which  continued 
his  home  until  his  death. 

On  the  19th  of  April,  1864,  Mr.  Watson 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Cordelia 
JUick,  by  whom  he  had  three  children.  Clara 
\\'.  is  now  the  wife  of  Ale.xander  Algeo,  a 
frn-nier  of  Rooks  Creek  township,  and  they 
have  two  children,  .Anna  Louise  and  Walter 
Samuel.  Jesse  X.,  born  January  13,  1870, 
married  April  14,  1897,  Miss  Mary  Lorena 
Cross,  of  Peoria,  and  they  reside  in  Chicago, 
where  he  is  engaged  as  a  draughtsman. 
Willim  A.,  born  September  4,  1872,  is  a 
contractor  and  builder  in  Larkin,  Kansas. 
While  still  residing  in  Pontiac,  he  did  a 
good   deal  of  architectural   work. 

Mr.  W'atson  was  called  to  his  reward 
May  4,  1887.     Fraternally  he  was  a  member 


198 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
Politically  he  was  a  Repuhlican,  and  for  a 
time  held  the  office  of  street  cnnimissioner 
of  Pontiac. 

Mrs.  Watson  still  makes  her  home  in 
Ptjntiac,  where  she  is  well  known  and  great- 
ly esteemed.  She  inherited  the  musical 
talent  of  her  father  and  has  sung  in  the 
choirs  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal,  Baptist 
and  Presbyterian  churches  of  Pontiac,  thus 
aiding  bv  her  voice  the  worship  in  song  in 
the  various  churches. 


JOHN  H.  OLESOX. 

Among  the  prospert)us  and  successful 
farmers  of  Esmen  township,  Livingston 
county,  who  have  made  their  own  way  in  the 
world  imaided  and  have  succeeded  in  ac- 
cumulating a  handsome  competence,  is  John 
H.  Oleson,  whose  home  is  on  section  30. 
He  was  born  in  Norway,  in  1850,  and  when 
seven  years  of  age  was  brought  to  the  United 
States  by  his  father,  Ole  H.  Oleson.  who 
first  settled  in  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  and 
came  to  Livingston  county  five  years  later, 
locating  in  Esmen  township,  where  he  is 
now  living  a  retired  life  with  his  youngest 
son,  at  the  age  of  seventj'-eight  years.  He, 
too,  was  an  agriculturist  anil  met  with  ex- 
cellent success  in  his  labors. 

Since  the  age  of  twelve  years  John  H. 
Oleson  has  been  a  resident  of  Livingston 
county  and  is  indebted  to  her  public  schools 
for  his  educational  advantages.  The  old 
homestead  adjoins  the  farm  where  he  now 
lives,  and  he  aided  in  its  operation  until 
twenty-four  years  of  age.  He  was  then 
married,  in  this  county,  June  10,  1874,  to 
Miss  Isabel  Highland,   who  was  also  born 


in  Norway,  and  came  to  this  country  at  the 
age  of  six  years  with  her  father,  Ole  High- 
land. The}"  settled  in  Li\ingston  cnuntv, 
where  she  grew  to  womanhood.  The  chil- 
dren born  to  our  subject  and  his  wife  are: 
Elsie,  wife  of  Benjamin  Peterson,  of  Liv- 
ingston count}- :  Cordelia,  wife  of  Oscar 
Hetland ;  Ida,  wife  of  George  Thompson; 
Clara  and  Obeil.  both  at  home. 

For  two  years  after  his  marriage  Mr. 
Oleson  engaged  in  farming  upon  rentetl  land 
and  then  purchased  eighty  acres  of  raw- 
prairie  land,  on  which  he  now  resides,  and  to 
the  improvement  and  cultivation  of  which 
he  has  since  devoted  his  energies  with  most 
gratifying  results.  As  he  has  prospered  he 
has  added  to  his  farm  two  eighty-acre  tracts, 
and  now-  has  a  fine  place  of  two  hundred  antl 
forty  acres,  which  he  has  tiled,  fenced  and 
placed  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
In  addition  to  this  he  has  an  eighty-acre 
tract,  given  him  by  his  father,  making  a  total 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He 
j)ossesses  many  of  the  admirable  character- 
istics of  the  Norwegian  people,  being  in- 
tlustrious,  economical  and  persevering,  anil 
to  these  may  be  attributed  his  wonderful  suc- 
cess. By  his  ballot  he  supports  the  men  and 
measures  of  the  Republican  party,  and  has 
served  as  school  director  in  his  district.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
cliUrch  and  are  widely  and  favorably  known 
throughout  their  section  of  the  countv. 


CHRISTIAN  VERCLER. 

For  over  a  quarter  of  a  centur}-  this  gen- 
tleman has  been  prominently  identified  with 
the  agricultural  interests  of  Livingston  coun- 
ty, and  now  owns  and  successfully  operates 
a  valuable  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


199 


acres  on  sections  27,  31  and  33.  Pike  town- 
ship. He  was  born  July  14.  1852.  in  the 
jjrovince  of  Lorraine,  France,  now  a  ])art  of 
Germany,  and  is  a  son  of  Christian  X'ercler, 
Sr..  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and  pro- 
gressive farmers  in  that  part  of  the  county. 
He  was  echicated  in  Imth  the  Frencli  and 
Cierman  languages,  but  has  acquired  iiis 
knowledge  of  English  since  coming  to  Amer- 
ica. He  sailed  from  Havre  and  landed  in 
Xew  York.  September  2"^,  1872,  and  came 
direct  to  Livingston  county,  Illinois.  Two 
}ears  later  he  was  joined  by  his  father,  who 
bought  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land 
in  Pike  township,  but  was  not  long  permitted 
to  enjoy  his  new  home,  as  he  died  the  same 
year. 

On  liis  arrival  here  uiu'  subject  com- 
menced working  Ly  the  month  at  farm  labor, 
and  was  thus  employed  for  a  year  and  a 
half.  He  then  assisted  his  father  in  the  im- 
provement and  cultivation  of  the  place,  and 
after  the  latter's  tleatb,  he  and  his  brothers, 
Andrew,  Joseph,  Jacob  and  Peter,  continued 
its  t)peration  fur  three  years.  In  1881  our 
.subject  purchased  eighty  acres  of  his  present 
farm,  and  to  it  he  has  since  added  until  be 
now  owns  an  excellent  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  wliicli  he  has  jjlaced 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  im- 
proved with  good  and  substantial  buildings. 
He  has  made  for  himself  an  honorable  rect)rd 
in  business  and  by  bis  well-directed  efforts 
has  acquired  a  handsome  competence. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1881,  in  Pike 
township,  Mr.  \'ercler  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Emma  B.  Le  Due,  a  native 
of  that  township  and  a  daughter  of  one  of  its 
most  prominent  old  settlers.  Louis  Le  Due. 
I'ive  children  blessed  this  union,  but  Bertha 
died  in  childhood.  Those  living  are,  Will- 
iam, Alice,  Rudolph  and  Nettie. 


By  bis  ballot  Mr.  \'ercler  usually  sup- 
ports the  men  and  measures  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  but  at  local  elections  votes  in- 
dejjendent  of  party  lines,  supporting  the  men 
whi>m  he  believes  best  qualified  to  fill  the 
offices.  He  served  some  years  as  township 
clerk,  collector  of  taxes  one  year,  highway 
commissioner  si.x  years,  and  a  member  of  the 
school  board  and  district  clerk  nineteen 
years.  He  is  a  worthy  representative  of 
that  class  of  citizens  wlu)  lead  (juiet.  in- 
dustrious, honest  and  useful  lives,  and  con- 
stitute the  best  portion  of  the  community. 
Religiously  he  is  a  member  of  the  Mennonite 
church.  Mrs.  Vercler  is  a  member  of  the 
German  Baptist  church. 


JOHN  W.  r.KLXER. 

Jiijni  W.  liruner,  a  ijrominent  and  repre- 
sentative business  man  of  P<Mitiac,  residmg 
on  East  Water  street,  was  born  in  Greene 
county,  Ohio.  July  8,  1837,  a  son  of  Peter 
and  Elizabeth  (Tytusj  Bruner.  The  father 
and  mother  were  both  born  in  Loudoun 
county,  Virginia,  and  about  1835  removed 
to  Ohio,  locating  near  Xenia,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  milling  and  mercantile  business. 
J-ater  be  carried  on  the  dry-goods  business 
in  Butler  county  and  at  Germantown,  Mont- 
gomery county,  Ohio,  and  from  that  state 
he  inoxed  to  Wabash  county,  Indiana,  where 
he  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  throughout  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  dying  there  in  1852.  His  widow- 
continued  to  reside  on  the  farm  until  1855, 
when  she  went  to  live  with  her  brother,  F. 
J.  Tytus  a  prominent  merchant  and  pork 
packer  of  Middletown,  Butler  county.  Ohio, 
and  a  \  ery  wealthy  and  benevolent  man,  who 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


was  born  February  5,  1806,  ami  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty  years.  After  li\ing'  with  him 
two  years,  Mrs.  Bruner  made  Iier  home  with 
her  son-in-law,  Dr.  Samuel  Stew  art,  in  Ham- 
ilton, Ohio,  where  she  died  at  the  age  of 
about  sixty  years.  The  Bruner  family  is  of 
German  descent,  tlie  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject having  come  to  this  country  from  Ger- 
many with  three  brothers  and  settled  m  the 
west.  Peter  Bruner.  who  was  born  Decem- 
ber 2,  1791,  was  a  son  of  George  Peter 
Bruner.  His  wife,  Elizabeth,  liorn  Febru- 
ary 23,  1801,  was  a  daughter  of  Tunis  and 
Jane  Tytus. 

To  Peter  and  Elizabeth  (Tytus)  Bruner 
were  born  five  children,  four  of  whom 
reached  years  of  maturity,  namely :  ( i ) 
Francis  J.,  who  owned  a  large  sugar  plan- 
tation in  Louisiana,  was  a  Confederate  sol- 
dier in  the  Civil  war,  and  died  in  that  state 
in  1899.  Three  of  his  children  are  still  liv- 
ing on  the  plantation.  [2)  Jennie  E.  is  the 
widow  of  Dr.  Samuel  Stewart  and  is  now 
living  in  Pontiac,  Illinois.  She  has  three 
children :  Frank,  a  tinisher  in  the  shoe  fac- 
tory of  that  place;  Lizzie,  wife  of  S.  W. 
Strong,  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Illi- 
nois state  reformatory,  and  John  R.,  who 
is  employed  in  the  shoe  factory.  (3)  Will- 
iam H.  married  Elizabeth  Cook,  of  Pontiac, 
and  is  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in 
that  city.  (4)  John  W.,  our  subject,  is  the 
youngest  of  the  family. 

During  his  boyhood  John  W.  Bruner  at- 
tended the  common  schools  of  Butler  county, 
Ohio,  and  completed  his  education  at  Den- 
nison  University,  Granville,  that  state.  He 
remained  at  home  tintil  1852,  and  after  leav- 
ing college  entered  the  dry  goods  business 
at  Cincinnati  and  later  at  Middletown,  in 
1861,  where  he  remained  until  the  fall  of 
1864,  when  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Pon- 


tiac, Illinois.  For  nine  years  he  carried  on 
farming  in  Pontiac  township.  Livingston 
county,  where  he  owned  twci  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  and  also  three  hundred  and 
t\\  enty  acres  in  Eppards  Point  townshi]),  and 
also  raised,  bought  and  sold  stock.  At  the 
end  of  that  period  he  removed  to  the  city  of 
Pontiac,  where  he  has  since  engaged  in  the 
real  estate  and  stock  business,  meeting  with 
marked  success.  He  has  also  three  thousand 
acres  of  land  near  Stuttgart,  Arkansas, 
w  hich  is  devoted  to  stock  raising  at  the  pres- 
ent time.  He  is  an  enterprising  and  pro- 
gressive business  man,  energetic  and  reliable, 
and  easily  wins  the  confidence  and  good  will 
of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  Po- 
litically, he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  but  has 
never  cared  for  official  honors,  while  re- 
ligiously he  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church,  and  socially  affiliates  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  being  one  of  the  older 
members. 

On  the  15th  of  August,  1861,  Mr. 
Bruner  married  Miss  Eliza  J.  Crane,  a 
daughter  of  Stephen  C.  and  Elizabeth 
(Simpson)  Crane.  Her  father,  a  native  of 
New  York,  moved  to  Butler  county,  Ohio, 
at  an  early  day  and  there  engaged  in  farm- 
ing with  most  gratifying  success,  becoming 
the  owner  of  a  large  aniou;''*^  of  both  farm 
and  city  property.  About  1865  he  brought 
his  family  to  Pontiac,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  real  estate  business  cjuite  extensi\ely. 
He  was  a  large  stockholder  in  the  first  coal 
shaft  sunk  at  this  place,  and  was  also  con- 
nected with  the  first  woolen  mill  established 
here.  He  seemed  to  prosper  in  all  his  lui- 
dertakings  and  accumulated  considerable 
wealth.  He  died  in  Pontiac,  in  1880,  leav- 
ing over  two  thousand  acres  of  improved 
farming  land  in  Livingston  county,  besides 
a  large  amount  of  city  property  and  a  thou- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


sand  acres  of  land  in  otlier  parts  of  the 
west.  Mrs.  Bruner  was  born  in  Butler  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  January  25,  1843.  Of  the  four 
children  born  to  our  subject  and  his  wife 
only  one  is  living.  Hal  C,  residing  at  208 
East  Water  street,  is  engaged  in  the  tile 
business  in  Pontiac,  and  is  also  interested 
in  a  manufacturing ,  business  in  Chicago. 
He  married  Carrie  S.  Sims,  of  Pontiac.  and 
they  liave  three  cliiklren.  namely:  E\a. 
Eeonora  and  Crane. 


JOHX  BALMER.  Sr. 

A  brilliant  example  of  a  self-made  .Amer- 
ican citizen  and  a  grand  examplification  of 
the  progress  that  an  ambitious  foreigner  can 
make  in  this  country  of  unbounded  oppor- 
tunities, is  shown  in  the  ca.se  of  John  Balmer. 
one  of  the  most  successful  and  prosperous 
farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  Livingston 
county.  He  resides  on  section  26,  Pontiac 
township,  within  one  mile  nf  the  city  of  Pon- 
tiac. 

Mr.  Balmer  was  Ixirn  in  Switzerlanil,  Oc- 
tober 31,  1829,  and  came  to  .\merica  with 
his  father.  Christian  Balmer,  in  1840.  ln- 
cating  first  in  Hancock  county.  Ohio,  near 
the  present  city  of  Findlay,  where  the  father 
bought  land.  With  the  assistance  of  his 
sons  he  cleared  and  improved  his  place,  trans- 
forming it  into  a  good  farm.  There  he  died 
about  1853. 

Our  subject  attended  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  land,  but  his  knowletlge  of  Eng- 
lish has  been  acquired  through  his  own  ef- 
forts since  coming  to  the  new  world,  at  the 
age  of  eleven  years.  He  aided  his  father  in 
tl;e  arduous  task  of  clearing  the  home  farm, 
and  remained  with  him  until  grown.     It  was 


in  1852  that  he  came  to  Livingston  county, 
Illinois,  and  the  following  year  he  purchased 
the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  consisting  of 
t)ne  hundred  and  thirty-seven  acres, which  he 
bought  in  partnership  with  his  brother-in- 
law,  but  since  1861  he  has  been  sole  owner 
of  the  place.  As  an  agriculturist  he  has 
steadily  prospered,  and  has  added  to  his 
landed  possessions  from  time  to  time  imtil 
he  is  now  the  owner  of  eleven  hundred  acres 
i)f  valuable  land  in  this  county,  besides  his 
investments  in  Nebraska  and  Kansas.  In 
connection  with  general  farming  he  has  en- 
gaged extensively  in  the  raising  and  feeding 
(if  cattle  for  market. 

In  the  fall  of  1854.  Mr.  Balmer  tlrove 
back  to  Ohio,  and  was  there  married  to  Miss 
Xancy  .\tlkins,  a  native  of  Pickaway  county, 
that  state,  and  a  daughter  of  David  .Adkins. 
By  this  union  four  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  Melissa  is  now  the  wife  of  Allen 
Scott,  of  Joplin,  Missouri,  and  they  have 
two  children,  John  and  Pearl;  J.  P.,  who 
assists  in  the  operation  of  the  home  farm, 
married  Anna  Belle  Blair,  and  they  have 
two  children  living,  Everet  and  .Angle,  two 
ha\ing  died ;  Leonard  S.  is  at  home,  and 
-Anna  is  the  wife  of  Madison  Phipps,  a 
farmer  of  this  county,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Jesse  R. 

In  his  ])olitical  views  Mr.  Balmer  is  a 
stanch  Republican,  but  at  IcKal  elections  he 
endeavors  to  support  the  best  man,  regard- 
less of  part  affiliations.  He  has  never  cared 
for  public  office,  preferring  to  devote  his 
entire  time  and  attention  to  his  extensive 
business  interests.  Socially  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Odd  Fellows  society  at  Pontiac. 
and  has  filled  all  the  chairs,  being  at  present 
past  grand  of  his  lodge.  For  almost  a  half- 
century  he  has  made  his  home  in  Livingston 
county,  and  has  bore  his  part  in  its  develop- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ment  during;  that  period.  He  lias  seen  the 
swamps  drained,  and  a  large  tract  of  what 
at  first  appeared  to  be  waste  land  trans- 
formed into  rich  and  fertile  fields.  The 
career  of  Mr.  Balmer  seems  almost  phe- 
nomenal, yet  his  success  is  by  no  means  the 
result  of  fortunate  circumstances.  It  has 
come  to  him  through  energy,  labor  and  per- 
severance, directed  by  an  evenly  balanced 
mind  and  honorable  business  principles.  He 
has  always  made  the  most  of  his  opportuni- 
ties.and  his  successful  life  excites  the  admira- 
tion of  all. 


\\ILLIAM  ARAIITAGE. 

\\  illiani  Armitage,  deceased,  was  born  in 
Tipperary,  Ireland,  on  the  13th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1826,  and  when  twenty-two  years  of  age 
came  ti.i  the  United  States  with  his  father, 
Richard  Armitage,  who  settled  in  Wayne 
county.  New  York,  where  he  died  at  an  ad- 
vanced age.  Our  subject  located  in  Roch- 
ester, New  York,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  brick  for  a  short  time,  and 
in  1865  came  to  Illinois,  settling  near  Odell, 
Livingston  county,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming  for  a  few  years  and  then  established 
himself  in  the  brick  and  tile  lousiness  in 
Odell.  in  which  line  he  was  engaged  for 
over  twent}'  years.  He  commenced  life  as  a 
poor  boy,  but  by  his  industry,  perseverance 
and  upright  dealing  with  all  with  whom  he 
came  in  business  contact,  he  soon  became  a 
thrifty  business  man,  and  one  who  had  the 
respect  of  all  his  fellow  citizens. 

When  Mr.  Armitage  first  settled  in  Odell 
there  was  no  church  or  cemetery  in  the  place, 
and  he  helped  build  the  first  church  and  was 
always  a  large  contributor  to  its  support. 
His  business  constantly  increased  under  his 


al)le  management  until  it  became  one  of  the 
leading  industries  of  that  part  of  the  coun- 
try, furnishing  employment  to  a  large  num- 
ber of  men  and  turning  out  a  product  all 
knew  as  excellent.  Later  he  sold  the  tile 
and  brick  business  to  Trecker  Brothers  and 
mo\ed  to  Iowa,  but  after  spending  two  years 
in  that  state  he  returned  to  Odell,  where  he 
made  his  home  until  the  fall  of  1899  and 
then  came  to  Pontiac  to  live  quietly  after 
the  labors  of  a  well-spent  life,  during  which 
he  had  prospered.  He  had  surrounded  him- 
self by  all  the  comforts  of  life  and  was  en- 
joying the  rest  which  comes  to  the  faith- 
ful worker,  when  he  was  called  to  that  long 
and  peaceful  rest,  February  25,  1900,  after 
an  illness  of  only  a  few  days,  leaving  a 
widow  and  four  children  to  mourn  the  de- 
parture of  a  devoted  husband  and  a  kind  and 
mdulgent  father. 

Mr.  Armitage  was  married,  in  Tyre. 
New  York,  in  1854,  to  Miss  Ann  M.  Thorp. 
a  daughter  of  Munson  and  Ann  Eliza  (Ar- 
mitage) Thorp.  Her  father  was  a  native 
of  New  Hampshire,  but  at  an  early  age 
moved  to  New  York  and  located  in  Onon- 
daga county,  where  as  a  mechanic  he  spent 
over  sixty  years  of  his  life,  dying  there  at 
the  age  of  eighty-seven.  His  wife  died  in 
Wayne  county,  the  same  state,  when  Mrs. 
Armitage  was  only  four  years  of  age.  Mrs. 
Armitage  has  only  a  brother  living.  Rev. 
\\'allace  W.  Thorp,  a  Presbyterian  minister 
of  Poughkeepsie,  New  York. 

To  our  subject  and  his  wife  were  born 
eight  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  New 
York  state  and  one  in  Odell,  this  county. 
'i"he  living  are  as  follows :  ( i )  Clara  Belle 
is  the  wife  of  Alfred  Burns,  a  farmer  of  this 
county,  and  they  have  two  daughters :  Ruth 
A.  and  Charlotte.  (2)  Wesley  L.,  of  Odell, 
married  Edith  Bockman,  and  thev  have  three 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


203 


cliildren.  \\'illiam  S..  Lucile  and  Floyd  B. 
(3)  Elton  C,  an  attorney  of  Chicago,  mar- 
ried Alice  McConnell.  and  tliey  have  one 
child.  Edna.  (4)  Lillian  F.  is  the  wife  of 
S.  X.  Donahue,  who  has  a  large  restaurant 
and  bakery  in  Pontiac. 

Mr.  Arniitage  was  converted  antl  united 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  cinirch  at  tlie 
age  of  twenty-three  years.  He  was  soon 
elected  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school, 
and  was  also  a  class  leader.  .\  devoted 
Christian,  an  upright  citizen  and  business 
man,  he  was  always  t\)und  on  the  right  siilc 
of  every  moral  issue,  and  was  strictly  tem- 
perate and  a  faithful  worker  in  the  temper- 
ance movement,  and  was  a  constant  reader 
(  f  tlie  best  literature,  having  a  well-stocked 
library.  \\  bile  devoted  to  his  business  and 
the  accumulation  of  property,  be  found  time 
to  gratify  bis  fondness  for  field  sports  with 
rod  and  gun.  In  politics  be  was  a  Republi- 
can. l)ut  took  no  active  part  in  political  mat- 
ters, yet  was  always  interestetl  in  all  public 
afifairs  that  tended  to  advance  the  wlfare  of 
the  community  in  which  he  lived.  Mrs.  Ar- 
niitage laid  the  remains  of  her  beloed  luis- 
band  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Odell,  where 
so  many  years  of  their  happy  life  bad  been 
passed,  near  the  church  be  had  helped  to 
build,  and  of  which  he  had  been  such  a  de- 
voted member  and  constant  attendant.  Mrs. 
Arniitage  has  bought  a  large,  pleasant  home 
on  East  North  street,  Pontiac.  where  she 
e.xpects  to  spend  her  remaining  years  be- 
loved and  resi)ected  by  all  wliu  know  her. 


JOHX  FKAXCIS  SULL1\".\X. 

John  Francis  Sulli\an,  a  well  known 
and  prominent  ilruggist,  of  Cbatswortli,  was 
born  in  Peoria,  Illinois,  March  10,  1868,  a 


son  of  John  and  Ellen  Sullivan.  The  fa- 
ther, who  was  Ixirn  in  county  Cork,  Ireland, 
came  to  America  in  1862,  and  after  .spend- 
ing five  years  in  New  York  City,  became 
a  resident  of  Peoria,  Illinois,  Where  for  two 
years  he  was  employed  as  section  foreman 
on  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Wabash  Railroad. 
His  wife  died  in  1873,  leaving  three  chil- 
tlren :  Mary  Ellen,  who  died  in  Sciota,  Illi- 
nois, in  1893;  Julia,  a  resident  of  Xew 
York  Citv,  and  John  F.,  our  subject.  Shortly 
before  the  death  of  bis  wife  Mr.  Sullivan 
moved  to  Sciota,  McDonough  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  made  his  home  for  twenty- 
rive  years,  being  in  the  employ  of  the  rail- 
road as  section  foreman  nearly  all  of  that 
time.  He  owned  a  farm,  which  he  improved 
and  operated  for  about  two  years.  He  is 
now  a  resident  of  Chatsworth  and  is  still 
in  the  employ  of  the  railroad,  having  been 
connected  with  section  work  for  thirty-one 
years.  For  his  second  wife  he  wedded 
Mary  Laverv.  by  whom  be  has  four  chidren  : 
Cornelius,  who  is  married  and  lives  in  Ma- 
comb, Illinois;  Sarah,  Annie  and  Elizabeth, 
all  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Our  subject  received  his  educatiun  in  the 
public  schools  of  Sciota  and  at  the  Macomb 
Xormal  School.  He  remained  at  home 
witii  his  father  until  sixteen  years  of  age, 
and  then  entered  the  Chicago  College  of 
I'barmacy,  where  be  took  a  two-years  course 
and  was  graduateil  in  1884.  He  found  em- 
ployment as  prescription  clerk  in  different 
drug  stores  of  Chicago  for  nine  years,  and 
in  1893  came  to  Chatsworth,  where  there 
appeared  to  be  a  good  opening  and  purchased 
the  old  established  business  of  H.  M.  Bangs. 
Since  the  store  came  into  his  possession  he 
has  increased  the  stock  to  double  the  amount, 
and  the  volume  of  business  is  several  times 
what  it  was.     He  carries  a  complete  line  of 


204 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


drugs,clruggists|  sundries,  wall  paper,  paints, 
oit§,..etc.,  and  is  meeting  with  well  deserved 
snccess. 

Mr.  Sullivan  was  married,  Tune  28,  1895, 
to  Miss  Mary  Eva  Smith,  a  native  of  Chats- 
worthj  and  the  oldest  daughter  of  James 
A.  Smith.  They  have  one  son,  Richard 
Francis,  born  June  19,  1896.  In  his  po- 
litical affiliations,  Mr.  Sullivan  is  a  Repub- 
lican, but  has  never  accepted  office,  though 
he  has  been  tendered  public  position,  pre- 
ferring to  give  his  entire  time  and  attention 
to  his  business  interests.  He  is  a  communi- 
cant of  the  Catholic  church,  and  a  member 
of  the  Modern  Woodmen  Camp,  No.  1829, 
of  Chatsworth. 


NELSON  BUCK. 

Nelson  Buck,  deceased,  was  a  well 
known  citizen  of  Pontiac  from  1850  to  1869. 
He  was  born  in  Chemung  county.  New 
York,  April  10,  1808.  and  was  a  son  of 
Aholiab  and  Annis  (Drake)  Buck,  natives 
of  Chemung  county.  New  York,  Init  who 
at  a  verv  early  da_\'  came  west  and  located  in 
Peoria  county,  Illinois.  On  his  removal  to 
Illinois,  on  the  present  site  of  the  city  of 
Peoria  there  was  only  a  block  house  and  the 
place  was  known  as  Fort  Clark.  Aholiab 
Buck  took  up  a  tract  of  land  from  the  gen- 
eral government  about  eleven  miles  from  the 
present  city,  which  he  improx'ecl  and  on 
which  he  resided  until  his  death.  His  wife, 
who  was  a  memlier  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  survived  him  for  some  years,  dying 
in  i860,  at  the  age  of  nearly  eighty-three 
years.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Drake,  a  native  of  one  of  the  eastern  states. 

Nelson  Buck  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
native   coimty   and    there    received   a   gCKxl 


literary  and  nnisical  education,  ])eing  for 
Some  years  a  teacher  of  vocal  music.  He 
first  married  Miss  Fidelia  W'ithey.  of  Port 
Bvron,  New  York,  and  they  made  their 
home  in  that  place  until  her  death.  \\'ith 
his  father's  family  he  then  came  west  to 
Peoria  county,  and  later  married  Miss  Annis 
Knapp,  daug'hter  of  James  and  Margaret 
(Drake)  Knapp,  also  eastern  people  from 
near  Homer,  New  York.  She  was  born  in 
1812. 

After  his  arrival  in  Peoria  county  Mr. 
Buck  learned  surveying  and  followed  the 
occupation  of  a  surveyor  during  the  re- 
maintler  of  his  residence  in  that  county,  do- 
ing nnich  of  the  early  survey  work,  and 
being  a  careful  and  methodical  man  the  cor- 
rectness of  his  lines  was  seldom  cjuestioned. 
He  continued  to  reside  in  Peoria  county 
until  about  1840,  when  he  moved  with  his 
family  to  Bloomington,  McLean  county, 
where  he  continued  to  follow  his  chosen 
occupation.  He  also  established  one  of  the 
first  nurseries  in  that  vicinity,  in  which  line 
of  business  he  was  quite  successful.  While 
residing  in  Bloomington,  in  1844,  his  wife 
(lied,  leaving  five  children,  Clarissa  died,  a 
ytiung,  lady,  in  1854,  in  Pontiac.  Willard 
P.  was  a  member  of  the  Forty-seventh  Illi- 
nois \*olunteer  Infantry  during  the  Civil 
war,  and  faithfully  served  his  country  in 
that  terrible  struggle  for  the  preservation  of 
the  Lnion.  He  is  now  a  resident  of  Grand 
Rapids,  Michigan.  Cordelia  is  now  the 
widow  of  Charles  Watson  and  resides  in 
Pontiac.     Alice  and  Edwin  died  young. 

iMr.  Buck  lived  in  Bloomington  and  con- 
tinued his  business  there  until  his  marriage, 
in  1850,  with  Mrs.  Maria  Fellows,  of  Pon- 
tiac. when  he  removed  to  the  latter  city  and 
t<x:)k  charge  of  her  estate,  which  consisted 
of  a  farm,  hotel  and  many  town  lots  and 


NELSON  BUCK. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


207 


undivided  real  estate  in  that  place.  By  his 
sound  business  judgment  he  put  the  estate 
into  good  shape  antl  which  later  reali2e<l  a 
handsome  return.  He  never  would  permit 
a  bar  to  be  run  in  connection  with  the  hotel, 
but  run  it  on  strict  temperance  principles, 
li  burned  down  July  9.  1856. 

Mr.  Buck's  skill  as  a  surveyor  secured 
him  the  appointment  as  government  sur- 
veyor in  1869,  and  he  was  sent  to  resurvey 
the  line  between  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  He 
left  Plattsmouth,  Nebraska,  July  5.  1869, 
and  was  last  heard  from  at  Fort  Kearney, 
from  which  place  he  started  for  Fort  Mc- 
Pherson,  Init  never  reached  the  latter  place, 
being  killed  by  the  Indians  while  <•»  route. 

In  the  various  places  where  he  made  his 
home.  Mr.  Buck  became  somewhat  promi- 
nent in  business,  social  and  musical  circles. 
He  was  one  of  the  early  trustees  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Pontiac,  before  the  present  thriving 
place  put  on  city  airs.  He  tix^k  an  active 
part  in  the  prosecution  of  every  moN-ement 
for  the  improvement  of  the  village,  and 
much  credit  is  due  him  for  its  substantial 
growth  just  prior  to  and  after  the  close  of 
the  C"i\il  war. 

Mr.  Buck  never  lost  his  interest  in  nm- 
sical  affairs  and  while  residing  in  Bloom- 
mgton  he  was  one  of  the  most  ])rominent 
musicians  of  the  place.  He  was  a  luember 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  connected  with 
its  choir  and  early  introduced  a  violin  as  a 
help  to  the  musical  exercises  of  its  services, 
much  to  the  horror  of  some  of  the  good, 
staid  old  members  of  the  church,  a  few  of 
whom  arose  and  walked  out  of  the  church. 
On  his  removal  to  Pontiac  he  became  prom- 
inent in  musical  circles  here,  as  well  as  lead- 
er of  the  choir  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  Fraternally  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


Few  men  in  Livingston  county  were  bet- 
ter known  or  held  in  higher  esteem  than 
Nelson  Buck,  arid  his  untimely  death  was 
mourned  not  alone  by  his  immediate  family 
but  the  entire  cominunitv  as  well. 


WILLIAM    ROOK. 

William  Rook,  a  thrifty  and  prosperous 
farmer  residing  on  section  j6.  Forrest  towu- 
ship.  Livingston  county,  Illinois,  was  born 
October  jo,  1821,  in  Lincolnshire.  England, 
where  his  [jarents,  Thomas  and  Mar\-  (Sut- 
ton)  Roi^k,  sjient  their  entire  li\-es.  The 
father  was  a  prosperous  farmer,  was  a  hard 
working,  industrious  man.  and  highly  re- 
siiected  by  all  who  knew  him.  P)oth  he  and 
his  wife  held  membership  in  the  church  ni 
England.  He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five  years,  and  his  wife,  who  passed  away 
several  years  ])re\ious.  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty.  ( )ur  subject  was  the  oldest  of  their 
eight  children,  four  of  whom  came  to  this 
country. 

William  Rnuk  dbtained  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  cumnmn  sclmols  of  his  birth - 
])!ace.  and  reni;iined  at  home  assisting  his 
lather  on  the  farm  until  1851.  when  he 
emi<''rated  to  .\nicrica.  landing  in  Phila- 
delphia July  i^).  lie  first  went  to  Delaware, 
where  he  worked  on  a  farm  two  summers, 
and  then  removed  to  New  York  state,  but 
remained  there  only  a  few  months,  not  being 
pleased  with  the  outlook  in  that  state,  and 
hearing  of  the  cheap  lands  in  Illinois,  he 
decided  to  locate  here,  and  on  the  8th  of 
October,  1853,  he  arrived  in  Peoria  comity, 
where  he  rented  land  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  twelve  years.  For  two  years  he 
worked  bv  the  month  and  in  1868  came  to 


208 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Livingston  county,  where  lie  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  raw  land  on  section  27.  For- 
rest townsliip.  This  he  broke,  tiled  and  im- 
proved, by  the  erection  of  a  good  residence 
and  large  barn,  and  he  still  owns  the  prop- 
erty. It  was  his  home  until  1882.  when  he 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on 
section  j6,  the  same  townshij).  and  erected 
another  set  of  farm  buildings.  He  has  added 
other  impnn'enients  from  time  to  time  and 
now  has  one  of  the  best  farms  in  his  local- 
itv.  He  has  a  pleasant  home.  Avhich  is  pre- 
sided over  by  his  daughter.  Mrs.  Spray. 

On  the  5th  of  May,  185 1,  Mr.  Rook  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  Bickett, 
also  a  native  of  England  and  the  only  child 
of  very  highly  respected  parents.  She  died 
September  2.  1873.  at  the  age  of  forty-seven 
years,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  Forrest  cem- 
eterv.  She  was  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Methcxlist  Episcopal  church,  a  woman  of 
many  excellent  finalities,  a  devoted  wife  and 
loving  mother.  Hers  was  a  well-spent  life 
and  Mr.  Rook  gives  her  credit  for  a  large 
share  of  his  success.  She  was  indtistrions 
and  amljitious  and  was  ever  a  cheerful  help- 
meet. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rook  were  born  ti\-e 
cbiUlren.  namely:  (  1  )  Marry,  bcjrn  in  Del- 
aware, in  .Kugust.  1852,  is  now  the  wife  of 
George  Swartz.  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Ne- 
braska, and  they  have  five  children.  Emma. 
William.  Harry.  Clara  and  OUie.  all  torn  in 
Livingston  county.  Illinois,  except  Ollie, 
who  was  born  in  Nebraska,  (j)  J-  ^^'ill- 
iam,  Iiorn  in  Peoria  countw  Illinois,  in 
]March.  1854,  wedded  Mary  Gouldsbury,  and 
li\-ed  on  the  original  homestead  of  the  fam- 
iiv  on  section  27,  Forrest  townsliip.  I)ut  is 
now  working  by  the  month  on  a  farm  in 
McDonough  county,  this  state.  His  wife  is 
now  deceased,  leaving  one  son,  Frederick, 


who  was  born  in  F(~irrest  townshi]i.  and  is 
now  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  is  working  on 
l"iis  uncle's  farm  on  section  27,  that  town- 
sliip. (3)  Eliza,  born  in  Peoria  county, 
March  6,  1S36,  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Livingston  county,  and  was  mar- 
ried. February  4,  1875,  to  Ephraim  R. 
Sprav,  who  was  born  in  Fountain  count\'. 
Indiana.  February  18,  1850,  a  son  of  J.  T. 
and  Mary  Spray,  and  died  October  18,  1881. 
He  was  conscious  up  to  the  time  of  his  death 
and  expressed  a  willingness  to  die.  He  was 
aware  of  the  approach  of  the  end,  saying. 
"Oh.  motiier.  the  great  transaction  is  done, 
it  is  all  well  with  me."  His  remains  were 
interred  in  Forrest  cemetery.  He  was  a  de- 
voted husband  and  father,  and  left  a  wife 
and  three  children  to  mourn  his  loss.  Of 
the  children  Mary,  born  in  Livingston  coun- 
ty April  12.  1876.  was  married.  January  12. 
1898,  to  Robert  McKinley.  who  is  engagetl 
in  farming  on  a  quarter-section  of  land  in 
Charlotte  township.  Living'ston  county,  and 
they  have  one  child.  Clarence,  born  Decem- 
ber 26,  1899.  John,  born  June  3,  1878,  and 
Charles,  born  .\ugust  18,  1880,  were  edu- 
cated in  the  district  schools  of  Forrest  town- 
ship, and  are  now  working  u]ion  our  sub- 
ject's farm.  (4)  Thomas,  born  in  Peoria 
county  in  October.  1858.  married  Katie 
Faragher,  of  Forrest  township,  and  lives 
on  his  father's  farm  of  eighty  acres  on  sec- 
tion 2/.  although  he  owns  a  farm  of  bis 
own.  (5)  Sarah,  born  in  Peoria  county, 
died  at  the  age  of  three  years  and  was  buried 
there. 

Since  casting  his  first  presidential  vote 
for  Stephen  A.  Douglas  Mr.  Rook  has  af- 
filiated with  the  Democratic  party,  and  as  a 
public-spirited  citizen  he  takes  an  active  in- 
terest in  all  that  tends  to  the  improvement 
and  advancement  of  the  ciMiimunitv  in  which 


i 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


209 


lie  lives.  He  li.is  always  lieen  a  hard  work 
irsf  and  persevering  man.  whose  spirit  was 
not  cast  down  l)y  the  hardships  of  his  early 
pioneer  life,  and  his  determination  to  suc- 
ceed .soon  enabled  him  to  accumulate  prop- 
erty, so  that  he  is  to-day  one  of  the  pros- 
perous as  well  as  one  of  the  highly  respected 
citizens  of  the  township.  He  has  many 
friends  and  no  enemies,  and  now,  at  a  ripe 
old  age.  is  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  early 
industry. 


JACOB  E.  BROWX. 

Jacul)  K.  Mrown,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
general  banking  business,  together  with  the 
ii  surance  and  loan  business,  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Li\ingston  county  since  1857.  dur- 
ing which  time  he  has  been  an  imjxirtant 
factor  in  its  material  growth  and  j^rosperity. 
He  was  born  near  W'atertown,  Jefferson 
county.  New  \'nrk,  Se])tember  29,  1838, 
and  is  the  son  of  'i'honias  Y.  and  Mary  A. 
(Everett)  i'rowu,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tix'es  of  Xew  \ drk,  born  in  the  same  local- 
ity,  near    llrownsville. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
Ilenr}'  county,  was  born  in  Bucks  county, 
I'ennsylvania,  near  the  city  of  f'hiladel])liia, 
but  in  an  early  day  moved  to  Jefferson  coun- 
t\-.  Xew  York,  where  he  cleared  the  land  of 
timber  and  made  a  farm  of  eight  lumdred 
acres.  The  city  of  Brownsville  was  named 
in  his  honor.  There  he  lived  and  died.  Dur- 
ing the  boyhood  of  our  subject  there  were  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Brownsville  about  eight 
hundred  peo])le.  o\er  three-fifths  of  whom 
bore  the  name  of  Brown,  and  all  related. 

Thomas  Yarley  Brown,  the  father  of 
our  subject,  was  engaged  in  farming  in  his 
native  state,  a  portion  of  the  time  in  partner- 


ship with  his  father.  For  some  years  he 
was  a  brigade  commander  in  the  Xew  York 
militia,  serving  with  credit  to  himself  and 
the  state.  In  1855  he  came  west  and  piu"- 
chased  a  large  tract  of  land  in  what  is  now 
(ierman\-ille  township.  Livingston  county, 
and  in  1856  he  came  out  with  the  intention 
o*  making  it  his  permanent  abode.  In  1857 
his  wife  and  family  joined  him  and  they  took 
up  their  residence  in  a  story  and  a  half 
frame  cottage  which  he  had  erected  for  the 
l)urpose.  It  was  16.X24  feet  and  ser\ed  as 
the  home  for  the  family  a  few  years,  when 
ii  was  added  to.  making  a  larger  residence. 
On  that  farm  he  continued  to  reside  until 
1S70.  when  be  mo\ed  into  the  village  of 
Chatsworth.  where  he  lived  a  (|uiet.  retired 
life  until  his  death.  February  4.  1899.  H's 
wife  is  yet  li\ing  and  makes  her  home  with 
our  subject.  They  were  the  parents  of  three 
children,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the  oldest. 
Sarah  .\.  is  the  wife  of  J.  C.  Shear,  of 
Onarga.  Illinois,  where  he  is  living  a  re- 
tn-cd  life.  Mary  Frances  is  the  wife  of  Joel 
R.  .Strawn,  who  for  many  _\'ears  was  en- 
gaged in  I'arming  in  b'orrest  townshi]).  but 
is  now  li\"ing  retired  in  the  \illage  of  For- 
rest. Mrs.  Mary  .\.  Brown  is  now  eighty- 
three  years  of  age  and  is  a  well  preserved 
woman.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Episco- 
pal church.  Her  husband  was  past  e'ghty- 
eight  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death,  his 
father.  Henry  Brown,  also  dying  at  the 
same  age.  In  politics  he  was  originally  a 
Whig,  but  later  a  Republican.  In  the  early 
days  he  ser\ed  as  assessor  for  some  years, 
and  was  also  a  member  of  the  school  board 
for  many  years,  and  served  for  a  time  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Chatsworth.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  board  in  Chatsworth  when  the  present 
school  house  was  erected. 


THE  BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Jacob  E.  Brown,  our  subject,  was  named 
for  General  Brown,  who  was  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  United  States  army  for  a  time, 
a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  abiHty.  His 
boyhood  and  youth  were  spent  in  his  native 
county  and  state,  and  in  the  pubHc  schools  of 
Brownsville  he  took  his  primary  course, 
after  which  he  entered  Brownsville  Acad- 
emy, and  after  pursuing  the  regular  course 
he  graduated  therefrom.  After  coming 
west  he  took  a  commercial  course  at  East- 
man's Business  College,  Chicago. 

Coming  west  with  the  family  Mr.  Brown 
remained  with  his  parents,  assisting  in  the 
management  of  the  farm  until  in  .\ugust, 
1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  M.  Ninth 
Illinois  Cavalry,  and  was  mustered  into  the 
service  at  Springfield,  Illinois.  The  regi- 
ment was  sent  to  Chicago,  and  in  November, 
1862,  was  sent  south,  having  its  first  brush 
with  the  enemy  at  Pilot  Knob,  Missouri. 
From  that  time  until  the  close  of  the  war 
it  was  in  active  service.  Crossing  the  Mis- 
sissippi river  at  Helena.  Arkansas,  it  took 
]iart  in  many  shirmishes  from  Cairo  to 
A'icksburg,  and  also  around  Little  Rock, 
Arkansas,  and  up  the  White  river,  the  na- 
ture of  the  service  partaking  of  a  guerrilla 
■warfare.  This  was  the  case  until  the  spring 
of  1864.  It  was  then  with  the  main  army 
through  Mississippi,  Tennessee,  Alabama, 
and  all  through  that  section  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  During  its  term  of  service  it 
enlisted  oxer  eight  thousand  men,  but  only 
about  six  hundred  returned  home  at  the  close 
of  the  war.  It  was  in  some  very  severe  en- 
gagements. .\t  La  Grange.  Arkansas,  the 
division  with  which  it  was  connected  lost 
o\er  two  thousand  men  in  an  hour  and  a 
lialf. 

Mr.  Brown  entered  the  service  as  a 
pri\ate,  but  in  a  short  time  was  appointed 


corporal  and  later  sergeant  in  his  company. 
On  the  19th  of  November,  1864,  with  forty- 
two  other  men.  he  was  taken  prisoner  at 
Shoal  Creek,  Tennessee,  while  reconnoiter- 
ing  in  front  of  Hood's  army,  which  was 
making  its  advance  on  Nashville,  Tennes- 
see. He  was  held  a  prisoner  until  March, 
1865.  when  he  was  paroled  and  sent  to  the 
parole  camp  at  Vicksburg.  He  was  impris- 
oned at  Cahaba,  Alabama,  where  ten  thou- 
sand LTnion  prisoners  were  held.  While 
yet  a  prisoner  he  was  commissioned  second 
lieutenant  and  was  later  assigned  to  the 
staff  of  Cienera]  Hatch.  He  was  honorably 
discharged  from  the  service  in  May,  1865, 
with  the  rank  of  second  lieutenant. 

After  receiving  his  discharge  Lieutenant 
Brown  returned  home  and  shortly  after- 
ward took  the  course  in  Eastman's  Business 
College,  as  already  stated.  Completing  the 
course  he  returned  to  the  farm  and  continued 
to  be  actively  engaged  in  farm  labor  until 
1875,  having  the  management  of  the  home 
farm  of  over  twelve  hundred  acres.  The 
hard  work  necessary  to  the  management  of 
such  an  estate  told  upon  his  health,  so  much 
so  that  he  was  compelled  to  abandon  it,  and 
in  January.  1875,  he  moved  to  the  village  of 
Chatsworth  and  for  a  time  engaged  in  no 
active  business. 

On  the  16th  of  January,  1868,  ]\Ir. 
Brown  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Elizabeth  B.  Pope,  a  native  of  Kentucky  and 
fourth  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  seven 
children.  Her  father,  Thomas  A\'.  Pope, 
moved  from  Kentucky  to  Illinois  in  1856. 
locating  in  a  grove  in  Ford  county,  now 
known  as  Pope's  grove,  and  which  was 
named  for  him.  There  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  many  years  and  then  mo\'ed  to  Piper 
City,  Ford  count}',  Illinois,  where  he  lived 
retired  and  where  his  death  occurred. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  were  born  tliree 
children.  R.  Finley,  who  is  engaged  with 
I. IS  father  in  tlie  banking  business,  and  who 
is  vice-president  of  the  bank,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Troop  K,  First  IlHnois  Ca\alry.  dur- 
ing tlie  Spanisli- American  war.  W'itli  his 
regiment  lie  was  sent  to  Chickamauga  Park, 
where  he  was  taken  ill  and  returned  home. 
Later  he  was  sent  to  Fort  Sheridan,  where 
he  was  honorably  discharged  and  mustered 
out  of  the  service.  He  is  a  graduate  of 
Peeksville,  Xew  York.  Military  .\cademy, 
and  also  of  the  Xew  \'ork  Military  .\cadcmy 
at  Cornwall,  Xew  York.  Elizabeth  McKee, 
at  home,  is  a  graduate  of  a  female  seminary 
near  Peekskill.  Xew  York.  Madge  Everett 
is  attending  O.xford  College  at  Oxford. 
Ohio. 

On  bis  restoration  to  health,  about  one 
year  after  his  removal  to  Chatsworth,  Mr. 
Bnjwn  went  into  the  bank  of  C.  .\.  \\'ilson 
&  Comj)any  as  cashier,  and  held  that  posi- 
tion until  1885,  when  he  purchased  the 
business,  and  under  the  firm  name  of  J.  E. 
Brown  &  Company  it  was  continued  until 
January,  1900,  when  it  was  re-organized  as 
the  Bank  of  Chatsworth,  with  Mr.  Brown 
as  president,  R.  Finley  Brown,  vice-presi- 
dent, and  Ed  M.  Reesing.  cashier.  The 
bank  is  doing  a  verj"  satisfactory  business 
and  has  the  confidence  of  the  entire  com- 
munity. In  addition  to  his  regular  banking 
business  Mr.  Brown  is  agent  of  some  of  the 
leading  fire  insurance  companies  of  the 
L'nited  States,  in  which  he  has  placed  many 
policies.  He  is  also  interestcfl  in  farm  lands 
in  Illinois,  Indiana  and  Xorth  Dakota,  and 
in  the  latter  state  has  two  thousand,  five 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  the  counties  of 
Steele  and  Cass.  He  was  formerly  largeiv 
interested  in  the  Ogallala  Land  &  Cattle 
Company,  importers  of  Hereford  cattle,  but 


o'.  late  years  he  has  confined  himself  to  his 
private  business. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  worker  in  the  Presby- 
terian church  of  Chatsworth.  in  which  for 
many  years  he  has  been  one  of  the  trustees. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Chatsworth 
Lodge.  Xo.  538,  A.  F.  &  .\.  M. ;  Fairbury 
Chapter,  Xo.  99,  R.  .\.  M..  and  St.  Paul's 
Commandery,  Xo.  34,  K.  T..  of  Fairbury. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  E.  C..  Trask  Post, 
Xo.  388,  Ci.  A.  R.,  and  was  its  first  com- 
mander, and  has  since  almost  continuously 
served  in  that  office.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican  and  cast  his  first  presidential 
vote  for  the  great  Abraham  Lincoln.  He 
has  served  as  a  member  of  the  village  board 
of  trustees  and  has  been  ])resitlent  of  the 
same.  He  also  served  on  the  school  boanl 
while  residing  on  the  farm.  He  has,  how- 
ever, ne\  er  been  a  seeker  after  office. 

As  a  citizn  Mr.  Brown  has  always  been 
enterprising,  ready  to  do  his  duty  when  that 
duty  is  presented  to  him.  He  shipped  the 
first  car-load  of  corn  from  Chatsworth,  go- 
ing to  Oilman  to  order  the  car.  At  that  time 
corn  was  shelled  with  a  hand  sheller,  there 
being  no  others  in  use.  In  the  forty-three 
years  in  which  he  has  been  a  citizen  of  Liv- 
ingston county  rapid  changes  have  been 
made,  the  county  n(jw  ranking  with  the 
best  in  the  entire  state,  with  improvements 
second  to  none.  In  all  that  has  been  done 
he  has  borne  well  his  yrnvt. 


JOSEPH  F.\RXEY. 

Joseph  Farney,  who  is  successfully  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits  on  section 
28,  Forrest  township,  Livingston  county, 
Illinois,  was  born  in  Lewis  county,  Xew 
York,  March  16,  1842,  a  son  of  John  and 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Annie  (Zehr)  Farney.  The  father,  a  native 
<if  Germany,  came  to  the  United  States  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  years  and  located  in  Lewis 
cmmty.  New  "S'ork,  becoming-  one  of  its  well- 
ti  >-tlo  and  prosperous  farmers.  He  died 
there  at  aljout  tlie  age  of  sixty-three  years. 
His  wife  is  stih  living  near  the  old  home- 
stead at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  Our  suh- 
iect  is  the  oldest  of  their  nine  children,  six 
of  whom  survix'e. 

Josepli  h'arney  remained  at  home  with 
his  parents,  assisting  in  the  work  of  the  farm 
until  1868.  when  he  came  to  Livingston 
county.  Illinois,  and  purchased  a  farm  of 
eighty  acres  in  Forrest  township,  which  he 
t  iperated  for  ten  years.  He  then  bought  one 
hundred  and  forty  acres  of  h's  present  farm. 
which  at  that  time  was  only  partially  im- 
pn)\ed.  and  to  its  further  development  and 
culti\-ation  he  has  since  devoted  his  energies 
with  most  gratifying  success.  He  has  ex- 
tended its  boundaries  until  he  now  has  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  upon  which  he  has 
built  a  substantial  residence,  a  commodious 
barn  and  other  outbuildings,  and  now  has 
line  of  the  best  impro\-ed  farms  in  the  local- 
it}-.  His  success  is  well  deser\-ed.  as  he  is 
an  industrious,  enterprising  n-ian — (ine  who 
lias  helped  to  make  the  county  what  it  is 
to-day,  one  of  the  richest  farming  districts 
in  the  state.  Besides  the  \'aluable  farni  al- 
ready mentioned  he  now  owns  fort)'  acres 
on  section  21  and  eighty  acres  on  section 
16,  Forrest  township.  For  several  years  he 
has  held  the  office  of  school  trustee  and  has 
done  n-iuch  to  improve  the  schools  of  district 
Xo.  8. 

On  the  1.2th  of  April,  1871,  Mr.  Far- 
ney married  Miss  Lena  Yoder,  one  of  a 
familv  of  six  children,  whose  parents  were 
Joseph  and  .\nnie  (Kempf )  Yoder.  The  fa- 
ther was  l)orn  in  .\lsace,   France,   in    182J, 


and  when  a  boy  came  to  America,  residing 
in  the  New  England  states  until  he  reached 
luanhood.  Subsequently  he  made  his  home 
in  New  York  state  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1867  came  to  Livings- 
ton County.  Illinois,  and  purchased  a  farm 
in  F"orrest  township,  which  he  improved  and 
culti\-ated  for  S(irne  time,  but  the  last  three 
V'ears  of  his  life  were  spent  in  retirement 
from  active  labor  in  Fairburv.  He  became 
(|uite  a  prominent  and  prosperous  man  of  his 
community.  He  died  May  23.  1888,  leaving 
a  widow,  who  is  still  living,  three  sons,  three 
daughters  and  twenty-seven  grandchildren. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Farney  are  the  parents  of 
seventeen  children,  all  li\ing  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Lydia,  who  died  at  the  ag;e  of 
eight  weeks.  John,  the  eldest,  now  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age,  is  a  farmer  in  the  em- 
ploy of  Mr.  Watson,  of  Forrest  township; 
Samuel  works  on  his  father's  farm ;  Edward 
operates  eighty  acres  belonging  to  his  fa- 
ther :  Joseph  is  engaged  in  farming  near  the 
homestead  ;  Andrew  is  also  an  agriculturist ; 
Rachel,  now  residing  with  her  father,  is  the 
widow  of  Andrew  Weisser,  a  carpenter, 
who  died  May  24,  1899,  leaving  one  child. 
Aldine,  born  March  3,  1899;  Mina  is  the 
wife  of  Conrad  Wenger,  a  farmer  of  Fair- 
bury,  and  they  ha\-e  one  child,  Roy ;  Annie, 
Emma  and  Elmer,  twins,  Fred,  Malinda, 
Orviile,  Walter,  Jess  and  Arthur  are  all 
at  home.  All  were  born  in  Livingston  coun- 
ty, educated  in  the  local  schools  and  live  on 
the  home  farm  or  near  it. 


A  BR  AM   LOWER. 

,\hram  Lower,  a  prominent  and  intluen- 
tial  citizen  of  Broughton  township,  residing 
on  section   10,  has  been  a  resident  of  Liv- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


213 


ineston  county  since  tlie  spring  of  i860, 
and  has  been  actively  ident  tied  with  its  as;- 
ricuhural  and  polit  cal  interests.  He  was 
born  in  Blair  comity,  I'eiinsyhan'a,  Octo- 
I)er  10,  1835,  a  son  of  Da\  id  and  Susan 
(Rhodes)  Lower.  Tliough  in  early  life  the 
fatiier  learned  the  trades  of  weaver,  carpen- 
ter and  joiner,  he  followed  fanning  prin- 
cipally. On  coming  to  Illinois  in  1861  he 
settled  in  Livingston  county,  but  two  years 
later  moved  to  Carroll  county,  and  dieil  at 
his  home  in  Lanark,  in  i88j,  at  the  age  of 
eight V  years.  His  wife  surxixed  him  for 
some  time,  dying  in  December,  1898.  at  tliL 
age  of  eighty-eight  years.  To  them  were 
born  ten  children,  of  whom  one  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  others  were  Levi,  a  \eteran  of 
the  civil  war,  who  now  li\es  in  Kansas  and 
whose  sons  are  prominent  in  banking  cir- 
cles; Samuel,  a  resident  of  Dwight.  Illinois: 
Abram,  our  subject;  Catlierine,  wife  of 
Samuel  McCoy,  of  Lanark;  Kel)ecca.  who 
died  in  1864;  Martin,  who  died  from  disease 
contracted  in  the  army  during  the  civil  war: 
Anna,  wife  of  John  Chestnut,  of  Adair, 
Iowa;  Leah,  wife  of  (jeorge  Weed,  of  La- 
n.ark;  and  Eli  L..  who  was  also  one  of  the 
boys  in  blue  during  the  civil  war  and  is  now 
a  resident  of  Lanark. 

.\bram  Lower  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  his  nati\e  state  and 
was  reared  upon  his  father's  farm.  In  1858 
he  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  on  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Lanark,  the  locality  at  that  time 
being  unbroken  prairie.  In  i860  he  came  to 
Livingston  county,  where  his  father  had  jnir- 
cliased  land,  and  he  undertook  the  arduous 
task  of  opening  up  the  farm,  on  which  not 
a  furrow  had  been  turned  nor  an  improve- 
ment made.  For  some  time  he  operated  a 
half-section  of  land  and  still  owns  one  hun- 


dred and  si.xty  acres  in  the  home  place  on 
section  10,  Broughton  township,  and  eighty 
acres  on  section  14,  all  of  which  has  been 
under  cultivation  fur  many  years  and  is 
well  imi)ro\ed.  In  connection  with  general 
farming  he  carries  on  stock  raising  and  has 
made  a  decided  success  of  his  life  work. 

October  16,  i860.  Mr.  Lower  married 
Miss  Catherine  Miller,  a  daughter  of  George 
and  Margaret  (Davis)  Miller,  natives  of 
Germany  and  Pennsylvania,  respectively. 
The  Miller  family  made  their  home  in  Penn- 
sylvania until  1834,  when  the_\-  came  ti  1  Illi- 
nois and  settled  in  Carroll  comity,  where  the 
]jarents  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives, 
the  father  dying  in  June,  1877,  the  mother  in 
December,  i8gi.  They  had  thirteen  chil- 
dren, of  whom  twii  died  in  infancy.  The 
others  are  still  living,  uameK' :  Mar\-  .\.. 
wife  of  C.  v..  Cross,  a  veteran  (if  the  ci\il 
war  and  a  railroad  engineer  residing  in 
Marion,  biwa;  Catherine,  wife  of  our  sub- 
ject, who  was  born  .Vugust  7.  1842;  Samuel 
E.,  a  resident  of  Chenoa.  Illinois;  Emma 
R..  wife  of  Philip  Galwicks,  of  Butler  coun- 
t\'.  .X'ebraska ;  William  .\.,  a  hotelman  of 
Streator;  John  L.,  of  Beatrice,  Nebraska; 
Martin  1...  twin  iirother  of  John  L.  and  a 
resident  of  Mt.  Carroll;  Upton,  a  magnetic 
healer;  Gertrude,  wife  of  Edward  Sullivan, 
of  .Aurora;  .\.  L.,  a  physician  of  Dixon; 
and  Margaret,  a  resident  of  Rockford.  The 
three  \-omigest  were  biu'n  in  lllinnis.  the 
others  in   Peimsylvania. 

Of  the  twelve  children  born  to  Mi",  and 
Mrs.  Lower  three  died  in  infancy.  The 
others  were  as  follows:  (  i  )  Maggie  is  the 
wife  of  Walter  Morrison,  a  railroad  man  of 
Omaha.  Nebraska,  and  they  have  four  chil- 
dren :  Clarence.  Lillie,  Eethel  and  Clara. 
(2)    Augusta  is  the  wife  of  P.  D.  (ilnver. 


214 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


a  farmer  of  Custer  county,  Nebraska,  and 
they  have  seven  cliildren :  Earl,  Fay,  Guy. 
Ruth,  Lloyd,  Glenn  and  Rex.  (3)  Albert, 
who  lives  on  his  father's  farm,  is  extensively 
engaged  in  general  farming  on  a  half -section 
of  land  and  also  carries  on  stock  raising. 
He  married  Mary  E.  Lorigan,  and  has  five 
children :  Abram,  Salisbury,  Bernice.  .\1- 
bert  and  ]\Iadeline.  (4)  Le  Roy,  a  pros- 
perous farmer  and  stock  raiser,  operating  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
Broughton  township,  married  Hannah  E. 
Morris  and  has  two  children,  Arthur  and  an 
infant.  (5)  Frank  D.,  also  a  farmer  and 
stock  raiser  of  Broughton  township,  married 
Mary  E.  \\'eller  and  has  one  daughter, 
Eulalia.  (6)  ^^Larriette  is  the  wife  of  Cyrus 
Hiddleson,  of  Broughton  township,  and  they 
have  two  children.  Vera  and  George.  (7) 
Lillian  is  a  dressmaker  residing  at  home. 
(8)  Grace  is  the  wife  of  Benjamin  Morris, 
of  Round  Grove  township,  and  they  ha\e 
one  daughter,  Lila.  {9)  Gertrude  is  at 
home. 

In  politics  Mr.  Lower  is  a  stanch  Dem- 
ocrat, and  his  fellow  citizens,  recognizing  his 
worth  and.  ability,  have  often  called  him  to 
office.  He  has  served  as  supervisor  fi\-€ 
vears,  road  commissioner  seventeen  years, 
and  after  assisting  in  organizing  the  school 
district  in  i860  was  made  one  of  the  first 
directors,  which  office  he  held  for  fifteen 
vears.  He  assisted  in  layino-  out  all  of  the 
njads  of  Broughton  township,  and  did  not 
resign  his  [KJsition  as  commissioner  until 
the  last  mile  had  been  opened  up.  He  is  one 
of  the  best  known  men  of  his  community, 
and  that  he  has  the  entire  confidence  and 
respect  of  his  fellow  citizens  is  manifest  by 
his  being  called  upon  to  act  as  guardian  for 
se\'eral  children  and  as  administrator  of  sev- 


eral estates,  which  were  settled  up  most  sat- 
isfactorily. Since  1894  he  has  lived  a 
retired  life  u])<in  his  farm,  surrounded  by  all 
the  comforts  which  earnest  toil  in  former 
vears  have  Ijrought  him. 


ROBERT  RUMBOLD. 

Robert  Rumbold,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
insurance  business  in  Chatsworth,  dates  his 
residence  in  Livingston  county  from  1856, 
almost  half  a  centur}'.  He  was  born  in 
Hampshire.  England,  July  23,  1831,  and 
is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Martha  (Sherman) 
Rumbold,  both  of  whom  were  also  natives 
of  England,  the  latter  dying  there  about 
1845.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  while 
the  family  were  yet  residing  in  England, 
and  three  died  after  coming  to  the  United 
States,  so  that  our  subject  is  the  sole  living 
representative  of  the  family.  Joseph  Rum- 
bold became  a  veterinary  surgeon  in  Eng- 
land, and  followed  that  profession,  in  con- 
nection with  farming,  after  coming  to  this 
country.  Shortly  after  the  death  of  his 
wife  Joseph  Rumbold,  Sr.,  came  with  his 
family  to  the  United  States,  and  first  lo- 
cated at  Lock-port,  Will  county,  Illinois,  but 
shortly  afterward  moved  to  Livingston 
county  and  commenced  farming  near  Fair- 
bury,  an  occupation  in  which  he  success- 
fully continued  until  his  death,  in  1868. 

Robert  Rumbold,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  received  his  education  in  the  board- 
ing schools  of  his  native  country,  and  was 
twenty-one  years  old  when  he  accompanied 
his  father  to  the  United  States.  On  his  ar- 
rival he  engaged  in  farming,  in  connection 
with  his  father,  and  thev  were  extensively 


ROBERT  RUMBOLD. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


217 


enjjag^eii  in  tariiiiiig  on  rented  land  in  Ken- 
ilall  cnunty,  until  1836.  when  they  came  to 
Livingston  county.  Our  subject  here  i)ur- 
cliased  an  interest  in  a  quarter  section  of 
land  near  Fairbury  and  was  successfully  en- 
gaged in  farming  there  until  iHfxj,  when  he 
dis[)ose(l  of  his  interest  in  that  farm  and  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  his  present  farm  in 
Chatsworth  township,  which  was  then  un- 
improved prairie  lantl.  This  he  began  to 
improve  and  soon  had  it  all  under  cultiva- 
tion, and  on  that  farm  he  has  since  contin- 
ued to  reside.  For  some  years  he  continued 
to  superintend  the  work  ot  the  farm,  but  has 
now  given  its  management  into  the  hands 
ot  his  son,  who  is  a  thorough  and  practical 
farmer. 

in  1859,  after  he  had  made  a  start  in 
this  new  ccnuUr}',  .Mr.  Rumbold  visited  his 
nati\e  laud,  and  while  there  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Sarah  Osmond,  who 
was  born,  in  1830,  in  Hampshire,  England. 
With  his  bride,  he  returned  to  his  new 
home,  since  when  he  has  been  identified  with 
the  county  in  many  ways.  Se\en  children 
came  to  bless  their  union,  two  of  whom 
died  in  infancy.  Of  the  five  living  chil- 
dren, Edward  H.  resides  in  West  Pullman, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and 
insurance  business,  in  which  he  is  making 
i.  success.  He  is  married  and  lias  unc 
daughter,  Esther.  Alice  M.  is  the  wife  of 
Samuel  M.  Wilson,  and  they  have  one 
ilaughter,  Edna.  Their  home  is  also  in  West 
Pullman,  where  he  is  assisting  his  brother- 
in-law  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  busi- 
ness. .\nn  Elizabeth  is  cashier  for  her 
brother  in  his  ofifice  at  West  Pullman.  Cecil 
Robert  is  assisting  his  father  in  the  insur- 
ance business  in  Chatsworth.  Joseph  B., 
who,  after  leaving  school,  engaged  in  teach- 
ing for  one  year,  is  now  managing  the  farm 


of  his  father,  and  is  doing  a  successful  busi- 
ness. 

.Mr.  Rumbold  comnicnccd  the  insurance 
business  in  18O9  and  is  now  one  of  the  old- 
est in  point  of  service  in  this  line  of  busi- 
ness of  any  in  Livingston  county.  He  has 
the  agency  of  fourteen  of  the  best  tire  and  life 
insurance  companies  in  the  country,  including 
the  Aetna,  of  Hartford,  Connecticut;  Home, 
of  Xew  York;  Continental,  of  New  York; 
Insurance  Company  of  North  America,  of 
Philadeli)hia  :  Underwriters,  of  Philadelphia; 
.\merican,  of  Philadelphia,  and  the  Wash- 
iiigton  Life  Insurance  Company.  For  the 
last  twenty-five  years,  Mr.  Rumbold  has 
given  bis  entire  time  to  the  insurance  busi- 
ness and  has  built  up  an  excellent  trade, 
ha\-ing  many  patrons,  not  only  in  Livings- 
ton, but  in  adjoining  counties.  He  has 
made  a  success  of  the  business  and  deserves 
all  that  he  has  made. 

Mr.  Rumbold  came  to  this  country  at 
a  time  when  the  slavery  question  was  the 
all-absorbing  topic  of  interest  and  he  be- 
came a  voter  just  about  the  time  of  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Republican  party.  With 
that  party  he  became  identified  and  has  since 
been  an  earnest  advocate  of  its  principles. 
While  he  has  always  manifested  a  com- 
mendable interest  in  the  c[uestions  of  the 
day,  he  has  never  been  a  politician  as  the 
term  is  generally  understood.  By  his  friends, 
be  has  been  elected  and  served  as  assessor 
of  his  township,  collector,  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  is  now  serving  as  trustee  of 
schools.  He  has  been  a  delegate  to  many 
county  conventions,  and  also  to  the  con- 
gressional convention  of  his  party.  He  is 
a  man  ever  ready  to  take  his  share  of  re- 
sponsibility and  to  advocate  any  good  cause 
beneficial  to  the  community  in  which  he 
lives. 


2l8 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Fraternally.  ^Fr.  Rumhokl  is  a  Mas(in. 
first  becoming  identified  with  the  t)rder 
while  livingr  in  (irundy  county.  He  is  now 
a  member  of  Chatsworth  Lodge,  No.  339. 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.:  of  Fairbury  Chapter.  Xo. 
()g,  R.  A.  M..  and  oi  Fairbury  Command- 
erv.  No.  34.  K.  T.  He  is  the  only  living 
charter  member  of  the  blue  lodge  in  Fair- 
bury. In  the  ])rincii)les  of  the  order  he  has 
ever  had  an  abiding  faith,  believing  them 
to  be  beneficial  to  mankind.  On  the  occa- 
sion of  Mr.  Rumbold's"  re-election  for  the 
twenty-first  time  as  treasurer  of  the  Chats- 
worth  Lodge,  he  was  presented  with  a  beau- 
tiful gold  headed  cane  bearing  the  inscrip- 
tion : 

"Presented  December  16,  1S98,  to 
Robert  Rumbold  at  his  twenty-first  election 
as  treasurer  of  Chatsworth  Lodge,  No.  539, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M." 

It  is  needless  to  say  J\Ir.  Rumliold  \alues 
the  gift  very  highly,  not  for  its  intrinsic 
\alue,  but  from  the  associations  surrountl- 
ing  the  gift.  Mr.  Rumbold  has  passed 
through  all  the  chairs  of  the  lodge  and  is 
now  hokling  the  office  of  worshipful  master. 
Reared  in  the  Episcopalian  faith,  he  has  al- 
ways adhered  to  the  teachings  of  that  de- 
nomination. As  a  citizen,  no  man  in  Li\- 
ingston  county  is  held  in  higher  esteem. 
Of  a  social  nature,  it  is  easy  for  him  to  make 
and  retain  friends. 


:^IICHAEL  REISING. 

Michael  Reising.  engaged  in  the  general 
mercantile  business.  Chatsworth.  Illinois,  is 
a  natixe  of  Hanover.  Bremen,  Germany, 
and  was  born  July  17,  1838.  He  is  a  son  of 
George  A.  and  Margaret  (  Reising)  Reis'ng. 


who,  although  of  the  same  name,  were  not 
related.  Both  were  natives  of  Bavaria.  Ger- 
many, where  they  were  married.  By  occu- 
pation Georp^e  A.  Re'sing  was  a  farmer  in 
his  native  land,  a  xncatum  which  he  follmved 
throughout  life.  \\'ith  a  \'ew  of  bettering 
l;is  Condition  he  left  the  old  world,  with  his 
familv,  when  our  subject  was  but  a  few 
weeks  old.  coming  to  the  L'nited  States  and 
direct  to  Woodford  coiuUy.  Illinois.  On  his 
arrival  in  the  latter  cnuntx'  he  jjurchased 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  only 
one  acre  of  which  had  been  j)lowed.  Clear- 
ing the  land  of  its  timber  he  commenced  the 
improvement  of  the  farm  and  later  added  to 
its  area  by  the  purchase  of  eiglity  acres  from 
the  government  and  forty  acres  from  an- 
other man.  W'itli  the  exception  of  two  years 
.spent  in  Peoria.  IlHnois,  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  on  that  farm,  dying  when 
sixtv-one  years  old.  His  wife  died  when 
she  was  fortv-seven  vears  old.  They  were 
the  parents  of  six  children  that  grew  to  ma- 
turity and  two  that  died  in  early  childhood. 
Those  who  grew  to  man  and  womanhood 
were  Peter.  Adam  P..  Mary,  iMichael.  Eliz- 
abeth and  Annie.  All  are  yii  li\ing  save 
I"ilizabeth. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
h(;od  on  his  father's  farm  in  Woodford  coim- 
t\-.  Illinois,  aiul  as  the  opportunity  was  af- 
forded him  attended  the  common  suliscrip- 
tion  school,  having  to  walk  a  distance  of 
two  miles  to  the  school  house.  He  could 
onlv  attend  a  few  weeks  in  the  winter,  as 
his  services  were  needetl  on  the  farm  at  other 
times.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  at- 
tained his  majority,  when  he  rented  land 
and  engaged  in  farming  for  himself.  After 
the  death  of  his  father  he  went  to  Tazewell 
coimtv.  where  he  rented  a  farm  and  engaged 
in    its    cultivation    for    two    vears.       bVom 


THE    BIOGRArHICAL    RECORD. 


219 


Tazewell  he  returned  to  Woodford  county 
and  hoiiijlit  eighty  acres  of  land  near  El 
I'aso.  which  he  farmed  for  ahout  three  years. 
SelKng  this  place  he  moved  to  Claremont 
county.  Ohio,  where  he  remained  for  four 
years.  He  then  returned  to  Woodford  coun- 
ty. Illinois,  and  engaged  in  farming  f »■ 
two  years.  We  next  came  to  Chatsworth. 
Illinois,  and  purchased  the  general  store  of 
Mrs.  Barhara  Scherer.  and  here  he  has  since 
continued  to  reside.  In  1883  Mr.  Reising 
met  with  a  serious  misfortune  that  left  h'm 
thirty-five  hundred  dollars  worse  than  pemii- 
Ifss.  hut  with  that  sturdy  determination  that 
characterizes  the  German  race  he  would  not 
own  that  he  was  beaten,  but  jmshed  forward 
ir  the  face  of  obstacles  that  wnuld  have  dis- 
mayed almost  any  other  man,  and  by  dint  of 
hard  work  and  perseverance  succeeded  in 
again  establishing  himself  in  business,  .\fter 
a  few  years,  however,  seeing  that  he  was 
paying  out  his  pnjfits  for  rent,  lie  assumed 
fresh  indebtedness  and  built  the  fine  store 
building  that  he  now  owns.  F"ew  men  could 
have  accomplished  what  Mr.  Reising  has. 
being  forced  as  he  was  to  start  over  the  bat- 
tle of  life  at  almost  fifty  years  of  age.  For 
the  i)ast  twenty  years  Mrs.  Re'sing  has  been 
engaged  in  the  millinery  business  in  connec- 
tion. She  has  a  good  trade  and  gives  sat- 
isfaction to  her  patrons. 

On  the  24th  of  January,  i860.  Mr.  Reis- 
ing was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mar- 
garet FM'arr.  a  native  of  Claremont  county, 
Ohio,  and  daughter  of  George  I'farr.  a  na- 
tive of  Germany,  who  came  to  this  country 
when  a  young  man,  locating  in  Claremont 
county,  and  later  moving  to  Woodford  coun- 
tv.  Illinois.  Mrs.  Reising  is  one  of  a  family 
of  si.x  children,  the  others  being  Barbara. 
Mary.  Peter,  Kate  and  John.  Of  these  Bar- 
bara and  Peter  are  now  deceased.     Mr.  and 


Mrs.  Reising  have  no  children  of  their  own. 
but  have  an  ado])ted  .son,  Joseph,  who  bears 
their  name. 

Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Reising  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  church,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat, having  voted  the  party  ticket  since  at- 
taining his  majority.  He  has  served  sev- 
eral terms  as  a  member  of  the  village  board 
of  trustees  of  Chatsworth.  but  has  no  in- 
clination for  office  holding.  He  prefers  to 
give  his  time  and  attention  to  his  business 
and  work  for  the  interests  of  the  people  in 
selling  them  goods  at  living  prices.  He 
aims  at  all  times  to  carry  as  complete  a 
stock  of  goods  as  the  wants  of  the  commun- 
ity will  warrant.  His  residence  of  twenty- 
seven  years  in  Chatsworth  has  made  him 
manv  friends. 


RE\'.    S.\MUEL    ELBRIDGE    \'AXXE. 

Rev.  Samuel  Elbridge  Vance,  who  is  now 
living  a  retired  life  in  Pontiac.  enjoying  a 
well-earned  rest,  was  for  many  years  actively 
engaged  in  religious  work  as  a  Presbyterian 
minister.  He  was  born  in  Paris,  Edgar 
county,  Illinois,  July  29,  1835,  a  son  of  .An- 
drew Milton  and  Esther  ( Shelledy )  Vance, 
who  were  married  in  that  city,  of  which  city 
iiis  paternal  grandfather,  Samuel  Vance, 
was  a  prominent  pioneer.  He  was  a  native 
of  Abingdon.  Virginia,  and  on  leaving  that 
state  removed  to  east  Tennessee,  but  as 
earlv  as  1822  he  came  to  Illinois  and  took 
u])  his  residence  in  Paris,  erecting  the  sec- 
ond house  in  that  place.  There  he  engaged 
in  farming  throughout  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  dying  about  1857.  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five  vears.  He  was  an  elder  in  the  Presby- 
terian church  of  Paris  for  a  great  many 
vears,  and  donated  all  the  brick  for  the  first 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


church  of  that  denomination  erected  there. 
He  was  a  life-long  Democrat,  and  in  the 
south  liad  been  a  slave  owner,  but  freed  al^ 
his  slaves  on  coming  to  this  state.  The  fa- 
ther of  our  subject  was  born  in  \'irginia. 
in  1809.  In  1826  he  came  to  Illinois  and 
followed  merchandising  in  Paris  through- 
out his  active  business  life.  He  died  there  in 
1874,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years.  He  held 
some  minor  offices,  but  never  sought  political 
honors,  and  in  politics  was  a  Democrat  until 
the  organization  of  the  Republican  party, 
when  he  joined  its  ranks,  becoming  a  stanch 
supporter  of  its  principles.  He,  too,  was  an 
elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church  for  many 
years,  and  was  a  man  honored  and  respected 
bv  all  who  knew  him.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  died  when  he  was  only  twelve  years 
old,  leaving  three  children,  of  whom  he 
was  the  oldest.  Julia  married  J.  C.  CoUom, 
a  merchant  of  F'aris,  and  died  leaving  a 
family.  James  A.,  a  resident  of  Pierce  City, 
Missouri,  was  a  soldier  of  the  civil  war 
and  is  an  attorney  by  profession.  He  is 
married   and  has  a   family. 

Our  subject  remained  at  home  until 
twenty  vears  of  age,  and  was  prepared  for 
college  at  Edgar  Academy,  in  Paris.  Later 
he  spent  one  year  in  Hanover  College,  In- 
diana, and  then  entered  Jefferson  College 
(now  known  as  Washington  and  Jefferson 
College),  Pennsylvania,  where  he  pursued 
a  literary  course  and  was  graduated  in  i860. 
He  was  next  a  student  at  the  Northwestern 
Theological  Seminary,  Chicago,  and  was 
graduated  at  that  institution  in  the  spring 
of  1863.  He  was  licensed  and  ordained  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Palestine,  now  known  as 
the  Presbytery  of  Mattoon,  and  his  first 
charge  was  John  Knox  church,  in  Knox 
county,  Illinois.  At  the  same  time  he  also 
preached  in  the  village  of  Oneida,  the  same 


ctiunty.  remaining  there  six  years.  Subse- 
(juently  he  was  at  Lexington,  Illinois,  for 
five  and  a  half  years,  and  from  there  went  to 
Wisconsin,  where  he  spent  sixteen  years  in 
the  work  of  the  ministry.  His  health  fail- 
ing him,  he  went  to  Kansas,  where  he  re- 
mained some  years,  and  in  1895  came  to 
I'ontiac,  Illinois,  where  she  has  since  lead  a 
retired  life,  having  never  recovered  his  usual 
health. 

On  the  22(1  of  December,  1863,  at  Mor- 
ris, Grundy  county,  Illinois,  Mr.  Vance  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Catherine 
Erame,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Reuben  and  Mar- 
garet Stewart  (Selby)  Erame,  and  grand- 
daughter of  Captain  Selby,  who  followed 
the  sea  throughout  life.  Eor  many  years 
her  father  was  in  charge  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  in  Morris,  but  died  in  Chi- 
cago, in  1 89 1,  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven 
years.  His  widow  is  still  living  in  that 
city  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-two  years, 
making  her  home  with  a  daughter. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vance  have  a  family  of 
live  children,  three  sons  and  two  daughters, 
(i)  Selby  Erame,  born  in  Knox  county, 
November  17,  1864,  was  ordained  a  Pres- 
byterian minister  and  preached  for  some 
years,  but  is  now  professor  of  Greek  at 
Wooster  University,  Ohio.  He  is  married 
and  has  one  child.  (2)  Harriet  Shelledey, 
a  native  of  Knox  county,  is  a  graduate  of  the 
classical  department  of  Lake  Forest  Uni- 
versity, and  once  held  a  position  in  a  young 
ladies"  seminary,  but  for  the  past  five  years 
has  been  one  of  Pontiac"s  best  photog- 
raphers, having  won  special  praise  for  her 
artistic  work,  especially  of  babies  and  chil- 
dren. She  was  the  first  to  introduce  the 
platinum  finish  in  the  city.  (3)  Edward 
Elbridge,  a  native  of  Illinois,  is  a  Presby- 
terian minister  of  Cooksville,  McLean  coun- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


ty,  Illinois,  and  is  now  traveling  in  tlie  west 
on  account  of  ill  health.  (4)  James  Milton, 
born  in  Lexington,  Illinois,  is  also  a  gradu- 
ate of  Lake  Poorest  L'niversivty,  and  fnr 
three  years  taught  Latin  and  Greek  in  the 
township  high  school  of  Pontiac,  but  is  miw 
attending  the  Theological  Seminar}'  at 
Princeton,  New  Jersey,  studying  for  the 
ministry.  (5)  Catherine  Stewart,  Ixnn  in 
ortage  county,  Wisconsin,  is  now  fourteen 
years  of  age  and  is  attending  the  high  school 
of  Pontiac. 


GEORGE  ERV. 

(jeorge  Fry,  the  owner  nf  a  good  farm  of 
eighty  acres  on  section  29,  I'orrest  town- 
ship, Livingston  county,  is  a  native  of  Eng- 
land, born  in  dJevonshire,  in  1834,  and  is 
a  son  of  John  Fry.  He  lost  his  mother 
when  quite  young,  but  his  father,  who  was 
also  a  farmer  by  occupation,  lived  to  the  ad- 
\anced  age  of  ninety-two  years,  and  was 
still  very  active  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
having  a  short  time  before  walked  a  dis- 
tance of  nine  miles  and  sheared  forty  sheep. 
Our  subject  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of 
ten  children,  and  he  and  his  brother,  Ricii- 
ard.  were  the  only  ones  to  come  to  this  ci>un- 
irv. 

George  Fry  remained  in  his  native  land 
until  seventeen  years  of  age,  when  he  crossed 
the  ocean  and  settled  in  Lisbon,  Kendall 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  worked  on  a 
farm  and  then  oprated  rented  land  for  seevral 
years.  In  1866  he  became  a  resideiU  of 
Livingston  county,  and  after  farming  for  si.K 
years  in  Belle  Prairie  townshi]),  he  came  to 
I'orrest  township  and  boui;ht  the  eighty- 
acre  farm  which  has  been  his  home  ever 
since.     He  started  out  in  life  as  a  poor  boy. 


but  by  industry  and  good  management  has 
secured  a  comfortable  competence. 

Mr.  Frve  married  Mrs.  Susan  Evans, 
also  a  native  of  England,  who  died  nine 
months  later,  leaving  one  child,  by  her 
former  marriage — William  h'vans — now  a 
resident  of  Kansas.  Mr.  Fry  was  again 
married  at  the  end  of  four  years,  his  second 
union  being  with  Mrs.  Susan  Gas,  of  Penn- 
sylvaia,  whose  first  husband  was  killed  in 
the  civil  war.  She  is  now  seventy-seven 
ysar  of  age  and  although  nearly  blind  and 
tpiite  deaf,  she  bears  up  patiently  under  her 
afflictions.  She  and  her  husband  have  many 
warm  friends  and  are  highly  resi)ected  and 
esteemed  bv  all  who  know   them. 


HXRV  RIXGLER. 

Henry  Ringler,  a  ])rominent  business 
man  of  Strawn,  Livingston  county,  Illinois, 
was  born  in  the  province  of  Hersfeld,  Ger- 
many, June  16,  1844,  a  son  of  Peter  and 
Gertrude  (More)  Ringler,  who  were  of 
pure  German  ancestry.  The  mother  died 
in  that  country  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight 
years.  She  was  the  third  wife  of  Peter 
Ringler  and  the  mother  of  eight  sons  :  Peter; 
George;  one  who  died  in  infancy  unnamed; 
Henry  and  John,  twins;  William;  Fritz  and 
August.  With  the  exception  of  the  one  who 
died  in  infancy,  all  came  to  this  country 
and  fi\e  are  still  living.  It  being  the  custom 
from  time  immemorial  for  the  Kurfusten- 
tlnim  Hessen  to  give  the  father  of  seven  suc- 
cessive sons  forty-two  dollars,  Mr.  Ringler 
received  that  amount  from  Em])eror  Will- 
iam, the  grandfather  of  the  present  ruler  of 
Germany.  Of  this  family  Fritz  and  August 
are  residents  of  Xew  York  Citv,  and  com- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


posed  the  firm  of  F.  A.  Ringler  &  Company, 
who  have  the  largest  electrotype  toiuKlry 
in  the  world,  employing  over  one  hundred 
and  fifty  hands,  and  are  prominent  business 
men  of  that  city.  Two  years  ago  they  cele- 
brated the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  es- 
tablishment of  their  business,  and  at  the 
World's  Fair,  in  1893,  received  the  first 
prize  for  an  engraving  of  Columbus  dis- 
covering America.  They  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1867.  George  Ringler,  another 
brother  of  our  subject,  emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica in  1858,  and  also  located  in  New  York 
City,  where  he  was  foreman  of  a  brewery 
for  some  years,  and  then,  in  partnership 
with  another  gentleman,  engaged  in  that 
business  on  his  own  account.  The  business 
established  by  him  is  still  carried  on  under 
the  firm  name  of  George  Ringler  &  Com- 
pany, its  present  officers  being  his  son,  Will- 
iam G.  Ringler.  president :  George  J.  Jetter, 
vice-president:  J.  Edward  Jetter,  secretary 
and  manager,  and  Henry  Hachemeister, 
treasurer — one  of  the  largest  in  New  York 
City — and  have  a  large  and  elegant  office 
at  the  corner  of  Ninety-second  and  Third 
a\-enue.  while  their  brewery  is  fitted  up  with 
the  latest  improved  machinery  and  was  one 
of  the  first  to  put  in  operation  an  ice  plant. 
George  Ringler  died  about  ten  years  ago, 
leaving  an  estate  valued  at  over  one  million 
dollars.  He  had  two  children :  William  G., 
mentioned  above,  and  Rose,  wife  of  George 
J.  Jetter. 

In  1869  Peter  Ringler.  the  father  of  our 
sul)ject,  came  to  the  Uniteil  States,  and  after 
residing  for  a  time  in  New  York  state,  came 
to  Livingston  county,  Illinois,  locating  in 
Belle  Prairie  township,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming,  and  also  contracting  and  building 
for  a  time.  He  had  previously  done  e.x- 
tensive  business  as  a  contractor  and  builder 


ol  roads  and  railroads  and  accumulated  a 
large  fortune,  which  he  lost  through  the 
schemes  of  a  railroad  company.  He  died 
in  Belle  Prairie  township,  in  1875,  at  the 
age  of  se\enty-two  years,  and  was  laid  to 
rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Fairbury.  He  was 
four  times  married,  his  last  wife  being  Cath- 
erine Shirteruff.  by  whom  he  had  four  chil- 
dren :  Peter,  now  a  prosperous  farmer  of 
Iowa:  Catherine,  wife  oi  Conrad  Heppe,  a 
farmer  of  Chatsworth,  Illinois:  Anton,  a 
farmer  of  Cullom.  and  Lizzie,  wife  of  A. 
M.  Marks,  of  New  York  City. 

Henry  Ringler  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  land,  and  later  spent 
about  five  years  in  traveling.  He  worked 
for  a  year  and  a  half  at  the  blacksmith's 
trade  in  Germany,  and  after  coming  to  this 
country  followed  the  same  occupation  for 
several  years.  He  crossed  the  broad  At- 
lantic at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  and  in 
1866  became  a  resident  of  Livingston  coun- 
ty. Illinois,  locating  first  in  Indian  Gro\'e 
township,  where  he  leased  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  for  six.  years 
Later  he  rented  a  farm  in  Forrest  township 
for  four  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time 
came  to  Strawn,  where  he  purchased  prop- 
erty, embarking  in  the  grocery  business  at 
that  place  in  1877,  and  carrying  it  on  seven 
years.  He  then  purchased  a  half-section  of 
land  on  section  3.  Fayette  township,  which 
he  operated  eleven  years,  and  then  sold,  re- 
turning to  Strawn  to  resume  the  grocery 
business,  which  he  has  since  successfully  car- 
ried on.  He  is  one  of  the  prosperous  men 
of  his  community,  whose  success  in  life  is 
due  to  his  own  unaided  efforts,  good  man- 
agement and  sound  judgment. 

On  the  1st  of  March,  1868,  in  Belle 
Prairie  township,  Mr.  Ringler  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Catherine  Fox,  also 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


223 


a  native  of  (ierinany.  and  a  daugliter  of 
Jacob  and  Elizalieth  (Fry)  Vox.  who  emi- 
grated to  America  about  1866,  and  lived  in 
Cliicago  until  1870.  Tbeir  last  years  were 
spent  witli  oiu'  suliject  in  Livingston  cnun- 
ty,  where  tiie  mother  died  in  187 J.  the  fa- 
ther in  187S.  leaving  a  large  family  of  chii- 
<lren.  To  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Ringler  were  burn 
eight  children,  all  of  whom  are  slill  living. 
namely:  (  i  )  Fritz,  who  is  now  foreman  of 
iiis  uncle's  electrotype  foundry,  in  Xew 
York,  and  commanding  a  high  salary,  mar- 
ried Lizzie  Shutt,  and  had  one  child  that 
tlied  in  infancy.  (  j  )  Lizzie  is  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Dolan.  secretary  of  the  Western 
L  nion  Newspaper  C(iin])any.  nf  Denver.  Col- 
orado, and  they  have  twn  children,  \irgil 
and  Gertrude.  ( 3 )  .\ugusl,  a  successful 
contractor  and  builder  of  Strawn,  married 
Rosa  Kuntz.  ancl  they  have  four  children, 
Raymond,  Dora,  Ellen  and  August.  (4) 
Mary  is  the  wife  of  D.  F.  Keller,  a  printer, 
of  Chicago,  and  they  have  one  child,  \'ert>n- 
ica.  (  5 )  Henry  married  Hermine  Bousand 
and  is  engaged  in  the  saloon  business  in 
I'ontiac.  (6)  George  is  engaged  in  the 
brewery  business  in  Hrookyln,  Xew  York. 
(  7  )  Katie  it  at  home,  and  (  8  )  William,  also 
ai  home,  is  clerking  in  his  father's  store. 
All  (if  the  chililren  were  born  in  Livingston 
County,  and  educated  in  the  townshi]) 
schools. 

As  one  <if  the  leading  business  men  and 
ir.tluential  citizens  of  Strawn,  .Mr.  Ringler 
lias  been  called  upon  to  fill  several  imixirtant 
official  positions,  the  duties  of  which  he  has 
always  faithfully  and  satisfactorily  ])er- 
formed.  lie  was  supervisor  of  b'ayette 
township  foiu"  vears :  school  director,  ten 
years;  a  member  of  the  town  board  a  num- 
ber of  years,  and  is  at  present  police  magis- 
trate of   the   village,   being   elected    in    the 


spring  of  i()(")o.  In  politics  he  is  intle- 
jiendent,  voting  for  the  man  and  not  the 
party,  and  in  his  religious  connections  he 
and  his  familv  are  members  of  the  Reformed 
Lutheran  church,  l-'or  thirteen  vears  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  but  recently  withdrew  from  the 
order,  though  he  still  holds  membership  in 
Sibley  Lodge.  Xo.  j()i.  !•".  cV  A.  M.  I'ro- 
gressive  and  [jublic  spirited,  he  takes  a  deep 
interest  in  i)ublic  affairs,  and  is  justly  num- 
bered among  the  valued  citizens  of  his  town 
and  countv. 


REV.  j.V.MES  j.  (Jl"L\X. 

Rev.  James  J.  Ouinn,  resident  pastor  of 
St.  J(^hn's  Catholic  church,  of  Chatsworth, 
\v  as  born  in  Tolono,  Chami)aign  county,  Illi- 
nois, May  16,  1857.  and  is  the  second  chilil 
of  Patrick  j.  and  Margaret  (Doheney) 
(Juinn,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  coun- 
ty Tijjperary,  Irelantl,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  when  young.  For  several 
years  the  father  was  successfully  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business  in  .Xew  N'ork.  and 
while  a  resident  of  that  city  was  married, 
a't  St.  Peter's  Catholic  church,  ami  llarclay 
street.  June  1  1.  1854.  Shortly  afterward  he 
came  to  Illinois  and  located  in  Tolono.  where 
he  opened  a  general  store,  being  one  of  the 
first  merchants  of  that  village.  While  liv- 
ing there  he  assisted  in  building  the  Catho- 
lic church  and  in  securing  twenty-two  acres 
of  land  adjoining  for  church  use.  Since 
1883  he  has  lived  a  retired  life,  and  has 
made  his  home  in  Danville  the  last  few 
years.  In  his  family  were  si.x  children,  four 
.sons  and  two  daughters,  but  the  daughters 
are  both  deceased,  and  I'Vank,  a  successful 
physician  and  surgeon,  of   Peoria,  died   in 


224 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


1896.  Of  those  living,  James  J.  is  the  old- 
est. John  P.  is  now  pastor  of  St.  John's 
Catholic  church  of  Peoria,  where  he  has  be- 
come prominent  as  a  snccessfnl  organizer 
and  builder  of  churches.  Joseph  W.  is 
station  agent  for  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee 
&•  St.  Paul  Railroad  at  Milwaukee.  The 
sons  were  all  graduated  at  Xotre  Dame, 
('ollege.  Indiana. 

Father  Quinn.  of  this  review,  remained 
at  home  until  fifteen  years  of  age  attending 
the  public  schools  and  worked  with  his  fa- 
ther in  the  mercantile  business.  He  also 
spent  two  years  with  a  large  wholesale  firm 
in  Chicago.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  en- 
tered Notre  Dame  College,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  law  in  1878.  and  in  the  clas- 
sical course  in  187Q.  For  one  vear  he  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  law,  and  then  en- 
tered the  Theological  Semilary,  where  he 
was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  by  Cardinal 
Gibbons,  in  1882,  The  following  year  he 
served  as  secretary  to  Bishop  Spalding  of 
Peoria,  and  in  1884  as  assistant  to  Rev.  T. 
S.  Ketling  of  Champaign.  From  1884  to 
1887  he  was  assistant  to  Rev.  W'eldon.  of 
Holy  Trinity  church,  Bloomington,  and  dur- 
ing this  time  aided  in  building  -several 
churches,  being  especially  (|ualified  for  that 
Avork  by  the  business  training  he  had  re- 
ceived. From  1887  to  1889  he  was  pastor 
of  the  churches  at  Chebanse  and  Clifton, 
Iroquois  countv,  and  the  churches  at  both 
places  were  built  under  his  pastorate.  In 
1889  he  was  given  his  present  charge  in 
Chatsworth,  and  there  again  his  business 
ability  has  been  called  into  play.  He  pur- 
chased property  and  erected  a  modern  brick 
edifice,  also  a  parsonage  and  academy,  which 
are  now  valuetl  at  o\-er  sixty  thousand  dol- 
lars. The  church  is  a  model  affair,  being 
the  most  substantial  and  beautiful,  as  well 


as  valuable  property,  in  the  Peoria  diocese. 
The  furnishings  were  all  imported  and  the 
\ery  best  obtainable. 

The  school  organized  bv  Father  Uuinn 
is  one  of  the  best  in  the  county,  is  supported 
by  money  collected  irom  the  i)arishioners, 
and  is  open  to  the  children  of  the  town  and 
county,  while  the  teachers  are  among  the 
l)est  in  this  countrv,  all  talentetl  ladies  of  the 
Order  of  Sisters  of  the  Holy  Cross  of  Notre 
Dame.  Father  Quinn  began  work  on  the 
church  in  1889,  and  in  1894  the  debt  was 
lifted  through  his  skillful  management.  He 
also  erected  the  church  at  Forrest,  which 
property  is  valued  at  twenty-five  hundred 
dollars,  and  in  eight  months  it  was  dedi- 
cated and  free  from  indebtedness.  He  is 
ri;\ered  l)y  all  his  people  and  is  their  chosen 
leader.  Through  his  early  experiences  and 
business  education  he  has  acijuired  a  knowl- 
edge which  is  invaluable  to  him  as  a  pastor, 
bringing  him  in  touch  with  his  congrega- 
tion, of  whom  he  has  the  entire  confidence. 
He  is  also  one  to  whom  the  town  owes  much 
of  its  advancement,  both  in  business  and 
social  life,  and  his  advice  is  sought  by  all 
who  know  him,  both  Protestants  and  Catho- 
lics. His  familiarity  with  the  law  and  busi- 
ness affairs  gives  him  a  decided  advantage, 
and  he  interests  himself  in  any  enterprise 
which  he  believes  will  benefit  the  jjcople  of 
his  town  or  countv. 


JOHN  A.  PETTETT. 

John  A.  Pettett,  a  well-known  postal 
clerk  in  charpe  of  the  sixth  division  on  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  from  Chicago  to 
St.  Louis,  and  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Dwight,  Illinois,  who  has  always  been  es- 
peciallv   acti\e   and   jirominent    in    fraternal 


J.  A.  PETTETT. 


MISS  MATILDA  F.  PETTETT. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


229 


societies,  was  born  in  Hastings,  Sussex, 
I'lngland,  December  20,  1846,  and  is  a  son  of 
Hein'v  and  Mary  .Vnn  (Standin)  Pettett, 
representatives  of  old  EngHsb  families.  On 
crossing'  tlie  Atlantic,  the  jjarents  first 
located  in  Canada,  but  after  a  sh(M-t  time 
spent  there,  they  went  to  Tonica,  Illinois, 
and  from  there  came  to  Dwight,  where  the 
father  followed  his  trade  of  mason  until 
called  to  his  final  rest,  February  2,  1 892. 
Jn  politics  he  was  a  Republican  and  in  re- 
ligious belief  a  Methodist.  His  wife  died 
January  26,  1892.  To  this  worthy  couple 
were  born  se\en  children,  three  of  wluMn 
died  in  England  during  childhood.  The 
others  are  (ieorge  T.,  a  resident  of  Dwight : 
John  .\.,  our  subject;  Henry  S.,  who  is 
living  a  retired  life  in  Lacon,  Illinois,  and 
Howard  C,  Republican  nominee  for  states 
attorney  of  Peoria  county,  Illinois,  in  1900, 
antl  a  resident  of  Chillicothe. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  of  our  subject 
were  passed  under  the  parental  roof,  and 
his  education  was  obtained  in  the  common 
schools.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  worked 
in  a  tailor's  shop  in  his  native  town  of 
Hastings,  and  followed  that  occupation  until 
coming  to  America,  in  1868.  Before  leav- 
ing England  he  was  married,  in  October, 
1865,  to  Miss  Fannie  I-'recnian,  a  native  of 
Biddenden,  England,  and  a  daughter  of 
James  Freeman.  By  this  union  were  horn 
four  children,  namely:  Matilda  F.,  her  fa- 
ther's faithful  and  efficient  housekeeper; 
Henry  J.,  who  married  Xellie  Lutz,  and  is 
now  an  employee  of  the  Santa  l'"e  Rail- 
road, residing  in  Streator,  Illinois;  (Ieorge 
T..  who  is  engaged  in  the  InUcher  and  mar- 
ket business  in  Kingfisher,  Oklahoma,  and 
Alice  E.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  and  a 
half  years. 

Coming  to  the   United   .States   in    iSdS, 


Mr.  Pettett  located  in  Tonica,  Illinois.  He 
concluded  to  try  some  em])loynient  which 
would  give  him  more  outdoor  exercise  than 
his  trade, and  being  willing  to  accept  and  hon- 
est and  honorable  work,  he  tocik  that  which 
was  most  available,  and  for  some  vears  was 
engaged  in  farm  labor,  which  he  found, 
when  i)ursued  on  the  hustling,  hurrving 
[dan  of  the  Illinois  farmer,  to  jiresent  (|uite 
a  Contrast  to  his  previous  sedeiUary  occupa- 
tion. On  the  20th  of  March,  1870,  he  came 
to  Dwight  and  entered  the  service  of  the 
Chicago  &  .\lton  Railroad,  being  employed 
for  ;il)out  ten  years  in  \arious  capacities 
in  the  round  house  and  as  fireman  on  the 
road.  In  1880  he  entered  the  general  bag- 
gage otifice  of  the  same  road  at  Chicago, 
where  he  spent  two  years,  and  in  1882  was 
appointed  railway  postal  clerk  from  Chicago 
to  Peoria,  but  after  a  few  weeks  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  run 
in  the  sixth  division,  which  position  he  has 
faithfully  and  efficiently  filled  for  eighteen 
years.  J'"or  sexeral  years  past  he  has  served 
as  clerk  in  charge  of  the  force  on  this  di- 
\ision,  which  is  com])osed  of  three  men  Jie- 
sides  himself.  This  dixision  is  one  of  the 
most  imporl.mt  in  the  state,  being  between 
the  two  principal  cities  of  the  .Mississii)pi 
valley. 

The  greatest  misfortune  that  lias  be- 
fallen Mr.  Pettett  was  the  fleath  of  his  wife, 
who  was  to  him  a  faithful  companion  and 
helpmeet  and  was  beloved  by  all  who  knew 
her.  She  passed  away  September  19,  1874, 
and  his  ])arents  then  made  their  home  with 
him  until  they,  too,  were  called  to  their  final 
rest.  ]'"or  three  years  he  has  now  been  a 
resident  of  Dwight  and  is  numbered  among 
its  honored  and  highly  respected  citizens. 
His  present  responsible  position  indicates 
the  character  of  his  .service  and  its  apprecia- 


!30 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


tion  Ijv  tliose  cner  him.  His  exacting  du- 
ties have  always  i)revente(l  him  fmm  taking 
any  active  part  in  nolitical  affairs,  and  al- 
thdugli  lie  is  an  uncompromising  siippt)rter 
of  ReiHihlican  principles  and  a  worker  in  the 
ranks  of  his  party,  he  has  never  aspired 
to  political  honors.  The  only  public  office 
he  has  ever  accepted  has  been  in  connectidu 
with  educational  work  as  a  member  of  the 
school  board,  and  he  resigned  that  position 
after  serving  five  years.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Hamilton  Republican  Club,  of  Chi- 
cago, and  is  an  active  and  official  member 
of  the  Methodist  E])iscopal  church,  of 
Dwight. 

It  IS  in  social  and  fraternal  matters  that 
Mr.  Pettett  is  Ijest  known  to  the  public,  hav- 
ing always  taken  an  active  part  in  such  work. 
He  is  a  thirty-second-degree  Mason,  a  mem- 
ber of  Livingston  Lodge,  No.  371.  F.  & 
A.  M..  of  Dwight;  Wilmington  Chapter, 
No.  142,  R.  A.  ;\I.;  St.  Bernard  Command- 
ery.  No.  35,  K.  T..  in  which  he  has  served 
as  commissary  and  quartermaster;  Chicago 
Council,  No.  4,  R.  &  S.  M. ;  Oriental  Con- 
sistory, of  Chicago,  and  Medinah  Temple 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  St.  Bernard  Drill  Corps,  which  is 
conceded  to  be  the  best  in  the  United  States 
and  has  wt)n  many  honors  in  competitixe 
exemplification  of  the  work,  antl  in  189 1 
he  organized  Dwight  Chapter,  No.  j66,  O. 
E.  S.,  of  which  both  he  and  his  daughter 
are  charter  members,  and  take  an  acti\e 
part  in  its  work.  He  first  joined  Blooming- 
ton  Chapter,  No.  50,  but  on  account  of  dis- 
tance and  inconveniences,  he  set  on  foot 
measures  which  resulted  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  Dwight  Chapter,  with  himself  as 
wt)rthy  patron.  In  this,  as  in  other  fra- 
ternity work,  Mr.  Pettett  has  taken  much 
pains    and    is    given    high    praise    by    the 


founder  of  the  floral  work  of  the  order, 
tor  his  inimitable  manner  of  exemplifying 
the  work.  His  daughter  is  at  present  hold- 
ing the  office  of  worthy  matron,  antl  like  her 
father  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  order, 
as  well  as  in  other  society  and  church  work. 
Both  are  charter  members  of  Prairie  Queen 
Chapter,  No.  370,  Daughters  of  Rebecca, 
and  she  has  twice  served  as  presiding  officer 
and  as  representative  to  the  grand  lodge. 
Mr.  Pettett  is  a  prominent  member  of 
Dwight  Lodge,  No.  513,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of 
which  he  is  past  noble  grand,  and  is  also 
past  chief  patriarch  of  Pacific  Encampment, 
No.  126.  He  is  a  charter  member  of 
Hebron  Lodge,  No.  175,  K.  P.,  of  Dwight, 
and  for  twenty  years  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Mutual  Aid.  He 
is  the  organizer  of  Pettett  Lodge,  No.  347, 
A.  O.  U.  W'.,  of  Dwight,  which  was  named 
i:i  his  honor.  He  was  elected  the  first 
master  xvorkman  at  its  organizatit)n,  in 
March,  1888,  and  since  then  has  served  con- 
tinuously as  deputy  grand  master  and  rev)- 
resentative  to  the  grand  lodge.  In  the  work 
of  all  these  orders  he  has  taken  an  active 
and  prominent  part  and  stands  deservedly 
high  in  the  esteem  of  his  fraternal  brethren. 
Probably  no  man  in  the  state  is  better  or 
more  fa\-oral)ly  known  in  fraternal  circles 
than  he,  and  he  is  also  numberetl  among 
the  representative  citizens  of  Dwight — one 
whose  genial,  cordial  nature  has  made  him 
hosts  of  friends. 


JOSEPH  S.  FRANCIS. 

One  of  the  most  straightforward,  ener- 
getic and  successful  business  men  of  Liv- 
ingston county  is  Joseph  S.  Francis,  who  is 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


23' 


now  ])n)niinently  and  actixely  cnnnected 
witli  the  commercial  iiuerests  of  Forrest. 
In  the  field  of  husiness  opportunity  is  un- 
limited. Military  and  ])olitical  life  have 
high  honors  for  hut  few.  hut  in  tlie  field  of 
trade  the  possibilities  are  many,  and  tlie  am- 
bitious, energetic  and  determined  man  ma\ 
work  his  way  steadily  upwaid,  attaining  a 
position  of  affluance  and  prominence  that 
camniands  the  respect  and  admiration  of  all. 
This  Mr.  Francis  has  won.  and  the  salient 
features  in  his  success  are  indefatigalile 
energy,  unt.'ring  labor  and  sound  bu.siness 
judgment. 

He  was  horn  in  Jackson  township. 
Brown  count}-.  Ohio.  August  iC),  1845.  '^ 
son  of  John  and  Margaret  (  Ross)  h'rancis. 
The  father  was  horn  in  county  Ca\an,  Ire- 
land, in  F'ebruary.  1H12.  and  when  five  years 
of  age  came  to  the  United  States  in  com- 
pany with  his  father.  Edward  FVancis,  who 
brought  his  family  to  this  country.  The 
grandfather  of  our  .subject  was  born  in  Scot- 
land and  on  account  of  the  feudal  wars  went 
to  England,  where  he  married.  He  after- 
ward removed  to  the  luncrald  Isle,  where 
he  carried  on  farming.  On  crossing  the 
Atlantic  he  located  in  Brown  county.  Ohio. 
where  he  purchased  a  farm  at  a  place  called 
Ash  Ridge.  There  he  built  a  good  home  and 
became  one  of  the  leading  residents  of  the 
community.  He  belongetl  to  the  Presby- 
terian church  and  died  in  that  faith  in  1852. 

John  F"rancis  was  one  of  a  familv  of  four 
sons  and  three  daughters.  He  was  reared 
in  Brown  county.  Ohio,  there  learned  the 
coo])er's  trade,  and  after  his  marriage  also 
engaged  in  farming,  making  his  home  in 
Ohio  until  i860.  In  early  life  he  joined  the 
Methodist  Episcojjal  church  and  became  one 
of  the  leading  members  of  his  congrega- 
tion— the  Mount  Olivet  church.     The  house 


of  worship  was  located  on  his  farm.  He 
ser\eil  as  class-leader  and  steward  and  his 
home  was  always  the  place  of  entertainment 
for  the  ministers  who  visited  in  that  locahty. 
.Ml  of  his  seven  children  were  also  mem- 
bers of  ih.it  church.  In  his  farming  opera- 
tions he  was  also  very  successful.  He  was 
also  recognized  as  one  of  the  public-spirited 
men  of  the  community,  held  a  number  of 
offices,  including  those  of  school  tlirector 
and  supervisor,  and  faithfuhy  discharged 
every  trust  reposed  in  him.  On  the  16th 
of  .\ugusi.  i8_^7,  he  married  Miss  Margaret 
Ross,  a  nati\e  of  Ohio  and  a  daughter  of 
Lazarus  Ross,  who  was  born  in  X'irginia 
and  at  one  time  was  engaged  in  packing 
salt  across  the  mountains  to  Cincinnati, 
where  he  traded  it  to  tiie  settlers.  He  finally 
located  in  Claremont  comity.  Ohio,  where 
his  daughter  Margaret  was  horn.  Subse- 
(|uently  he  moved  to  Brown  county,  Ohio, 
and  lived  with  his  children  for  some  time, 
hut  his  death  occurred  in  (irant  county.  In 
(liana. 

.Ml  of  the  children  of  Jdjni  and  Miu"- 
garet  brancis  were  born  in  Brown  county. 
( Jliio.  and  in  i860  the  family  removed  thence 
to  Illinois,  the  father  purchasing  two  hun- 
ilred  and  forty  acres  of  laiul  adj(jining  the 
town  of  I'orrest  on  tlie  south.  I  lis  pioneer 
home  was  only  ij.\i4  feel,  but  as  time 
pased  he  made  many  sul)stantial  improve- 
ments on  his  place,  erected  a  more  commo- 
dious residence,  and.  by  additional  pu'"- 
chase.  extended  the  boundaries  of  his  farm. 
When  he  came  to  the  county  there  were  but 
five  or  six  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
a>\rd\  church  in  tlie  locality.  He  at  once 
identified  himself  with  the  earnest  little  band 
of  Christians,  was  one  of  the  most  liberal 
contributors  toward  the  building  of  the  new 
house  of  worship  and  was  o-ie  of  the  four 


232 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


who  guaranteed  t'^e  payment  f,>r  the  huild 
iug  (it  ;he  chLiroh.  His  contrihutions  to  the 
Avtjrk  amounted  to  three  thousand  dollars. 
He  ser\-ed  as  class  leader  and  steward  and 
did  all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  growth 
«)f  the  church.  For  several  years  prior  to 
his  death  he  li\-ed  in  town  and  devoted  most 
of  his  time  to  church  work.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  justices  of  the  peace  of  his  neigh- 
horhood.  elected  in  1861,  and  in  that  office 
he  served  through  the  exciting  period  of  the 
war.  He  was  also  school  treasurer  for  sev- 
eral years,  and  held  that  office  at  the  time 
of  the  erection  of  the  new  building.  He 
died  September  5,  1893,  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him.  His  widow,  who  was  born 
January  14,  1814,  still  survives.  They  had 
five  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  of  whom 
are  lixing,  namely:  James  G.,  now  of  Fair- 
hury :  Edward  R..  of  Forrest;  \\'illiam  W'., 
of  Monticello,  Indiana;  J.  S.,  of  this  re- 
\iew :  Albert,  who  is  living  on  the  old  home- 
stead ;  Emma  J.,  now  the  wife  of  H.  B. 
Watson,  of  Forrest ;  and  Lydia  F.,  wife  of 
Xathan  Hurt,  of  Oakland,  California. 

Mr.  Francis,  whose  name  introduces  this 
review,  began  his  education  in  Ohio.  He 
worked  on  the  home  farm  through  the  sum- 
mer months  and  in  the  winter  attended  the 
<listrict  schools.  \\'ith  his  parents  he  came 
to  Livingston  count}-  in  i860,  and  in  1864, 
at  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany E.  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-ninth 
Illinois  Infantry.  He  was  sent  to  Chatta- 
noga  and  joined  his  regiment  at  Atlanta, 
just  before  Sherman  started  on  the  march  to 
the  sea.  He  took  part  in  that  celebrated 
movement,  participated  in  all  the  engage- 
ments of  that  campaign  and  was  in  the 
(jrand  Rex'iew  at  Washington.  He  was  dis- 
charged from  Company  E  and  assigned  to 
the    Forty  fifth    Illinois    Regiment,    sent   to 


Springfield,  and  was  there  paid  off  anil  dis- 
charged, in  June,  1865.' 

For  two  years  thereafter  iNIr.  Francis 
remained  on  the  home  farm.  In  1869  he 
came  to  Forrest  and  was  employed  as  a  clerk 
in  a  general  store  until  1871,  when  he  began 
dealing  in  general  merchandise  on  his  own 
account,  continuing  in  the  business  until 
1876,  when  he  returned  to  the  farm.  He 
then  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
in  connection  with  his  lirother  Albert  he  es- 
tablished the  first  tile  factor)-  in  this  part  of 
the  state,  continuing  its  operation  with 
marked  success  until  the  fall  of  1885,  when 
he  sold  his  interest  to  his  brother  and  came 
to  Forrest.  Here  he  began  dealing  in  coal 
and  feed  at  his  present  location.  He  soon 
seciu'ed  a  large  trade,  and  in  1892  he  e.x- 
tended  the  held  of  his  operations  by  pur- 
chasing a  half  interest  in  a  grain  warehouse 
and  elevator.  He  began  buying  and  ship- 
ping grain,  carrying  on  a  verv  extensive 
business,  with  Chicago  as  his  market.  He 
afterward  became  sole  proprietor  of  the  en- 
terprise, which  he  carried  on  very  prosper- 
ously until  April,  1900,  when  he  sold  out. 
He  still  deals  in  coal,  feed  and  stone  and 
takes  contracts  for  stone  work  and  building. 
His  business  interests  are  always  carefully 
directed,  and  his  sound  judgment  and  un- 
faltering energy  ha\-e  enabled  him  to  work 
his  way  continuously  upward.  For  seven 
or  eight  years  he  has  been  a  director  in  the 
Building  &  Loan  Association  of  Forrest. 

On  the  16th  of  August,  1881,  Mr.  Fran- 
cis was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ella  S. 
Williamson,  a  daughter  of  William  J.  and 
Xancy  (Snedeker)  Williamson.  Her  father 
was  from  Russellville,  Brown  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  spent  his  entire  life,  engaged  in 
farming.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  very 
earnest  and  ardent  members  of  the  Presby- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


233 


terian  clnircli  of  Russellvilie.  Unto  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Francis  liave  been  born  nine  cliildren, 
seven  of  wliom  are  livinsj :  Luln  \\  ..  15erth:i 
J..  Xancv  M..  Mary  E..  Josie.  La\\  rence  1). 
and  Morris  L.  l  lie  two  deceased  were 
Walter,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fonr  years; 
and  Homer,  who  died  when  two  montlis  old. 
Tiiey  have  a  beautiful  three-story  brick  resi- 
dence in  Forrest — tlie  first  brick  house  in 
the  city,  anil  the  household  is  noted  for  its 
charming  hospitality. 

His  fellow  townsmen,  recognizing  his 
worth  and  ability,  have  frequently  called 
upon  Mr.  Francis  to  serve  in  positions  of 
jiublic  trust.  He  served  as  highway  com- 
missioner from  1884  until  1898,  during 
which  time  all  of  the  iron  and  steel  bridges 
of  the  township  were  built.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  education  three  terms 
and  was  on  the  building  committee  when  the 
school-house  was  enlarged.  He  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
church,  and  he  also  served  on  its  building 
committee  at  the  time  of  the  erection  of  its 
house  of  worship.  He  has  twice  served  as 
sui)erintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  and 
has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  the  work 
of  .the  church,  contributing  most  liberally 
to  its  support,  lie  belongs  to  Forrest  Post, 
\o.  114,  (].  A.  R.,  has  several  times  been  its 
ctimmander  and  has  been  its  representative 
U>  encampments.  He  is  a  charter  member 
of  the  Modern  Woodmen  Camp  at  Forrest, 
has  six  times  been  its  principal  ofificer  and 
has  twice  been  delegate  to  the  grand  lodge. 
As  has  been  indicated  in  this  sketch,  Mr. 
Francis  is  a  prominent  factor  in  business, 
social  and  political  life  in  Forrest.  He 
withholds  his  support  from  no  movement 
or  measure  calculated  to  prove  of  public 
good,  and  is  indeed  a  public-spirited  and 
valued  citizen;  in  business  his  word   is  as 


good  as  any  bon<l  that  was  ever  solemnized 
by  signature  or  seal;  and  in  private  life  he 
has  an  unassailable  reputation,  which  com- 
mands the  respect  and  has  won  him  the  con- 
htlence  of  all. 


WILLIAM  LARGE. 

William  Large,  a  representative  farmer 
of  Pleasant  township,  Livingston  county, 
who  owns  a  good  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  on  section  14,  was  born  in 
England,  March  15,  1856,  and  when  a  year 
and  a  half  old  was  brought  to  America  by 
his  parents,  Leonard  and  Sarah  (Mitchell) 
Large.  The  family  first  located  in  W'ood- 
ford  count}',  illinc^is,  where  the  father  pur- 
chased land  and  engaged  in  farming  for  a 
time,  but  about  1873  sold  that  property  and 
bought  eight)'  acres  of  land  in  Pleasant 
Ridge  township,  Livingston  county,  south 
of  our  subject's  present  farm.  He  im- 
proved that  place  and  made  his  home  there 
until  death.  There  the  mother  is  still  living 
at  the  age  of  seventy. 

1  he  greater  part  of  the  education  of  our 
subject  was  ac(|uired  in  the  public  schools 
of  Woodford  county,  though  after  coming 
to  Livingston  county  he  atended  school 
for  four  or  five  winters,  his  advantages 
along  that  line  being  beter  than  the  aver- 
age boy  of  that  time.  When  not  in  school 
he  assisted  in  the  work  of  the  farm,  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one  commenced  operating 
a  farm  on  his  own  account,  meeting  with 
success  from  the  start.  Prior  to  his  mar- 
riage he  purchased  his  present  place,  which 
at  that  time  was  only  partially  improved. 
He  has  since  built  a  good  house  and  barn, 
set  out  trees  and  placed  the  land  under  a 
high    state    of  cultivation.     In    connection' 


234 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


with  general  farming  he  is  engaged  in  stock 
raising,  making  a  specialty  of  hogs.  Besides 
his  property  here,  he  owns  land  in  White  and 
Jasper  counties.  Indiana,  wh.'ch  he  has  im- 
])r()\ed.  and  he  is  acknowledged  as  one  of 
the  most  successful  farmers  of  the  county. 
On  the  20th  of  September,  1881,  Mr. 
Large  married  Miss  Clara  Sutton,  a  daugh- 
ter i)f  J.  B.  Sutton,  whose  sketch  appears  on 
another  page  of  this  volume.  She  died 
July  3.  1893,  leaving  four  children:  Maude, 
Dw.ght,  Marion  and  Ethel,  who  have  been 
given  good  school  advantages  and  are  still  at 
home.  Mr.  Large  is  an  active  member  and 
liberal  supporter  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal churcli.  of  which  his  wife  was  also  a 
member.  He  is  alst)  connectetl  with  the 
Court  of  Honor  and  affiliates  with  the  Re- 
publican party.  \\'here\er  known  he  is  held 
in  high  regard  and  his  friends  are  many 
throughout  the  count\'. 


GEORGE  W  .  McCABE. 

George  W.  McCabe,  tiie  leading  Ijanker 
of  Chatsworth  antl  one  of  the  representa- 
tive business  men  of  Li\ingston  county,  is 
a  native  of  Illinois,  born  in  Brimtield,  Peoria 
county,  March  i,  1863.  His  father,  Pat- 
rick McCabe,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and 
in  1845  came  to  the  United  States,  landing 
in  New  Orleans.  During  this  time  he  en- 
listed and  served  aboiu  eighteen  months  in 
tlie  Mexican  war.  He  settled  in  Peoria 
county,  Illinois,  three  x'ears  later,  but  in  Xew 
Orleans  he  was  married,  in  1850,  to  Cath- 
erine F(l^,  who  was  also  born  in  Ireland 
and  came  to  America  about  the  same  time  as 
her  husband.  Since  his  marriage  he  has 
made  his  home  permanenty    in  this    state. 


and  until  1894  carried  on  farming  very  suc- 
cessfully, though  devoting  most  of  his  time 
to  the  stock  business.  He  came  to  this 
ct)untry  with  the  hope  of  securing  a  home, 
and  w:th  the  characterist.c  energy  of  his 
race  he  succeeded  far  beyond  his  expecta- 
tions, and  was  the  owner  of  a  well- 
improved  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  in  Peoria  county.  In  1894  he  re- 
tired from  acti\"e  labor  and  moved  to  the 
city  of  Peoria,  where  he  purchased  a  com- 
fortable home  and  resided  there  until  his 
death,  August  14,  1900,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-eight years.  HiS  widow  survives  him, 
being  se\'enty-one  vears  of  age.  To  this 
worth}-  coupie  were  born  eight  children,  of 
whom  fi\'e  are  st.ll  living,  namely:  Alice 
is  now  the  widow  of  J.  McClary,  of  Chicago. 
Edward  D.,  a  graduate  of  the  Michigan 
L'ni\ersity  at  Ann  .Arbor,  and  now  a  promi- 
nent attorneys  of  Peoria,  has  been  success- 
full\'  engaged  in  practice  for  several  years 
and  is  one  of  the  best  probate  and  chancery 
attorneys  in  the  city.  He  served  four  years 
under  President  Cleveland  as  government 
storekeeper  at  Peoria.  Elisha  B.  follows 
farming  on  the  old  home  place  in  Peoria 
county.  George  \\'.,  our  subject,  is  next 
in  order  of  birth.  Kate  E.  is  at  home  with 
her  parents  in  Peoria. 

'1  he  early  education  of  George  W.  Mc- 
Cal)e  was  acquired  in  the  common  schools 
of  Brimfield,  and  he  later  took  a  commer- 
cial course  at  St.  Viatur's  College  at  Kan- 
kakee, and  a  business  course  at  Bryant  & 
Stratton"s  College,  in  Chicago.  During  the 
vear  of  1892  he  read  law  with  his  brother 
in  Peoria,  but  the  following  year  came  to 
Chatsworth  and  purchased  a  lot,  upon  which 
he  erected  a  modern  fire-proof  bank  building, 
beginning  work  in  April  and  opening  for 
business  in  October    of  that   year.     Almost 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


235 


immetliatcly  he  secured  a  liberal  patronage, 
and  is  nnw  dning  the  leading  general  hank- 
ing business  nf  the  community,  having  as  his 
assistant  H.  S.  Cowling,  a  jjrominent  young 
man  of  Chatsworth.  He  is  enterprising, 
energetic  and  progressive  and  has  conducted 
the  business  for  seven  years  w  ithout  the  loss 
of  a  dollar.  He  is  also  (juite  extensively 
interested  in  real  estate  and  loans,  and  is 
president  of  the  Peoria  &  ICastern  Telephone 
Ciim])any.  a  growing  concern,  having  sev- 
eral exchanges  in  the  system.  In  iHqj  Mr. 
McCahe  purchased  a  l<it  at  the  corner  of 
Fourth  and  Hickory  streets  and  erected  a 
modern  residence,  fitted  with  all  improve- 
ments, and  one  of  the  handsomest  and  most 
con\enient  houses  in  Chatsworth.  On  the 
jd  of  -August,  1900,  was  incorporated  the 
Com'mercial  National  Bank  of  Chatsworth. 
with  capital  stuck  amounting  to  twenty-tive 
thou.sand  dollars.  i>\  which  amount  Mr.  Mc- 
Cabe  took  nineteen  thousand  dollars.  To  the 
new  institution  he  turned  over  the  entire  as- 
sets of  his  private  bank,  and  it  w  ;is  mainly 
through  his  efforts  that  the  bank  was  organ- 
ized. Believing  that  a  National  bank  afforded 
more  security  to  the  depositors  of  the  bank, 
and  would  the  lietter  secure  the  confidence  of 
the  community,  he  undertook  the  wf)rl;  cf  or- 
ganization and  incorporation.  This  new  in- 
stitution w'ill  afford  to  the  citizens  of  Chats- 
worthand  vicinity  every  facility  for  safe 
banking,  and  under  the  general  management 
of  Mr.  McCabe  it  will  secure  the  confidence 
of  the  community,  as  he  occupies  the  po- 
sition of  cashier  anil  general  manager.  The 
other  officers  of  the  bank  are  Stei)hen  Herr. 
j)resi(lent;  John  F.  Ryan,  \ice-])resident ; 
and  H.  S.  Cowling,  assistant  cashier. 

On  the  jcjth  nf  September.  1897.  Mr. 
Cabe  married  Miss  Thresa  M.  Kehoe.  a  na- 
tive of  Chicago,  of  which  city  her  father  has 


been   a   ])rogressive    merchant     for    several 

vears.  I'v  this  uninn  have  been  Imrn  two 
children:  Katherine  (i.  and  (ieorge  K.  In 
polit  cs  Mr.  McCabe  is  a  Democrat  '<n  na- 
tional issues,  but  in  local  affairs  always  sup- 
ports the  men  best  iiualified  to  fill  the  offices 
regardless  of  party  lines.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  State  Rankers"  .\ssociation  of  Illinois, 
and  fur  ci\er  six  years  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  Lodge  of  Chats- 
worth. in  which  he  has  held  the  office  of 
chancellor  commander  fur  some  time.  Re- 
ligious] v  he  is  :i  member  of  Sts.  I'eter's  and 
Paul's  Catholic  church.  In  manner  he  is 
l)leasant  and  genial,  and  is  (juite  ])opular  both 
in  social   and  business  circles. 


JOHN'  w.  i-]:llo\vs. 

John  W.  b'ellows.  one  nf  the  oldest  resi- 
dents of  Pleasant  Ridge  township,  Livings- 
ton county.  Illinois,  was  born  in  Otisco, 
Onondaga  county.  Xew  ^■ork,  September 
13,  i8jo,  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Jerusha  (  Ful- 
ler) I'elhjws.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
(ierman\-  and  a  farmer  by  occupation.  In 
the  ciiunty  nf  his  nati\ity  nur  subject  was 
reared  and  educated  in  much  the  usual  man- 
ner of  farmer  boys  of  his  day. 

There  Mr.  I'ellows  was  married.  Oc- 
tober _'o.  184^1.  to  Miss  Margaret  M.  Len- 
son.  who  was  born  September  5.  1828.  Her 
father,  Nicholas  Lenson,  was  also  a  native 
(■f  (iermany,  and  on  his  emigration  to  the 
L'nited  States  settled  in  Tully  townshi]), 
Onondaga  county.  New  York.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
I'ellows  have  four  children  living,  nanielv: 
lames  II..  a  wholesale  dealer  and  manu- 
facturer of  cand\-  in  Kankakee.  Illinois; 
Stephen,    resident  of  Watseka;  Daniel  D.,  of 


23*5 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Wing,  and  Alfred  W'..  who  weddeil  Mary 
Tobenski  and  li\es  at  liume  with  his  parents. 
Nicholas  A.  went  south  as  a  foreman  in 
1869  and  is  supposed  to  have  died  of  yellow 
fever,  and  J.  Henry  died  in  W^ing,  Illinois, 
at  the  age  of  forty-two  years,  leaving  five 
children. 

After  theif  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fel- 
lows continued  their  residence  in  New  York 
until  1852,  when  they  started  west.  They 
made  the  journey  by  boat  from  Bufifalo  to 
Chicago,  where  they  arrived  on  the  2d  of 
November,  that  year,  when  that  city  was 
(|uite  small,  and  then  drove  across  the  coun- 
try with  a  team  to  Plainfield,  Will  county, 
Illinois,  where  Mr.  Fellows  engaged  in  farm- 
ing upon  rented  land  for  seven  years.  The 
following  two  years  were  spent  in  McLean 
county.  Determined  to  have  a  home,  Mrs. 
Fellows  worked  hard  until  she  had  earned 
enough  to  purchase  eightv  acres  of  land  in 
Pleasant  Ridge  township,  Livingston  coun- 
ty, to  which  she  still  holds  the  deed.  The 
family  located  here  in  1862,  and  the  logs  for 
their  first  home  were  hauled  from  Avoca. 
In  1 78 1  a  good  frame  residence  was  built 
and  is  still  the  home  of  the  family.  Mr. 
Fellows  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  ad- 
joining his  wife  "^property,  has  tiled  the  en- 
tire amount  and  placed  it  under  a  high  state 
«if  cultivation.  They  have  planted  shade 
trees  and  converted  the  place  into  a  pleasant 
home.  He  has  always  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  has  been  quite  successful.  Al- 
tliough  he  has  never  taken  a  very  active 
part  in  public  affairs,  he  has  served  as  school 
director  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  all 
enterprises  for  the  public  good. 

Since  the  age  of  twelve  years  Mrs.  Fel- 
lows has  been  an  earnest  and  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and 
has  been  a  subscriber  to  the  Christian  Advo- 


cate since  the  first  number  of  that  paper 
was  issued.  She  is  quite  fond  of  reading 
and  is  a  most  estimable  lady.  She  and  her 
luisband  have  watched  with  interest  the  won- 
derful changes  that  have  taken  place  in  this 
region  since  locating  here,  have  seen  the 
wolves,  deer  and  wild  turkeys  disappear, 
the  railroad,  telegraphs  and  telephones  in- 
troduced, and  towns  and  villages  spring  up. 


0\VEX  MURTAUGH. 

Owen  Murtaugh,  an  honored  and  highly 
respected  citizen  of  Chatsworth,  is  the  pos- 
sessor of  a  handsome  propert}-  which  now 
enables  him  to  spend  his  declining  years  in 
the  pleasurable  enjoyment  of  his  accumula- 
tions. The  record  of  his  life,  jjrevious  to 
1890,  is  that  of  an  active,  energetic,  meth- 
odical and  sagacious  business  man,  who  bent 
his  energies  to  the  honorable  accpirement 
of  a  comfortable  competence  for  himself  and 
family. 

Mr.  Murtaugh  was  born  in  county 
Louth,  Ireland,  June  8,  1826,  and  belongs  to 
a  race  of  people  who  have  been  renowned 
for  their  energy  and  willingness  to  brave 
any  danger  that  they  may  better  themselves. 
He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  land  and  remained  in 
Ireland  until  twenty-six  years  of  age,  when 
he  resolved  to  try  his  fortunes  on  this  side 
of  the  Atlantic.  Coming  to  what  was  then 
considered  the  far  west,  he  located  in  Bing- 
hamton,  now  Aniboy,  Lee  county,  Illinois, 
befnre  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  had  been 
surveyed.  He  purchased  eighty  acres  of 
raw  prairie  land  near  Sublette,  that  county, 
which  he  partly  improved  and  then  disposed 
of  at  a  profit.   He  had  previously  worked  as 


OWEN  MURTAUGH. 


E  '^^^^H 

REV.  WILLIAM  M.  MURTAUGH. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


241 


a  farm  hand  for  some  time,  and  with  tiie 
money  tlius  obtained  he  purchaseil  that  prop- 
erty. Eater  lie  purcha.sed  a  tract  oi  nuim- 
proxcd  land  in  Marshall  county,  where  he 
made  his  home  for  .some  time. 

While  residing  there,  Mr.  Murtangh  was 
married,  in  1855.  t"  Miss  Bridget  Lawless, 
also  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  an  only  daugh- 
ter, who  came  to  America  with  her  parents 
in  1849.  ''"'1  <l'cd  in  i8()4.  By  this  union 
were  horn  two  s(_)ns :  William  Matthew, 
horn  in  i860,  took  a  business  course  at  St. 
\'iateur"s  College,  in  Kankakee,  and  began 
studying  for  the  priesthood  at  Watertown, 
Wisconsin,  where  he  remained  three  years. 
Later  he  attendeil  school  in  Montreal,  Can- 
ada, for  a  year,  and  was  graduated  from  St. 
Mar)"s  in  P>altimore,  ^larylainl,  being  or- 
tlained  to  the  priesthood  at  Peoria,  Illinois, 
in  1888,  by  Bishop  Spalding.  He  served 
as  assistant  to  l-'ather  Hedges,  of  Pontiac, 
llliniiis.  for  cme  \car.  and  for  nine  years  was 
stationed  at  Keithsburg,  Illinois,  where  by 
his  business  ability  and  good  management 
he  built  a  fine  church  and  parsonage.  In 
i8y8  he  was  transferred  to  Sheffield,  and  is 
now  doing  a  good  work  in  improving  that 
parish.  Erancis,  the  younger  son,  owns  and 
operates  a  valuable  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
si.xty  acres  in  Charlotte  township,  Liv-- 
ingston  county.  He  married  Sarah  Har- 
rington, and  they  have  four  children: 
Agnes  M.,  Hazel  C.,  Owen  W'.  and  James 
J.   E.,  all  attending  the  district  schools. 

Soon  after  his  marriage,  upon  seeing  the 
men  who  were  returning  from  the  gold 
fields  of  California,  and  hearing  the  reports 
they  made,  Mr.  Murtaugh  decided  he  coidd 
make  money  there,  being  young  and  strong, 
as  well  as  willing  to  brave  any  dangers  that 
he  might  add  to  the  comfort  of  himself  and 
his  young    wife.     After    making    prepara- 


tions for  the  journey  he  went  to  New  Or- 
leans by  way  of  the  Mississippi  river,  and 
then  crossed  the  Isthmus,  and  by  steamer 
proceeded  to  San  Erancisco,  where  he  landed 
after  an  interesting  voyage  of  four  w'eeks. 
Eor  eighteen  months  he  followed  mining  antl 
prospecting,  meeting  with  hardships  and 
encountering  many  Indians  and  wild  beasts 
in  the  mountains.  Eeeling  abundantly  re- 
paid lor  his  labors,  his  thoughts  turned  to- 
ward hiime  and  the  bride  he  had  left  in  Illi- 
nois, in  1857,  by  way  of  the  I'anama 
route,  he  returned  to  Marshall  county,  Illi- 
nois. In  March  of  the  following  year,  with 
his  family,  he  came  to  Livingston  county 
anil  purchased  a  (juarter-.section  of  land  in 
Charlotte  township,  which  at  that  time  was 
all  swamp  and  prairie  land.  The  nature  of 
the  country  is  shown  by  the  following  ad- 
\enture  which  one  ilay  befell  him.  He 
started  from  Pontiac  with  alnnU  eight  him- 
tlred  feet  of  lumber,  but  owing  to  the  poor 
condition  of  the  raods  was  obliged  to  throw 
about  half  of  the  load  off  when  half  way 
home,  and  nearly  all  of  the  remainder  when 
within  five  miles  of  home,  where  he  arrived 
on  horseback  with  only  a  few  boards,  find- 
ing that  an  empty  wagon  was  a  load  of 
itself  through  the  swamps.  The  family 
camped  out  for  a  few  weeks  until  he  could 
erect  a  cabin.  After  eleven  years  of  hard 
labor  he  succeeded  in  getting  his  land  well 
improved.  Not  having  enough  land,  Mr. 
Murtaugh  sold  his  farm  in  Livingston 
county,  in  iSOg,  and  Ijy  moving  about  a  mile 
away  purchased  four  hundred  and  forty 
acres  in  Ford  county,  which  was  then  but 
poorly  improved,  but  he  soon  transformed  it 
into  a  most  desirable  farm,  and  successfully 
engaged  in  farming  there  until  1890.  He 
made  a  specialty  of  stock  raising,  and  also 
bought  and  fattened  stock  for  the  Chicago 


242 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


markets,  shipping  on  an  average  of  two  car- 
loads of  cattle  and  the  same  amount  of  hugs 
per  year.  He  met  with  success  in  all  his 
undertakings  and  became  one  of  the  well- 
to-do  men  of  his  community.  He  sold  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  his  farm  and 
gave  the  proceeds  to  his  son  Francis  to  give 
him  a  start  in  life,  but  still  retains  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which  he  rents, 
it  bringing  him  a  snug  income.  In  1890  he 
purchased  a  pleasant  home  in  Chatsworth, 
for  which  he  paid  one  thousand  dollars,  and 
which  he  has  since  greatly  improved,  and 
there  he  is  now  ii\-ing  a  quiet,  retired  life, 
free  from  all  care  and  responsibility. 

In  1865,  ]\Ir.  ]\Iurtaugh  was  again  mar- 
ried, his  second  union  being  with  Miss  Alice 
Cleary,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1828, 
and  came  to  America  in  1852.  After  lix'ing 
in  the  east  for  a  time,  she  came  to  Will 
county,  Illinois,  in  1859,  and  was  living 
there  at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  Three 
children  were  born  to  them,  namely :  ^lary, 
who  died  in  1889;  Eugene  P.,  who  was 
killed  by  the  kick  of  a  horse,  June  8,  1891  ; 
and  Alice  E.,  an  accomplished  young  lady, 
at  home  with  her  parents. 

In  politics  Mr.  Murtaugh  is  a  Democrat, 
though  he  cast  his  first  vote  for  Abraham 
Lincoln,  and  at  local  elections  supports  the 
men  whom  he  considers  best  qualified  to 
fill  the  offices  regardless  of  party  lines.  He 
has  never  been  radical  in  his  views.  Dur- 
ing his  early  residence  in  this  county  he 
served  as  school  trustee,  and  filled  the  same 
oiifice  in  Ford  county  for  twenty-one  years, 
also  road  commissioner  for  several  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church  of 
Chatsworth,  and  is  highly  respected  and  es- 
.esteemed  by  all  who  know  him,  his  pleasant, 
genial  manner  wimiing  him  many  friends. 
In  1873  Mr.  Murtaugh  returned  to  Ireland 


to  visit  the  scenes  6i  his  boyhood,  and  un  his 
arrival  there  found  that  his  father.  Matthew 
Murtaugh,  had  been  dead  about  three 
months.  He  spent  three  months  in  renew- 
ing early  acquaintances  and  traveling  over 
Ireland  and  Wales,  and  also  visiting  several 
places  of  interest  in  Scotland.  As  he  ex- 
presses it,  he  "went  for  a  good  time  and  had 
one." 


HARVEY  BUTTON. 

There  is  no  rule  for  achieving  success, 
^  et  certain  elements  are  always  found  in  the 
accjuirement  of  prosperity  and  these  are 
close  application,  indefatigable  energy  and 
sound  judgment — -qualities  which  ha\-e 
prcjven  salient  features  in  the  success  which 
has  attended  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Button  anil 
made  him  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of 
Forrest.  From  a  humble  apprenticeship,  he 
has  adxanced  steadily  step  by  step,  until  he 
has  long  since  left  the  ranks  of  the  many 
to  stand  among  the  prosperous  few,  and  at 
all  times  his  career  has  been  such  as  to 
command  the  public  adimralion  and  the  re- 
spect and  confidence  of  those  with  whom 
he  has  been  associated.  He  is  now  engaged 
in  looking-  after  his  real  estate  investments, 
including  both  city  and  country  property, 
but  for  many  years  he  was  a  well  known 
figure  in  railroad  circles. 

Mr.  Button  was  born  at  Palatine  Bridge, 
Montgomery  county,  New  York,  November 
II,  1838,  a  son  of  Jesse  and  Nancy  (\'an 
Slyke)  Button.  His  father  was  born  in 
Syracuse,  New  York,  in  Marcli,  1820,  and 
the  grandfather  was  Jesse  Button,  who  was 
probably  a  native  of  Syracuse,  but  was  born 
of  English  parentage.  He  became  a  promi- 
nent farmer  near  Syracuse  and  died  in  that 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


243 


citv  at  tlie  a(l\ance(l  age  of  eighty  vears. 
The  lather  of  our  subject  was  reared  at 
Syracuse  and  in  early  manhood  went  to  Pala- 
tine Bridge,  where  he  engaged  in  contract- 
ing and  building.  There  he  married  Miss 
\  an  Slyke,  a  daughter  of  William  \'an 
Slyke,  who  was  born  at  Palatine  Bridge  or 
in  that  locality.  He  was  a  farmer  and  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Holland,  but  came  to  .Amer- 
ica in  colonial  days  and  served  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war  with  the  colonial  army. 

The  father  of  our  subject  removed  to 
Little  Falls,  Xew  York,  about  1849.  and 
there  continued  contracting  and  building 
ifntil  he  was  killed  while  raising  a  building, 
in  1861.  He  left  seven  children,  of  whom 
our  subject  was  the  eldest  son  and  second 
child.  The  mother,  who  lived  in  Illinois 
for  Slime  years,  died  at  Palatine  Bridge,  in 
January.  i8y8.  at  the  age  of  eighty,  her 
birth  having  occurred  on  the  ist  of  March, 
18 18.  The  parents  were  worthy  members 
of  the  L'niversalist  church. 

Mr.  Button,  of  this  review,  was  edu- 
cated in  his  native  town  and  at  Little  Falls, 
spending  two  years  in  an  academy.  He 
then  learned  the  trade  of  a  machinist,  serv- 
ing regular  apprenticeship  of  three  years. 
In  1856,  soon  after  its  completion,  he  went 
to  Detroit,  Alichigan,  and  there  began  rail- 
road work,  being  employed  near  ^\'indsor, 
on  the  construction  of  the  old  Great  Western 
Railroad.  He  was  then  working  on  the 
Michigan  Central  from  Detroit,  filling  the 
position  of  fireman  until  i860,  when  he  was 
made  an  engineer,  and  ran  from  Detroit  ta 
Marshall.  He  served  in  that  capacity  for 
two  years,  after  which  he  spent  si.x  months 
on  the  construction  engine  of  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Onincy,  running  from  Men- 
<lota,  Illinois.     After  the  expiration  of  that 


period  he  ran  from  Aurora  to  Galesburg 
and  Ouincy,  being  thus  engaged  until  the 
fall  of  1865.  He  hauled  nianv  of  the  sol- 
diers proceeding  to  the  south.  He  carried 
eighteen  cars  of  soldiers  out  of  Quincy  one 
day  and  another  train  of  eighteen  cars  fol- 
lowed. They  stopped  at  Keokuk  Junction 
for  water  and  the  second  train  oertook  them. 
Ihe  soldiers  had  been  fooling  with  the  hand- 
brakes, and  Mr.  Button  told  the  officers  if 
they  did  not  keep  the  men  away  from  the 
brakes  they  woukl  be  stopped  and  the  other 
train  would  run  into  them.  This  did  little 
good  and  after  si.x  or  seven  more  miles  had 
been  passed,  as  they  were  going  around  a 
curve  near  Augusta,  the  soldiers  again 
.'.topped  the  train.  Mr.  Button  then  jumped 
off  and  told  the  conductor  to  start  the  train 
as  soon  as  he  coulil  get  the  brakes  ofif,  and 
lie  (Mr.  Button)  would  crawl  over,  the  train 
and  into  his  engine,  liis  object  being  to  get 
the  brakes  off  as  soon  as  possible  and  get 
out  of  the  way  of  the  other  train.  He  just 
succeeded  in  this  when  the  other  train  came 
around  the  curve,  and  he  signalled  to  the 
fireman  to  go  ahead  and  get  out  of  the  way, 
thus  saving  the  lives  of  many  soldiers.  Mr. 
Button  then  again  saw  the  officers  in  charge 
and  told  them  he  would  not  pull  out  until  a 
guard  was  put  at  the  brakes.  This  was 
done,  after  which  all  went  well. 

In  the  fall  of  1865  Mr.  Button  went  to 
Springfield,  Illinois,  and  ran  an  engine  on 
the  Wabash  road  until  the  fall  of  1880,  when 
he  was  sent  to  Forrest  to  take  charge  of  the 
shops  as  general  foreman,  holding  that  posi- 
tion until  January,  1893.  This  is  an  im- 
portant shop,  in  which  many  men  are  em- 
ployed. It  was  not  then  finished  and  he 
put  in  the  machinery,  placing  everything  in 
working  operation.  He  had  charge  of  about 
sixty  men  and  continued  as  superintendent 


244 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


of  the  shops  and  his  retirement  from  active 
business  labor,  other  than  the  supervision  of 
his  property  interests.  Working  his  way 
steadily  upward,  he  was  familiar  with  e\ery 
branch  of  the  work  and  was  therefore  very 
competent  to  direct  the  labors  of  others. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  trusted  representa- 
tives of  the  road,  enjoying  the  confidence 
of  the  corporation  and  the  respect  of  all 
v>'hom  he  superintended. 

In  the  meantime  Mr.  Button  had  be- 
come the  owner  of  both  farm  and  town  pri_)p- 
erty,  and  in  addition  to  his  realty  in  Liv- 
ingston county,  he  owns  farms  in  McLean 
county,  Illinois,  and  also  in  Indiana.  He 
erected  the  business  block  at  the  corner  oc- 
cupied by  the  drug  store  and  by  the  Masonic 
lodge —  one  of  the  best  blocks  in  the  town. 
He  has  also  built  a  large  two-story  brick 
building  on  the  next  corner — one  of  the  most 
modern  and  improved  in  the  city.  Since 
1893  his  attention  has  been  given  to  the 
management  ui  his  investments  and  to  real 
estate  dealing. 

While  in  Mendota  Mr.  Button  was  mar- 
ried on  the  24th  of  December,  1863,  to 
Miss  Jennie  Jewitt,  daughter  of  Charles 
Jewitt,  who  removed  to  Mendota  from  De 
Kalb  county,  where  he  had  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  1849,  ^vhen  he  went  to  California, 
where  he  remained  until  1852.  He  then 
engaged  in  the  grain  business  in  IMendota. 
He  had  come  to  Illinois  from  Yorkshire, 
England.  After  his  first  residence  in  Cali- 
fornia, he  aeain  spent  two  years  there,  and 
then  once  more  livetl  in  Mendota  for  a  time, 
Init  ultimately  removed  to  Remington,  In- 
diana, where  he  purchased  a  farm.  The 
marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Button  has  been 
blessed  with  one  child,  Clara,  now  the  wife 
of  David  T.  Torrence,  of  Chicago.  Mr. 
Button  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  views 


anil  votes  for  the  men  and  measures  of  the 
party!  but  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for 
ofiice.  He  belongs  to  Forrest  Lodge,  No. 
614,  F.  &  A.  ]\I.,  and  attends  and  supports 
the  Congregational  church.  In  politics  he 
is  recognized  as  an  important  factor  in  local 
party  ranks  and  has  frequently  been  a  dele- 
gate to  county  and  state  conventions.  He 
aided  in  nominating  Governor  Fifer,  was 
again  a  member  of  the  state  convention  in 
1892,  and  supported  Governor  Tanner's 
candidacy  in  1896.  His  life  has  been  one 
of  marked  industry  and  usefulness,  and  in 
every  relation  of  life  he  has  commanded  the 
respect,  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  fellow 
men.  Always  just  and  upright,  ofttimes 
generous  and  liberal,  ever  an  advocate  of  the 
right,  his  life  stands  in  exemplification  of 
our  highest  ty]je  of  .American  manhood. 


\\ILLIA-M  A.   WILLIAMSON. 

William  A.  Williamson,  one  of  the  high- 
ly respected  and  honored  citizens  of  Saune- 
min  township,  Lixingston  county,  Illinois, 
was  born  near  Russellville,  Brown  county, 
Ohio,  March  18,  1858.  His  father,  William 
Williamson,  was  a  native  of  Fleming  coun- 
ty, Kentuck}-,  and  a  son  of  John  William- 
son, a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who  removed 
to  southern  Ohio  when  his  son  was  only  ten 
}-ears  old  and  there  followed  farming  through- 
out the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-nine  years.  The 
father  grew  to  manhood  in  Ohio  and  also 
followed  the  occupation  of  farming  in  that 
state  until  his  death,  which  occurred  October 
20,  1889.  He  was  quite  an  extensive  farmer 
and  served  as  justice  of  the  peace.  In  early 
life  he  married  Nancy  Snedaker,  a  native  of 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


245 


southern  Ohio  and  a  (laughter  of  Garrett 
Sne<laker.  who  moved  from  Pennsylvania 
to  tiiat  state  and  was  also  an  agriculturist. 
Mrs.  Williamson  now  makes  her  home  with 
our  subject.  She  is  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  her  hus- 
band was  an  elder  f(;r  twenty  years  and  a 
Sunday  school  teacher  many  years,  always 
liaving  taken  an  active  part  in  church  affairs. 

During  his  boyhood  and  youth  William 
A.  Williamson  obtained  a  good  education 
in  the  common  schools  near  his  home  and 
;'t  Russellville.  Ohio.  At  the  age  of  twenty 
years  he  left  home  and  commenced  life  for 
himself  as  a  farmer.  In  1884  he  came  to 
Livingston  county,  Illinois,  and  rented  a 
farm  in  Forrest  township  for  eight  years. 
In  the  fall  of  iSgi  he  purchased  his  present 
fiirni  III  one  huntlred  and  sixty  acres  in 
Saunemin  township,  but  did  not  locate  there- 
on until  the  spring  of  1893.  It  had  pre- 
\iously  been  used  as  a  pasture  and  there  was 
ni)t  a  single  improvement  upon  it.  but  he 
erected  a  pleasant  residence,  a  good  barn 
and  windmill,  set  out  trees,  and  made  many 
other  improvements  which  add  greatly  to  the 
value  and  beauty  of  the  place. 

On  the  4th  of  September,  1884.  Mr. 
W  illiamson  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Ella  Heckert  of  Forrest,  a  daughter 
of  Joseph  and  Margaret  (Miller)  Heckert. 
She  was  reared  by  E.  R.  Francis,  as  her 
mother  died  when  she  was  quite  young.  By 
this  union  have  been  born  five  children :  Ed- 
ward. Susie  and  Harry,  living,  and  Morris 
and  Ada.  deceased.  The  parents  are  both 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  the  family  is  one  of  high  standing  in  the 
community  where  they  reside.  Socially, 
Mr.  Williamson  affiliates  with  the  Modern 
W'odmen  of  .\nierica.  and  politically,  is 
identified  with  the  Republican  party.     For 


si.x  years  he  has  served  as  school  director, 
and  in  1900  was  elected  road  commissioner, 
in  which  capacity  he  has  assisted  in  making 
many  improvements  in  his  township,  includ- 
iiig  the  construction  of  a  new  bridge  over 
the  \'ermilion  river  at  a  cost  of  three  thou- 
sand dollars. 


WILLIAM  r.  GOEMBEL. 

When  after  years  of  long  and  earnest 
labor  in  some  honorable  field  of  business,  a 
man  puts  aside  all  cares  to  spend  his  re- 
maining years  in  the  enjoyment  of  the 
fruits  of  his  former  toil,  it  is  certainly  a 
well  deserved  reward  of  his  early  industry. 

•'  How  blest  is  he  who  crowns  in  shades  hke  these 
A  youth  of  labor  with  an  age  of  ease," 

wrote  the  poet,  and  the  world  everywhere 
recognizes  the  justice  of  a  season  of  rest 
following  an  active  period  of  business  life. 
Mr.  Goembel  is  now  living  retired  at  his 
home  on  section  4,  Fayette  township.  Liv- 
ingston county,  and  his  history  is  one  that 
shows  the  accomplishment  of  well-directed 
labor. 

Mr.  Goembel  was  born  in  Hesse-Cassel, 
Germany.  February  20.  1833.  a  son  of  Philip 
and  Caroline  Eliza  (Stoeber)  Goembel,  also 
natives  of  that  country,  where  the  father 
carried  on  a  damask  manufactory  for  a  pe- 
riod of  thirty  years.  He  then  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1851,  and  first  settled  in 
Tazewell  county.  Illinois,  where  he  followed 
f;irming  five  years.  At  the  en'd  of  that  time 
he  came  to  Livingston  county,  and  made 
his  home  in  the  extreme  southea.stern  part 
of  what  was  then  known  as  Oliver's  Grove, 
but  is  now  Germanville  township,  until  his 
death  in  1875.     In  early  life  he  was  an  in- 


246 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


(lustrious.  energetic  man,  hut  spent  liis  last 
years  in  retirement  from  active  labor.  His 
wife  also  died  in  Germanville  township  in 
1872,  and  they  now  sleep  side  by  siile.  In 
their  family  were  only  two  children :  ^\'ill- 
Kim  P.,  our  subject;  and  Caroline,  also  a 
native  of  Germany,  and  now  the  wife  of 
Nicholas  Froebe,  a  well-to-do  farmer  of 
California,  who  still  owns  over  two  hundred 
acres  of  land  in  Germanville  township,  Liv- 
ingston county,  Illinois,  which  he  leases. 
They  had  six  children,  namely:  William 
P.,  a  farmer  of  that  township,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  thirty-eight  years,  leaving  a 
widow  and  five  children,  the  former  now  de- 
ceased ;  Caroline,  wife  of  Plenry  Hendricks, 
a  prosperous  farmer  of  Germanville  town- 
ship, by  whom  she  has  six  chiklren ;  ]\Ia- 
tilda.  who  married  Henr)-  Huhimel,  a  well- 
to-do  farmer  of  the  same  townshi]),  and 
diet!  in  1896,  leaving  four  children;  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  John  Hummel,  of  German\-ille 
township,  by  whom  she  has  several  children; 
Emma,  who  is  with  her  parents  in  Califor- 
nia; and  Charles,  a  farmer  of  that  state,  who 
is  married  and  has  one  child. 

William  P.  Goembel  was  educated  in 
private  schools  of  his  native  land,  and  ac- 
companied the  family  on  their  emigration 
to  America,  remaining  with  his  parents  un- 
til twenty-three  years  of  age,  when  he  com- 
menced farming  for  himself  in  Tazewell 
county.  In  the  fall  of  1S56  he  came  to  Liv- 
ir.gston  coiuit)-  and  purchased  one  hundreil 
and  four  acres  of  raw  prairie  land  in  (ier- 
manville  township,  which  he  tiletl,  broke 
and  improved,  making  it  one  of  the  best 
farms  in  that  locality.  He  resided  there 
twenty-four  years,  during  which  time  he 
bought  a  large  amount  of  land,  including 
two  hundred  and  fnrt}'  acres  in  Charlotte 
township;  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  ad- 


joining his  home  farm  in  (iermanville  town- 
ship, and  also  property  in  Chatsworth  and 
Fayette  townships,  Livingston  county.  In 
connection  with  general  farming  he  devoted 
considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  stock. 
In  November,  1880.  he  moved  to  the  village 
of  Strawn,  where  he  successfully  engaged 
in  business  as  a  dealer  in  grain,  lumber,  coal 
and  farming  implements  until  189 1,  when 
he  located  upon  his  present  farm  on  section 
4,  Fayette  township,  making  it  his  home 
ever  since.  It  consists  of  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  rich  and  arable  land,  and 
is  successfully  operated  by  his  sons.  After 
his  removal  to  the  farm,  Mr.  Goembel  con- 
tinued to  carry  on  his  business  in  the  vil- 
lage for  a  few  years,  but  for  the  past  six  or 
se\en  years  has  lived  a  retired  life. 

On  the  13th  ni  December,  1863,  Mr. 
Goeml)el  married  IVliss  Elizabeth  Shroen, 
also  a  native  of  Hesse-Cassel,  Germany, 
born  in  1844,  on  the  farm  of  her  father, 
who  spent  his  entire  life  on  his  nati\-e  S(_)il, 
dying  there  in  1852.  Her  mother  came  to 
this  country  and  died  in  Fayette  township, 
Livingston  county.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Goembel  were  born  the  following  children : 
Catherine  is  the  wife  of  Nelson  Kiner,  a 
prosperous  farmer  of  Marseilles,  Illinois, 
and  thev  ha\e  two  children.  Earl  and  Eva; 
!Mollie  is  the  wife  of  F.  M.  Cur3-ea.  a  farmer 
of  Fayette  township;  Maggie  is  the  wife  of 
J.  I\I.  Mahon.  station  agent  for  the  Big  Four 
Railroad  Company  at  Mansfield,  Illinois; 
John,  a  farmer  of  Fayette  township,  married 
Laura  Welling,  and  they  have  two  children, 
^Marguerite  and  William  P.;  Charles  N.  is 
living  on  the  home  farm;  Mary  is  the  wife 
of  C.  J.  Bartlett,  station  agent  on  the  Wa- 
bash Railroad  at  Mansfield,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Clinton  and  Elizabeth;  Will- 
iam, a  farmer  of  Belle    Prairie    township, 


THE    BlOCiKAl'HlCAL    RECORD. 


247 


Livingston  county,  married  Ida  Vmniger. 
;iiul  they  liave  one  child:  Paulina  and  Min- 
nie are  Imth  at  home:  and  Delia  died  in  Fav- 
ette  township,  Septemher  17,  1889. 

The  family  are  members  of  tlie  Clerman 
Lutheran  ciuirch,  and  Mr.  Cloemhel  is  also 
a  member  of  Sibley  Lodge,  V.  &  .\.  M..  ami 
the  Ciiapter  and  Commandery  at  I-'airliury. 
In  his  political  affiliations  he  is  a  Democrat, 
and  has  taken  ciuite  an  active  and  influential 
[)art  in  local  politics.  During  his  entire 
residence  in  Strawn  he  was  a  member  of  the 
village  boarol ;  was  the  first  supervisor  of 
dermanville  township,  which  office  he  held 
for  a  number  of  j'ears  in  that  township,  and 
for  some  time  in  F"ayette  township.  He  has 
also  served  as  township  treasurer  several 
\-ears  and  as  justice  of  the  peace,  and  lakes 
a  tleep  and  commendable  interest  in  i)ublic 
affairs,  doing  all  in  his  power  to  promote 
the  general  welfare. 


jOUX   THOMAS   LOX'I'.LI,. 

Jcilin  Thiimas  Luvell,  nne  i>i  the  most 
sr.ccessful  agriculturists  of  Broughton  t">wn- 
shi)),  Livingston  county,  and  one  of  its  rcj)- 
resentative  citizens,  was  liorn  in  ISarnwell, 
Nortbamiitonshire,  England,  .\pril  3.  1837, 
and  is  a  sou  of  Moses  and  Mary  (  Bowen  ) 
Lovell.  Throughout  life  the  father  was  em- 
pl('yed  as  a  shepherd  in  thai  cnuiUry.  and 
also  as  a  stacker  during  barxest.  After  a 
long  and  useful  life  he  died,  in  1888.  and 
I'lis  wife  passed  away  in  1883.  In  their  f:nn- 
ily  were  five  chiklren,  namely:  William, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years: 
jdhn  T.,  our  .subject;  James,  a  farmer  of 
Kniix  county,  Nebraska:  Samuel,  a  resident 
of  England:  and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Henry 


(iolden.  a  cabinetmaker  of  that  country. 
Only  our  subject  and  James  came  to  the 
I'nited  States. 

John  T.  Lo\ell  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
land.  .\t  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  came 
to  America,  landing  in  Xew  \'ork,  and  first 
settled  in  Castleton,  Rutland  county,  \'er- 
mont,  where  he  was  in  the  employ  of  Dr. 
Joseph  Perkins,  a  professor  in  the  Burling- 
t(.n  Medical  Callege  for  eight  years,  work- 
ing at  first  for  twelve  dollars  per  month.  He 
remained  with  him  until  after  the  civil  war, 
and  in  1866  came  to  Illinois,  spending  a  year 
and  a  half  in  Cirundy  county,  where  he 
herded  cattle  or  w<  irked  at  anything  he  could 
find  to  do.  Sulise(|ueiuly  he  rented  a  farm 
and  began  life  for  himself. 

In  1867  Mr.  Lovell  married  Miss  Caro- 
line Coskey,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Eliza- 
beth (Xooks)  Co.skey.  The  m<ither  is  now- 
deceased,  but  the  father  is  still  living  at  the 
age  of  seventy-eight  years  and  makes  his 
h.ome  in  Braceville,  CJrundy  county.  Mrs. 
Lovell  was  born  in  Lockjxirt.  Illinois,  in 
May,  1850,  but  was  li\ing  in  (irundy  county 
at  the  lime  of  her  marriage.  She  is  the 
oldest  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  the 
others  being  .Mice.  Lmm;i.  .\larth:i.  Louisa, 
Marv,  b'rederick  and  Charles,  a  farmer  of 
Sullivan  lownshi]),  Livingston  county.  Our 
subject  and  iiis  wife  bad  four  children,  of 
whom  .\lvin  died  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen years,  William,  a  farmer  of  Broughton 
lownshi]).  married  Lena  Trecker  and  they 
have  two  children,  John  and  Frederick, 
lierlram  operates  the  home  farm  for  his  fa- 
ther. Ollie  Mae  is  the  wife  of  (ieorge  Ker- 
sev,  a  farmer  of  Cardriff,  Illinois. 

On  coming  to  Livingston  county  in  1867 
Mr.  Lovell  jnirchased  forty  acres  of  wild 
prairie  land  in  Broughton  township  and  has 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


made  every  improvement  upon  tlie  place,  in- 
cluding the  erection  of  a  barn  and  resi- 
dence, the  planting  of  an  orchard  and  the 
tiling  of  the  land.  So  successful  has  he  been 
that  he  has  added  to  his  landed  possessions 
from  time  to  time  until  he  now  owns  six 
forty-acre  tracts,  all  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation.  In  June.  1887,  he  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  lose  his  barn,  which  was  struck 
by  lightning,  killing  his  horses  and  destroy- 
ing his  hay.  His  loss,  which  amounted  to 
about  one  thousand  dollars,  was  imi1\-  partlv 
covered  by  insurance.  With  characteristic 
energy,  however,  he  at  once  erected  a  larger 
and  better  barn.  He  carries  on  botli  farming 
and  stock  raising,  and  has  prospered  through 
his  own  unaided  efforts.  He  is  a  man  of 
good  business  ability  and  sound  judgment 
and  well  deserves  the  success  that  he  has 
achieved.  Since  1898  he  has  practicallv 
lived  a  retired  life,  and  has  recentlv  pur- 
chaseil  a  comfortable  residence  in  Cabery, 
where  he  e.xpects  to  make  his  home  and 
enjoy  a  well-earned  rest. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Lovell  is  a  Re- 
publican and  during  almost  his  entire  resi- 
dence in  this  county  has  filled  the  office  of 
school  director  in  a  most  acceptable  man- 
ner, having  always  taken  an  active  interest 
in  maintaining  good  schools.  He  also  served 
as  constable  four  vears. 


GEORGE  H.  CHAPMAX. 

r 

George  H.  Chapman,  a  progressive,  en- 
ergetic and  successful  agriculturist,  whose 
home  is  on  section  12,  Odell  township,  Liv- 
ingston county.  Illinois,  is  a  native  of  New 
York,  his  birth  occurring  in  Ontario  coun- 
ty, January  4,    1851.     His  parents,   Hiraiu 


W.  and  Ann  E.  (Davis)  Chapman,  were 
born  in  the  same  county  of  good  old  New 
England  stock,  and  were  farming  people, 
who  continued  to  reside  in  New  York  until 
1855,  in  which  year  they  moved  to  La  Salle 
county,  Illinois,  the  father  purchasing  a 
quarter-section  of  land  near  Marseilles,  to 
which  he  subsecpiently  added  another  cjuar- 
ter-section.  He  speculated  in  land  quite  ex- 
tensi\'ely,  and  was  very  successful  in  his 
operations,  t>wning  at  the  time  of  his  death 
about  fi\-e  hundred  acres.  In  political  senti- 
ment he  was  a  Republican,  but  at  local  elec- 
tions \-oted  for  the  man  and  not  the  party. 
Although  he  was  not  a  member  of  any 
church,  he  gave  to  their  support,  and  his 
wife  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  She  died  on  the  old  home 
farm  in  1882,  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine  years. 
'I  hree  years  later  he  retired  from  active 
labor,  and  died  March  2,  1897,  at  the  age  of 
se\'enty-se\en.  In  their  family  were  six 
sons  and  one  daughter,  of  whom  two  died  in 
infancy.  The  others  are  George  H..  our 
subject ;  Osmer,  who  was  born  in  New 
^ Ork,  and  is  now  engaged  in  farmmg  near 
the  old  homestead  in  La  Salle  county :  Frank 
O..  who  is  engaged  in  farming  and  the  rais- 
ing of  full-blooded  Poland  China  hogs  and 
Short-horn  cattle  near  the  homestead:  Lu- 
cina,  who  died  in  1878.  sot>n  after  grad- 
uating at  a  school  in  Battle  Creek,  Michigan; 
and  Otis,  who  also  lives  on  the  old  home 
farm.  Those  living  are  married  and  have 
families  of  their  own. 

During  his  boyhood  anil  youth  George 
H.  Chapman  aided  in  the  work  of  the  farm 
through  the  summer  season  and  attended 
school  in  winter.  He  remained  under  the 
parental  roof  until  he  was  married.  January 
24.  1877.  to  Miss  Roselle  Olmstead,  who 
was  bom  in  Grundv  countv,   Illinois.  Mav 


G.  H.  CHAPMAN. 


MRS.  G.  H.  CHAPMAN. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


253 


I,  1S55.  a  daughter  of  Andrus  and  Ann 
E.  (Arcliibald)  Olmstead,  residents  n{  La 
Salle  and  C.rundy  counties  for  over  fifty 
years.  The  mother,  who  was  of  Scotch 
descent,  dietl  in  1884.  but  the  father  is  still 
living  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years  and 
finds  a  pleasant  home  with  our  subject,  lie 
hatl  four  daughters  besides  Mrs.  Chapman, 
namelv:  Mrs.  J.  E.  Fingston.  whose  hus- 
bend  is  a  liutcher  of  Odell ;  Mrs.  Eliza  Lay- 
man, a  resident  of  Scandia.  Kansas ;  Mrs. 
Helen  Duttenhavor,  who  lives  near  Kent- 
land.  Indiana ;  and  Mrs.  Esther  Pope,  who 
died  in  Odell.  in  1883.  Of  the  seven  chil- 
dren, four  sons  and  three  daughters,  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chajiman.  ime  died  in  in- 
fancy, and  Harr\-  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
years.  Those  living  are  Fred;  .Annie:  Hat- 
tie,  twin  sister  of  Harry;  Ernest  and  Gracie. 
They  were  educated  in  the  Odell  high  school 
and  the  sons  are  now  assisting  their  father 
on  the  farm. 

For  one  year  after  his  marriage  Mr. 
Cha])man  was  employed  as  a  traveling 
salesman.  ha\ing  previously  followed  that 
occupation  during  the  winter  for  eight  years 
with  good  success.  He  lived  upon  a  part 
of  his  father's  land  in  La  Salle  county  until 
the  1st  of  January,  1883.  when  he  came  to 
Livingston  county  and  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  si.xty  acres  of  land  in  Odell  town- 
shi]),  which  he  improved  and  transformed 
into  a  good  farm.  Later  he  bought  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  near 
Dwight.  which  he  fully  improved  and  after- 
ward sold,  and  at  one  time  owned  a  similar 
amount  in  Iowa,  which  he  sold  at  a  good 
profit.  Upon  his  fine  farm  in  Odell  town- 
ship he  has  now  (in  the  summer  of  1900) 
erected  a  commodious  and  beautiful  resi- 
dence at  a  cost  of  thirty-five  hundred  dol- 
lars,  fitted   with   all   modern   improvements 


and  finished  in  natural  woods,  mostly 
cypress.  It  is  beautifully  located  and  will 
he  one  of  the  finest  homes  in  the  township. 
In  connection  with  general  farming  Mr. 
Chapman  has  carried  on  dairying  and  has 
also  dealt  in  short-horn  cattle,  for  which  he 
finds  a  ready  sale  in  the  local  markets.  For 
the  past  three  years  he  has  lived  retired  from 
active  labor,  but  still  superintends  the  opera- 
tion of  his  farm. 

.\t  notional  elections  Mr.  Chapman  sup- 
ports the  Republican  party,  but  in  local 
affairs  he  votes  independent  of  party  lines, 
sui)porting  the  men  whom  he  believes  best 
(jualified  for  office.  lie  has  served  as 
])athmaster  and  school  director,  hut  ha:5 
never  cared  for  political  preferment.  So- 
ciallv  he  is  a  member  of  the  Independenc 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  being  chief  consul 
of  his  camp  three  years  and  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  same.  He  is  a  man  of  high 
standing  in  the  community  where  he  lesides, 
and  has  many  friends  both  in  La  Salle  and 
Livingston  counties. 


EL\'U-:   T.    POTTER. 

I':ivie  T.  Potter,  a  i)rosperous  farmer 
an<l  one  of  the  most  popular  and  in- 
rtuential  citizens  of  Round  Grove  township. 
Livingston  county,  Illinois,  his  home  being 
on  section  15.  was  born  March  9.  1857.  in 
the  house  where  he  still  resides,  a  son  of 
Stephen  and  Mary  .\.  (  Killmer)  Potter,  na- 
tives of  Washington  county.  New  York, 
the  former  born  .\i)ril  1.  1806.  the  latter 
February  2;^.  181 4.  In  the  county  of  his 
nati\ity  the  father  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  educated  in  the  common  schools  until 


=  54 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


fourteen  years  of  age,,  when  he  went  to  Es- 
sex county.  New  York,  and  was  tliere  mar- 
ried August  25.  1834.  Immediately  after 
his  marriage  he  removed  to  Cuyahoga 
ctiunty,  Ohio,  where  he  Ijouglit  one  hun- 
dred acres  of  liea\ilv  timheretl  lanch  to 
tlie  imprcn-ement  autl  cu1ti\ation  of  wliicii 
he  tle\oted  his  energies  until  1844.  when 
he  sold  the  place  and  moved  to  Joliet, 
Illinois,  becoming  one  of  its  earl\-  pio- 
neers. Leaving  his  family  in  that  city  he 
went  to  California  in  1849,  ^'""1  engaged  in 
mining  for  five  years  with  good  success. 
He  returned  to  Joliet  in  1854.  and  in  the 
spring  of  1855  came  to  Livingston  county, 
wliere  he  purchased  a  claim,  consisting  of 
the  south  half  of  section  15,  Round  Grove 
township,  which  at  that  time  was  all  raw 
prairie.  He  erected  thereon  a  story  and  a 
half  frame  house,  eighteen  by  eighteen  feet, 
it  being  the  fifth  house  in  the  township  and 
the  first  frame  house,  the  rest  being  built 
of  logs  along  the  east  branch  of  the  Mazon. 
He  made  his  home  there  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  August  31,  1889.  and  his 
remains  were  interred  in  Round  Gro\e  cem- 
etery. He  tnnk  an  actix'e  part  in  public 
affairs  and  always  supported  the  Democratic 
party.  He  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  organ- 
izing his  town,  and  held  most  of  the  town- 
ship offices.  He  was  especially  actixe 
in  school  matters,  having  assisted  in 
organizing  the  school  districts  and  build- 
ing the  first  frame  house.  Inuring  the 
most  of  his  life  he  was  a  meiuber  of  the 
school  board,  serving  as  either  director  or 
trustee.  His  wife  is  still  lixing  antl  now  re- 
sides with  a  daughter  in  Dwight.  His 
parents,  Thomas  and  Wealthy  ( W'eller) 
Potter,  were  also  natives  of  New  York, 
while  the  former  was  of  English  and  the 
latter  of  German  extraction. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  }-(iung- 
est  in  a  fanfily  of  eight  children,  the  others 
being  as  follows:  Charlotte  B.,  born  Octo- 
ber 17,  1835,  married  Jesse  Eldred,  of 
Round  Grove  township,  and  died  leaving 
fi^ur  children :  Cora,  wife  of  Anthony  Kern. 
of  Streator,  Illinois:  L.  J.,  a  resident  of 
Stockton,  California ;  Stephen,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco ;  and  Minnie,  wife  of  William  Farrar, 
of  Peru,  Indiana.  (2)  Mary  died  in  chikl- 
hood.  (3)  George  W.,  born  October  ly, 
1839,  is  connected  with  the  Enterprise  Man- 
ufacturing Company,  of  Joliet.  He  married 
Emma  Godfrey,  of  Du  Page  county,  IIli- 
niiis,  and  they  have  three  children :  Edna, 
wife  of  Roy  Hess,  of  Joliet ;  Pearl  and  Ciaire. 
(4)  ^largaret  S.  is  living  with  her  mother 
in  Dwight.  (5)  Reuben  K..  horn  September 
26,  1844,  was  telegraph  operator  and  sta- 
tion agent  at  Dwight  and  Joliet  for  many 
years,  and  died  July  7,  1885,  unmarried. 
(6)  Albert,  born  December  3,  1847,  wa^ 
engaged  in  detective  work  for  some  years, 
and  is  now  servmg  as  deputy  sheriff  of 
Miami  county,  Indiana,  his  home  being  in 
Peru.  He  married  Louisa  Hubbanl.  of 
Round  Grove  township,  this  county,  and 
has  tme  son,  Guy  E.  (7)  Alanson,  born  Oc- 
tober 2-j,   1855,  died  January  28,   1858. 

Elvie  T.  Potter  grew  to  manhood  on  the 
old  homestead  and  was  educated  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  the  neighborhood.  His 
brothers  had  all  left  home  by  the  time  he 
was  fifteen  years  old,  and  he  was  therefore 
his  father's  (_)nlv  assistant  in  his  extensive 
farming  and  stock  raising  operations.  For 
ten  years  prior  to  his  father's  death  our  sub- 
ject had  entire  charge  (.>f  the  place,  and 
since  then  has  purchased  the  interests  of 
the  other  heirs  in  the  farm,  consisting  of 
two  hundred  anil  forty  acres  of  rich  and 
arable  lanil.      He   has  engaged  extensivelv 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


255 


ill  feeding  cattle  and  raising  Hambletonian 
liorses,  and  was  actively  engaged  in  agricult- 
ural pursuits  up  to  within  the  last  two  years, 
when  he  leased  his  land,  though  he  still  re- 
sides thereon. 

.\t  the  home  of  his  father.  .-\])ril  22. 
188C),  Mr.  Potter  wedded  Miss  Mary  (ilover, 
a  popular  and  successful  teacher,  who  taught 
school  in  this  and  Grundy  counties  for  ten 
\'ears  jirior  to  her  marriage.  Her  parents 
were  Samuel  L.  and  Martha  J.  (Dunn) 
(ilover.  also  early  settlers  nf  this  county. 
their  home  being  in  Broughton  township. 
Her  father  was  a  native  of  Xew  \'nrk.  her 
mother  of  Pennsylvania,  where  their  mar- 
riage was  celebrated.  They  are  now  resi- 
dents of  Xel)raska.  and  Imth  here  and  in 
that  state.  Mr.  Glover  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  jniblic  affairs,  serving  as  sujiervisor 
and  school  trustee.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  in  early  life  was  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
was  active  in  organizing  the  (irange.  In 
his  family  were  the  following  children : 
Deett.  wife  of  Warren  McKae.  a  tarmcr  of 
Custer  county.  Nebraska;  Mary,  wife  of 
our  subject :  Grace,  wife  of  E.  \' .  Sparks, 
a  ranchman  and  teacher  of  Trapahoc  c  unity, 
Colorado;  Henry  B.,  who  is  at  home  with 
his  ])arents  in  Custer  county,  Nebraska ; 
Percy  1).,  who  married  Augusta  Lower,  of 
Broughton  township,  this  county,  and  is 
now  living  in  Custer  county,  Nebraska;  and 
Sidney  L.,  a  carpenter,  who  is  li\ing  with 
our  subject. 

Mr.  Potter  las  always  taken  an  active  part 
in  political  affairs  and  is  a  stanch  supporter 
of  tlie  Democratic  party.  The  first  office  he 
was  called  u])on  to  fill  was  that  of  township 
collector,  in  which  capacity  he  served  his 
fellow  citizens  from  1887  to  1894,  inclusive. 
Pie  was  also  elected  supervi.sor  of  his  town- 


ship in  1887  and  held  that  office  for  eight 
consecutive  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  declined  a  re-nomination.  For  several 
years  there  had  been  no  opposing  candidate, 
antl  when  there  was  he  was  always  elected 
by  a  large  majority.  I  ie  served  on  the  equali- 
zation ccinimittee  his  entire  term;  was  chair- 
man of  the  judiciary  committee  two  years, 
and  was  also  a  member  of  the  committees 
on  education,  fees  and  salaries,  auditing, 
jail  and  jail  acounis.  During  his  admin- 
istration the  new  county  house  was  erected. 
I'or  sixteen  years  he  has  served  as  school 
director  in  district  No.  5.  In  1892  he  re- 
ceived the  Democratic  nomination  for  the 
legislature,  and.  notwithstanding  the  large 
Republican  majority  in  other  nortions  of  the 
district,  he  received  a  \  1  ite  sut^icient  tt)  make 
his  campaign  a  wortliy  one  as  an  inde.x  to 
his  popularity  and  ab-lity.  In  all  the  rela- 
tions of  life  he  has  been  found  true  tt)  every 
trust  reposed  in  him,  and  commands  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  all  with  wliom  he 
comes  in  contact,  either  in  jnililic  or  private 
life.  Socially  he  is  a  charter  member  of 
Campus  Camp.  No.  2019,  Modern  W  oodmen 
of  America. 


ALI'.KRT  J.  SXb:VD. 

Albert  J.  Sneyd.  one  of  Clial>wi;rtir-; 
representative  business  men  and  most  pro- 
gressive citizens,  was  born  in  Lockport,  Illi- 
nois, July  19,  1867,  a  son  of  Josei)h  and 
Mary  (  Kobliska)  Sneyd,  natives  of  .\ustria, 
who  came  to  America  with  their  resi)ective 
parents  when  about  fourteen  years  of  age. 
The  families  settled  near  Lockport.  Illinois. 
where  the  grandparents  of  our  subject  d-x<\ 
soon  afterward.  There  the  father  worked 
as  a  farm  hand  for  eleven  years,  and  after 
his   marriage   moved    to   Ashkuni.    Illinois. 


256 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


wliere  he  ]nircl:ase(l  and  iniprcned  a  lialf- 
secticm  (if  land.  He  was  successfully  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  and  stock  raising 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1890. 
His  wife  died  at  the  home  of  our  subject  in 
Chatsworth  in  1896.  Both  were  members  of 
the  Catholic  church  and  he  was  a  Democrat. 
l)ut  never  took  any  active  part  in  politics 
aside  from  x'oting. 

Albert  J.  Snevd  grew  to  manhncid  on  the 
home  farm,  aiding  his  father  in  its  opera- 
tion and  attended  the  public  schools  of  Ash- 
kum.  On  leaving  the  farm  in  1893  '''^  came 
to  Chatsworth.  where,  in  partnership  with 
Charles  Burns,  he  embarked  in  the  hardware 
business,  purchasing  the  stock  of  E.  A.  Jack- 
son. Under  the  firm  name  of  Sneyd  &  Burns 
they  successfully  carried  on  business  for  six 
years,  during  which  time  they  enlarged  their 
stock,  as  well  as  increased  the  volume  of 
trade.  In  the  spring  of  1899  Mr.  Sneyd 
sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  Burns,  who  still 
continues  the  business,  and  for  a  year  lived 
retired,  but  in  the  spring  of  1900  he  pur- 
chased a  lot,  upon  which  he  erected  a  com- 
modious warehouse  and  stocked  it  with  a 
full  line  of  buggies,  wagons,  planters,  and  in 
fact  all  kinds  of  heavy  and  light  farm  ma- 
chinery and  implements.  He  has  made  a 
decided  success  for  the  first  season's  venture 
in  the  new  enterprise,  for,  being  among 
the  well-known  and  reliable  business  men  of 
the  town,  he  has  secured  a  liberal  share  of  the 
public  patronage.  He  not  only  owns  his 
present  place  of  business,  but  has  a  half 
interest  in  the  building  where  he  was  for- 
merly engaged  in  the  hardware  trade,  his 
home  property  in  Chatsworth  and  a  fine 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  on  sec- 
tions 16  and  17.  Ashkum  township,  Iro- 
quois county,  which  was  part  of  the  old 
homestead. 


On  the  J^i\  of  May,  1894,  Mr.  Sneyd 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Annie  E. 
Phillips,  who  was  born  in  Chebanse,  Illinois, 
October  i,  1869,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Kate  (McGlone)  Phillips.  Her  father  is 
now  deceased,  but  her  mother  is  still  living 
and  resides  on  the  old  liome  farm  near  Ash- 
kum. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sneyd  have  been 
born  two  children :  Francis  and  Leo  Al- 
bert, bright  children,  who  are  the  jov  of  the 
home.  The  parents  are  both  members  of 
the  Catholic  church  and  Mr.  Sneytl  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  Cam]), 
No.  1829,  of  Chatsworth.  Politically  he 
affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party.  He 
is  wideh'  and  favorably  known  and  in  social 
as  well  as  business  circles  stands  deservedly 
hieh. 


WILLIAM  D.  McMILLAX. 

William  D.  McMillan,  the  well-known 
Forrest,  Illinois,  and  a  member  of  the  vil- 
lage board  of  trustees,  is  a  native  of  Liv- 
ingston county,  born  in  Rooks  Creek  town- 
ship October  5,  1846,  and  is  a  son  of  Will- 
iam and  grandson  of  Andrew  McMillan. 
The  father  was  born  in  Jonesville,  Lee  coun- 
ty, Virginia.  September  27.  1802.  and  there 
grew  to  manhood  upon  his  father's  farm. 
He  came  to  Livingston  county,  Illinois,  as 
early  as  1834,  and  located  in  Rcxiks  Creek 
township,  when  the  Indians  were  still  liv- 
ing in  this  region.  Here  he  took  up  a  large 
tiact  of  government  land,  about  four  hun- 
dred acres,  which  he  improved,  retaining 
most  of  it  until  his  death.  He  became  one 
of  the  most  prominent  and  influential  citi- 
zens of  his  community,  in  politics  was  first 
a  Whig  and  later  a  Democrat,  and  held  the 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace  from  the  earliest 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


257 


recollection  of  our  subject.  In  18.^8  he  mar- 
ried Eliza  Breckenridge.  a  daughter  of  Rob- 
ert Breckenridge,  who  was  also  one  of  the 
pioneers  and  land  holders  of  Rooks  Creek 
township,  ha\ing  come  here  from  near  Sar- 
dinia. Brown  county.  Ohio,  about  the  same 
time  as  Mr.  .McMillan.  By  this  marriage 
were  horn  four  chiklren.  three  nf  whom 
are  still  li\ing.  one  of  these  being  our  sub- 
ject. The  mother,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  church,  died  in  1849.  ''"^l  ^lie 
father  subse(|uently  married  her  sister.  Mrs. 
Anna  .\nderson.  He  died  in  June.  1864. 
honored  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 

The  earl}-  education  of  William  D.  Mc- 
I^Iillan  was  acquired  in  the  common  schools 
of  RcK)ks  Creek  township,  and  he  remained 
at  home  until  his  father's  death.  Desiring 
a  better  education  he  sold  forty  acres  of  the 
iiomc  farm,  and  after  gi\ine  his  mother 
her  dowry  used  the  remainder  in  paying 
his  expenses  at  Eureka  College.  Having 
thus  secured  a  good  practical  education  he 
returned  home  and  engaged  in  farming  until 
1870.  when  he  went  to  Pontiac.  The  fol- 
lowing year  he  commenced  learning  photog- 
raphy and  devoted  iiis  attention  to  that  art 
until  1874,  when  he  entered  the  service  of 
the  United  States  Express  Company  at  Pon- 
tiac. A  year  later  he  was  transferred  to 
SpringficUl,  and  in  1880  was  made  express 
messenger  on  the  Forrest  and  Streator  train 
of  the  Wabash  Railroad.  On  the  ist  of 
June.  1893.  he  was  appointed  agent  at  For- 
rest, where  tlie  company  does  a  large  lousi- 
ness, as  the  town  has  two  lines  of  railroad. 
The  position  is  therefore  one  of  much  re- 
sponsibility, and  he  discharges  his  duties 
in  a  most  creditable  and  satisfactory  man- 
ner. 

On  the  8th  of  .April,  1876.  Mr.  McMillan 
married   Miss   Laura   Harper,    of   Livings- 


ton county,  who  was  born  in  Waynestown, 
Indiana,  a  daughter  of  John  Harper,  an  old 
resident  here,  who  settled  in  this  county 
w  hen  Mrs.  McMillan  was  only  six  years  old. 
By  this  union  have  been  born  five  children : 
Ira  Douglas  (decea.sed).  Frederick  \V., 
-Artie  Ray  (deceased).  Leslie  C.  and  I'.dna 
E.  The  parents  are  both  members  of  the 
.Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  Mr. 
McMillan  is  now  serving  as  steward.  He 
cast  his  first  vote  for  the  Democratic  party, 
but  since  then  has  been  a  stanch  Republican, 
though  he  has  taken  no  active  part  in  politi- 
cal affairs.  While  a  resident  of  Rooks 
Creek  township  he  filled  the  office  of  col- 
lector, and  without  his  knowledge  he  was 
nominated  as  a  member  of  the  city  council 
on  the  no-license  board  in  1899  ''"'-1  elected 
l)y  a  good  majority,  though  he  made  no  ef- 
fort to  secure  the  ofifice.  During  his  term 
the  board  has  done  considerable  toward 
street  improvements,  which  have  greatly 
pleased  the  people  of  the  town.  Fraternally 
Mr.  McMillan  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


JOHN  ELLIXGER. 

John  I'Jlinger,  a  ])rominent  tarnicr  of 
section  35,  Pontiac  township.  Livingston 
county,  comes  from  the  fatherland,  and 
the  strongest  and  mostcreditable  character- 
istics of  the  eutonic  race  have  been  inarked 
elements  in  his  life  and  have  enabled  him 
to  win  success  in  the  face  of  opposing  cir- 
cumstances. He  posses.ses  the  energy  and. 
determination  which  mark  the  i:)eople  of  Ger- 
many, and  by  the  exercise  of  his  powers 
has  steadily  progressed,  and  has  not  onl}- 
won  a  handsome  competence  but  has  com- 


258 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


manded  universal  respect  liy  his  straight- 
forward business  methods. 

Mr.  Ellinger  was  born  in  \\'urteniluu-o-, 
Germany,  October  i6,  1849,  ^  son  of  George 
and  Carrie  D.  (Keibler)  Ellinger,  life-long 
residents  of  that  place  and  active  members 
of  the  Lutheran  church.  The  father  was  a 
farmer  and  -land  owner  and  was  one  of  the 
highly  respected  men  of  his  community. 
He  died  in  1893,  the  mother  about  eight 
years  before. 

Our  subject  obtained  a  good  practical  ed- 
ucation in  the  public  schools  of  his  nati\e 
land,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  went  into 
the  \illaee  of  Oppenweiler,  which  was  near 
lus  father's  home,  devoting  a  year  and  nine 
months  to  learning  the  baker's  trade.  Not 
liking  the  business,  he  decided  to  try  his 
fortune  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  and 
celebrated  the  seventeenth  anniver:-ary  of  his 
birth  on  board  a  vessel  bound  for  America. 
His  ticket  ttiok  him  to  Washington.  Illinois, 
where  he  borrowed  three  dollars  with  which 
to  proceed  to  Peoria,  from  a  fellcv.-  passen- 
ger, his  own  means  being  exhausted  by  this 
time.  He  secured  work  on  a  farm  near  that 
city,  \\h.ere  he  remained  for  some  time,  and 
with  his  employer  went  to  Peoria,  work- 
ing for  him  two  years,  but  his  wages  v,ere 
never  paid  for  the  last  six  months.  Secur- 
ing an  old  h.orse  he  again  started  for  the 
country  and  after  spending  a  few  weeks  in 
El  Paso,  he  hired  out  to  a  farmer  north- 
west of  that  place  for  one  }-ear.  Later, 
being  refused  the  privilege  of  attending 
church,  he  entered  the  employ  of  a  neighbor, 
for  whom  he  worked  until  fall.  He  was 
employed  in  that  neighborhood  for  five 
years  during  which  time  he  managed  to 
save  enough  money  to  start  in  life  for  him- 
self, renting  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Ford 
county  for  two  years. 


In  the  meantime  Mr.  Ellinger  was  mar- 
rried,  July  27,  1870,  to  Miss  Sophia  Muel- 
ler, a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  George  Mueller,  who  with  his  family 
moved  from  that  state  to  Indiana  and  later 
to  Illinois.  To  our  subject  and  wife  have 
been  born  twelve  children,  namely :  Carrie, 
now  the  wife  of  John  Schaffer  of  Eppards 
Point  township,  Livingston  county;  Lizzie, 
wife  of  William  Schaffer,  of  the  same  town- 
ship; George,  wlio  married  Maggie  Young, 
and  also  li\es  in  Eppards  Point  township; 
John,  who  married  Alta  Porter  and  resides 
in  Pontiac :  Emma,  wife  of  Edward  Greid- 
ner  of  that  city ;  Katie,  William,  Christian, 
Arthur,  .\lbert,  Frank  and  Robert,  all  at 
home. 

In  187J  Mr.  Ellinger  came  to  Living- 
ston county  and  successfully  engaged  in 
farming  upon  rented  land  in  Saunemin 
township  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in 
that  township,  but  hard  times  coming  on, 
he  lost  it,  and  again  rented  a  number  of  years, 
one  year  being  spent  in  Sullivan  township. 
and  ten  on  one  farm  in  Owego  township. 
Subsequently  he  bought  eighty  acres  in  Char- 
lotte township,  which  he  soon  sold  to  ad- 
\antage,  and  then  came  to  Pontiac  town- 
ship, where  he  rented  a  half-section  of  land 
one  }-ear.  It  being  sold  at  that  time  he  had 
to  UKive,  and  in  1893  he  purchased  his  pres- 
ent fine  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  one  and  a  half  miles  from  Pontiac, 
for  which  he  paid  ninety-two  dollars  and  a 
luilf  per  acre.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  and 
most  productive  farms  in  the  county,  and 
is  well  improved  with  good  buildings.  In 
connection  with  general  farming,  Mr.  Ell- 
inger gives  considerable  attention  to  the 
raising  of  cattle  and  hogs.  While  a  resi- 
dent of  Owego  township  he  bought  a  half- 


1 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


259 


section  of  land  in  Minnesota,  for  which  he 
paid  cash,  and  whicli  he  held  until  1899. 

In  1899  Mr.  Ellinger  returned  to  his  old 
home  in  Germany  to  visit  his  father.  Since 
the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Evangelical  church,  and  he  and 
his  family  are  now  connected  with  the  church 
at  Eppards  Point.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics  but  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for 
office,  thougii  he  served  as  school  director 
three  vears. 


Cll.VRLES  T.  BURNS. 

Charles  T.  Burns,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  hardware  business  in  Chatsworth, 
Livingston  county,  has  been  one  of  the 
leading  business  men  of  the  city  since 
1893.  He  commenced  business  as  a  junior 
member  of  the  firm  of  Sneyd  &  Burns,  Xo- 
\  ember  29,  1893,  and  that  relation  was  con- 
tinued until  1899,  when  his  brother,  Thom- 
as, purchased  the  interest  of  Mr.  Sneyd,  and 
the  business  has  since  been  conducted  under 
the  firm  name  of  Burns  Brothers. 

Charles  T.  Burns  was  born  in  Chicago, 
Illinois,  June  11,  1863,  and  is  the  son  of 
Thomas  and  Eliza  (Gallagher)  Burns,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  Ireland,  and  both 
coming  to  this  country  in  childhood,  the 
former  locating  in  Boston,  ^lassachusetts, 
and  the  latter  in  Chicago,  Illinois.  In  his 
youth  Thomas  Burns  learned  the  ship  car- 
penter's trade,  which  he  followed  for  some 
j^ears,  and  until  coming  west  and  locating 
in  Chicago,  where  his  marriage  with  Miss 
Gallagher  was  celebrated.  He  is  now  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Iroquois  county,  Illi- 
nois, which  has  been  his  home  for  some 
years,  and  where  he  owns  a  farm  of  two 
hundred  acres  of  well   improved   land.    In 


his  family  were  nine  children:  Charles  T., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  James,  living  on 
a  farm  in  Iroquois  county;  Anna,  living  at 
home;  Mary,  who  resides  in  Chicago; 
1  homas,  now  in  partnership  w.th  our  sub- 
ject; Kate,  wife  of  O.  Ergang,  who  is  in 
the  postal  service  in  Chicago,  which  is  their 
home;  Walter,  in  a  grain  office  in  Ashkum, 
Illinois;  Terrence  and  William,  at  home  with 
their  father.  The  mother  of  these  children 
died  in  1886.  She  was  a  devout  member  of 
the  Catlii)lic  church,  in  which  faith  she  died. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood on  the  farm  in  Iroquois  county,  and  in 
its  public  schools  received  his  education, 
which  was  supplemented  by  one  term  in  the 
commercial  department  of  the  Northern  In- 
diana Normal  School  at  \'alparaiso,  Indi- 
ana. He  remained  at  home  until  he  came 
to  Chatsworth  in  1893  and  embarked  in  his 
present  business.  Success  has  crowned  his 
efforts,  and  in  addition  to  his  stock  of  hard- 
ware, paints,  oils,  etc.,  he  owns  residence 
property  in  the  city  and  an  interest  in  the 
store  building  occupied  by  himself  and 
brotlier.  The  firm  carry  a  fine  stock  of  goods 
and  have  an  excellent  trade,  wdiich  e.xtends 
many  miles  into  the  surrounding  country. 

In  politics  Mr.  Burns  is  a  Democrat  in 
national  affairs,  but  in  local  matters  he  votes 
for  the  best  man  for  the  office  regardless  of 
party  ties.  By  his  fellow  citizens  he  has 
been  honored  with  local  office,  having  served 
as  alderman  for  five  successive  years.  As  a 
member  of  the  board  he  has  shown  himself 
a  progressive  citizen,  advocating  every  meas- 
ure proposed  that  seemed  beneficial  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  place.  He  was  interested 
in  the  putting  in  of  brick  walks,  the  building 
of  the  bell  tower,  the  improvement  of  the 
water  works,  and  the  erection  of  the  new 
brick  city  hall.     He  is  chairman  of  the  fire 


26o 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


and  water  committees  and  a  member  of  the 
finance  committee  and  other  committees.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  volunteer  fire  com- 
pany. 

Eraternally  Mr.  Burns  is  a  member  of 
Camp  No.  1829,  Mcodern  Woodmen  of 
America,  and  religiously  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Catholic  church.  As  a  citizen  he  is  en- 
terprising and  loyal  to  his  adopted  city  and 
county. 


CAPTAIN   HENRY   FOX. 

Captain  Henry  Fox,  a  gallant  ana  fear- 
less officer  of  the  civil  war,  and  now  a  prom- 
inent citizen  of  Dwight,  Illinois,  was  born 
in  Wurtemburg.  Germany,  October  4,  1833. 
He  was  educated  in  a  college  near  Stutt- 
gart, taking  a  literary  course,  and  on  leav- 
ing school  entered  a  general  mercantile 
establishment,  where  he  served  a  three- 
years'  apprenticeship  and  was  then  granted 
a  diploma.  He  remained  with  that  firm 
two  years  longer  and  then  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  a  commission  house,  where  he  con- 
tinued to  work  until  his  emigration  to  the 
United  States  in  1854,  landing  in  New 
York  city  on  the  day  he  attained  his  ma- 
jority. 

Business  being  dull  there,  Mr.  Fox  pro- 
ceeded to  Milwaukee,  \\'isconsin,  where  he 
clerked  in  a  wholesale  dry-goods  house  for 
two  years,  and  while  there  served  as  second 
lieutenant  in  the  \Visconsin  Mihtia.  His 
company  was  sent  to  Madison  on  the  in- 
stallation of  a  new  governor,  in  January, 
1856,  they  having  much  the  same  trouble 
as  has  recently  been  experienced  in  Ken- 
tucky. The  incumbent  of  the  office  denied 
the  validity  of  the  claimant  and  who  had 
the  certificate  of  the  canvassing  board  and 


refused  to  give  up  the  office.  This  was  the 
Bash  ford  and  Barstow  contest  which  cre- 
ated great  excitement  throughout  the  coun- 
try at  the  time.  In  September,  1856.  Mr. 
Fo.x  went  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  engaged 
in  clerking  for  a  short  time,  and  then  re- 
moved to  Mt.  Pulaski,  Logan  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  was  employed  in  the  general 
store  of  John  ^Mayer,  who  was  engaged  in 
business  there  for  many  years,  and  was  one 
of  the  first  settlers  of  Logan  county.  While 
there  Air.  Fox  married  his  empkiyer's 
daughter.  Miss  Alagdalene  Alayer,  Septem- 
ber 10,  1857.  After  his  marriage  he  was 
engaged  in  business  for  himself  at  Mt.  Pu- 
laski a  short  time,  but  in  the  spring  of  1861 
removed  to  Lincoln,  Illinois,  where  he  was 
living  at  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war. 

In  August,  1862,  Mr.  Fox  enlisted  as 
sergeant  in  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and 
Sixth  Illinois  \'olunteer  Infantry,  and  was 
mustered  in  at  Lincoln,  being  ordered  to 
Jackson,  Tennessee,  in  September.  In  refer- 
ence to  his  service  we  quote  the  following 
from  the  Chicago  Inter-Ocean :  "A  Sol- 
dier's Brave  Deed.  In  the  later  part  of 
December,  1862,  when  a  small  detachment 
of  soldiers  was  scattered  along  the  line  of 
the  railroad  from  Columbus,  Kentucky,  to 
Holly  Springs,  Mississippi,  guarding  the 
bridges  and  trestle  work,  the  following  in- 
cident took  place,  which  for  cool  coiu'age 
excelled  anything  that  came  to  my  attention 
during  my  three  years'  service.  After  the 
capture  of  Holly  Springs,  Mississippi,  Gen- 
eral Forrest's  cavalry  made  a  raid  north- 
ward upon  this  line  of  railroad  and  captured 
every  station  between  Jackson,  Tennessee, 
and  Columbus,  Kentucky,  exceut  a  small 
detachment  of  about  seventy-five  men  who 
were  guarding  the  bridge  and  the  long  tres- 
tle work  across  the  Obion  river  about  ten 


HENRY  FOX. 


i 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


263 


miles  north  uf  Jackson.     This  detachment 
was  composed  of  parts  of  Companies  H  and 
I,  One  Hundred  and  Sixth  lUinois  Infantry, 
and  commanded  l)_v  Captain   1'.   \\  .    Harts, 
now    of    Springfield,    Illinois,    and    Captain 
John    Slmckey.    now   of   Pappinsville,    Mis- 
souri.    Alter  the  attack  on  Jackson  and  the 
capture  of  Colonel  Ingersoll  and  a  part  of 
the  Eleventh  Illinois  Cavalry,  a  detachment 
of  some  five  hundred  of  Forrest's  cavalry, 
with  two  pieces  of  artillery,   was   sent   by 
General  Forrest  against  this  handful  of  men 
guarding  the  Obion  bridge.     The   Federal 
guard   had   hastily  made  rude  breastworks 
directly   under   the    bridge,    determined   to 
make  the  best  possible  defense.     Promptly 
at    I    o'clock   on   December   23,   before   the 
l)reastw(_)rks    were    completeil,    this    station 
north  of  the  river  were  surroundetl  by  these 
five  hundred  rebel  cavalry,  who,  after  mak- 
ing  a   great   display   on   horseback,    riding 
round  in  a  circle  three  or  four  times,  thus 
making  believe  that  the  whole  of  Forrest's 
cavalry  was  present,  dismounted  and  made 
a  desperate  etYort  to  capture  the  guard  and 
destroy  the  britlge  and  trestle-works  in  order 
to  break  the  railroad  communication  with 
Jackson,  Tennessee.     Here  the  unequal  bat- 
tle raged  until  the  middle  of  the  afternoon, 
the  shrieking  shells  and  the  swishing  bul- 
lets crashed  through  the  heavy  bridge  tim- 
bers with  which  the  breastworks  were  made. 
Capture  seemed  inevitable.  Reinforcements 
could  only  be  hoped  for  from  Jackson.     It 
was  decided  that  some  one  should  venture 
to  leave  the  fort,  climb  the  open  trestle  some 
fifteen   feet  high  and  run  over  this,  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty  rods,  then  through 
the  timber  toward  Jackson,  to  secure  rein- 
forcements.    This   task    was    solicited    by 
Sergeant  Henry  Fox,  of  Company  H.   Hand 
over  band  he  gained  the  top  of  the  bridge, 


and  then  with  a  regular  double-cjuick  step, 
he  ran  from  tie  to  tie  across  this  dreadful 
line,  the  enemy  from  both  sides  of  the  road 
sho(jting  at  him,  but  while  his  cl()thes  bore 
ample  evidence  of  the  danger  he  had  run, 
he    was    untouched.     Fortunately,    the   fire 
from  the  breastworks  was  too  dangerous  to 
permit  the  enemy  to  bring    then"    artillery 
through  the  woods  within  close  range  of  the 
fort  and   from  the  distance  the  heavy  tim- 
ber    olistrucied     the    effectiveness    of     the 
shot  and  shell.     The  station  was  not  cap- 
tured, the  bridge  was  saved,  reinforcements 
arrived  after  dark,  and  after  the  enemy  had 
withdrawn  and  left  their  dead  in  the  farm- 
iiouse  on  the  hill.   Sergeant  Fox,  after  call- 
ing for  reinforcements,  returned  alone,  mak- 
ing the  run  of  nine  miles  in  one  hour  and 
forty  minutes."  This  article  was  written  and 
signed  by  David  Harts,  captain  of  Company 
C,  One  Plundred  and  Sixth  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry.     For  this  gallant  service  our 
subject  received  a  medal  from  congress  with 
the    following   inscription;     "The   congress 
of  the  United  States  to  Serg't  Henry  Fox, 
Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Sixth  Illi- 
nois  Infantr)-,    for  gallantry  near  Jackson, 
Tennessee,  December  23,  i86j."     In  Janu- 
ary,  1863,  he  was  detailed  as  recorder  of 
military  commission  at   Memphis,    and    in 
May  was  appointed  by  General  Hurlbut  as 
captain  of  the  Fifty-ninth  Regiment  United 
States  Colored  Troops,  being  mustered  in 
as  such  June  i,   1863.     He  participated  in 
the  battles  of  Parker's  Cross    Road,    Gun- 
town  and  Tupolo,  and  went  on  to  the  ex- 
pedition of  Oxford.     In  April,  1865,  l^c  was 
detailed   as  acting  assistant   inspector  gen- 
eral of  post  and  defenses  at  Memphis,  Ten- 
nessee, and  was  on  the  staff  of  Brevet  Major- 
General  A.  L.  Chetlain.     In  July,  1865,  he 
was  detailed  on  the  staff'  of  Major-General 


264 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Jolin  E.  Smith,  United  States  Army,  in  the 
same  capacity,  for  the  district  of  Tennessee, 
and  was  finally  mustered  out  on  the  last  day 
of  January,  1866. 

Returning  to  liis  home  in  Lincoln,  Illi- 
nois, Captain  Fox  worked  in  the  lumher 
office  of  BufYham  &  Company  for  a  year  and 
a  half,  then  for  Elliott  &  Company  in  the 
same  business  until  New  Year's  Day,  1869. 
By  his  doctor's  advice,  he  then  removed  to 
a  farm  in  Logan  county,  which  he  had  pur- 
chased alxuU  a  year  previous,  hut  as  his 
health  did  not  improve,  in  May,  1874,  he 
nioxed  to  Dwight.  Illinois,  where  he  has 
since  had  charge  of  William  Ccully's  lands, 
consisting  of  several  thousand  acres,  which 
he  has  managed  in  a  most  creditable  and 
satisfactory  manner. 

To  the  Captain  and  his  wife  were  born 
eight  children,  namely :  Frederick  W., 
whn  died  in  February,  1897,  at  the  age  of 
forty  years,  leaving  a  widow  and  two  chil- 
dren :  Henry,  who  has  charge  of  a  large 
tract  of  land  for  Mr.  Scully  in  Nelson,  Ne- 
braska; Anna  E..  wife  of  Benjamin  Show- 
waiter,  of  Davenport,  Nebraska;  Lydia  L., 
who  is  teaching  in  the  public  schools  of 
Dwight;  Louis  E.,  a  resident  of  Kansas 
City,  Missouri;  Susan  M.,  who  is  an  artist 
of  superior  ability  and  is  now  giving  paint- 
ing lessons  in  Dwight  and  neighboring 
cities :  Pauline  E.,  bookkeeper  and  cashier 
for  Miller  Brothers,  at  Dwight;  and  Daniel 
S.  Fox,  who  was  born  in  Dwight,  Illinois, 
January  27,  1876,  and  was  educated  in  the 
city  and  high  school.  He  was  then  with 
his  father  until  the  time  of  his  enlistment, 
April  26,  1898.  in  Company  A,  Third  Illi- 
nois Cavalry,  for  a  term  of  two  years.  The 
regiment  was  organized  at  Springfield,  Illi- 
nois, from  which  place  it  was  sent  to  Chick- 
amauga,  where,  on  the  6th  of  July,  1898,  he 


was  appointed  corporal.  From  Chicka- 
mauga  the  regiment  was  sent  to  Porto  Rico 
with  Alajor-General  Brooks,  it  being  his 
guard.  With  his  regiment  Daniel  S.  re- 
mained until  after  the  close  of  hostilities, 
when  it  returned,  and  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged at  Streator,  Illinois.  January  20, 
1899.  and  returned  to  his  home,  and  is  as- 
sisting his  father  in  the  business.  The 
mother  of  these  children  died  October  7, 
1879,  and  was  buried  in  Dwight.  Captain 
Fox  was  again  married,  October  28,  1880, 
his  second  union  being  with  Miss  Hattie  A. 
Chamberlain,  who  was  born  near  Syracuse, 
New  York,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1873. 
Her  father,  William  Chamberlain,  never 
came  west.  She  has  proved  a  true  helpmeet 
to  her  husband  and  a  devoted  mother  to  his 
children,  who  were  young  when  she  married 
him. 

Captain  Fox  is  a  prominent  member  of 
several  civic  societies,  including  Livingston 
Lodge.  No.  371,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Wilmington 
Chapter,  No.  142,  R.  A.  M. :  Streatur 
Council,  R.  &  S.  M. :  Blaney  Command- 
ery.  No.  5,  K.  T.,  of  Morris,  Illinois ; 
Dwight  Lodge,  No.  513,  and  Dwight  En- 
campment. No.  126,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  which 
fraternitv  he  has  been  a  member  for  forty- 
two  years.  In  the  subordinate  lodge  he  has 
served  as  noble  grand,  and  is  now  past  chief 
patriarch  of  the  Encampment.  He  is  also 
an  honored  member  and  past  commander  of 
Dwight  Post,  No.  626.  G.  A.  R.,  and  a 
member  of  the  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal 
Legion.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican, but  at  local  elections,  when  no  issue  is 
involved,  he  votes  independent  of  party 
lines.  He  has  ever  taken  an  active  and 
prominent  part  in  local  politics,  and  has  been 
a  member  of  the  town  board  four  times  and 
served  as  mavor  of  Dwight  two  terms.      He 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


265 


has  ever  manifested  tlie  same  loyalty  in  days 
of  peace  as  in  time  of  war,  and  by  all  who 
know  liini  is  held  in  high  regard. 


SAML'EL  A.   LEISEROW  ITZ. 

Samnel  A.  Leiserowitz.  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Cnllom.  and  a  member  of  the  well- 
known  firm  of  Leiserowitz  Brothers,  general 
merchants  of  Cnllom,  Herscher  and  Cabery, 
Illinois,  was  born  in  Sarle,  State  of  Korne, 
Rnssia,  Jnne  21,  1861.  His  father.  Mendel 
Leiserowitz,  a  rabbi  and  school  teacher  of 
that  country,  has  been  active  in  church  work 
since  seventeen  years  of  age  and  for  the 
])ast  fifty-three  years  has  engaged  in  preach- 
ing and  scluM)!  teaching.  He  is  very  well 
educated  and  is  a  well  known  expounder  of 
the  Hebrew  faith.  He  has  preached  in 
Sarle,  Moscow,  and  manv  smaller  ]jlaces  in 
Russia,  and  while  visiting  in  this  country 
])reached  and  taught  school  in  South  Chi- 
cago for  four  years.  His  father,  Moses 
Leiserowitz,  was  also  a  rabbi  and  school 
teacher,  and  died  while  reading  the  Bible 
at  his  home  in  Yurgenborg,  Russia,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-three  years.  To  the  parents 
of  our  subject  were  born  eleven  children, 
six  of  whcim  are  living,  and  one  of  the 
numl)er  is  still  living  in  Russia  taking  care 
of  the  parents.  Those  in  .\nicrica  are : 
Tane  L..  who  is  engaged  in  general  mer- 
cantile business  in  Kempton,  Illinois:  L.  L., 
who  is  engagetl  in  the  painting  business  in 
Chicago ;  Samuel  .\.,  our  subject ;  Wolf, 
]>artner  of  our  subject  and  a  resident  (i 
Herscher,  Illinois;  and  Simon,  who  conducts 
the  store  for  his  Ijrothers  at  Cabery. 

Samuel  .\.  Leiserowitz  attended  school 
in  his  native  land,  but  his  earlv  education 


has  been  greatly  supplemented  by  reading 
and  observation  in  later  years.  .\t  the  age 
of  twehe  years  he  began  his  business  career, 
being  employed  in  the  office  of  a  dealer  in 
grain  and  all  kinds  of  produce  until  he  at- 
tained his  majority.  He  then  entered  the 
Russian  army.  December  i.  188 1,  and  served 
until  August  I.  1886.  He  was  first  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Twentieth  Foot  Division,  but  on 
the  1st  of  August.  1882.  was  transferred  to 
the  brass  band,  his  instrument  being  a 
French  horn.  .\s  a  common  soldier  he  re- 
cieved  ninety  cents  pay  every  four  months 
or  two  dollars  and  seventy  cents  per  year, 
but  being  promoted  to  what  corresponds 
to  our  corporal  his  salary  was  raised  to 
four  dollars  per  year.  In  giving  a  dcs- 
cri])tion  of  the  Russian  army  Mr.  Leisero- 
witz says:  "Besides  their  high  salary  the 
.soldiers  were  given  their  clothes,  consisting 
of  one  overcoat  made  of  material  resembling 
horse  blankets,  an  under  coat  of  a  finer 
grade  of  goods,  a  cap  and  trousers  made  of 
t^ie  same  material.  These  were  supposed 
to  last  two  years  with  exception  of  the  trous- 
ers which  were  worn  a  year.  Vests  were 
not  worn  in  the  scr\ice.  Each  .soldier  re- 
ceived a  pair  and  a  half  of  leather  boots 
each  year,  the  leggings  of  the  first  pair  do- 
ing service  for  the  second.  For  under  and 
o\er  wear  linen  similar  to  course  towling 
was  furnished.  For  hosiery  the  same  kind 
of  goods  was  used,  and  instead  of  being 
drawn  on  the  feet  was  wrapped  around.  Mit- 
tens and  neckties  were  of  black  blanket 
goods,  and  the  ties  were  worn  as  Catholic 
l)riests  wear  them.  Out  of  their  salaries 
the  soldiers  have  to  pay  for  making  their 
boots  and  underwear  .  buying  blackening  for 
shoes  and  belts  and  oil  for  guns.  Each  are 
given  .seventy  cents  extra  for  incidentals,  but 
this   with  their  salarv  does  not  half  cover 


266 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


their  expenses.  They  are  given  three  pounds 
of  rye  bread  a  day  and  six  cents  in  money 
to  pay  for  other  food,  but  when  a  company 
is  stationed  at  one  place  the  money  goes 
into  the  general  fund  for  cooking  purposes, 
amounting  to  six  dollars  for  one  hundred 
men  per  day.  Each  soldier  gets  about  a 
half  pound  of  beef  and  soup,  which  is  made 
of  barley  broken  up  and  boiled  with  the 
meat.  This  they  have  for  dinner  and  sup- 
per, while  for  breakfast  they  have  only 
bread,  salt  and  water — plenty  of  water  but 
not  always  salt.  A  mess  of  ten  or  fifteen 
men  arc  given  a  wooden  pail  in  which  the 
soup  is  served.  They  carry  a  red  wooden 
spoon  in  their  boot  leg  and  with  these  each 
dip  into  the  bucket  as  they  have  no  other 
dishes,  knives  or  forks.  After  the  meal 
however,  they  are  generally  as  happy  as 
larks,  singing  and  dancing.  The  higher 
officers  are  treated  as  ours  are. 

When  his  term  of  service  expired,  Mr. 
Liserowitz  received  a  recommndation  from 
his  general  testifying  to  his  conduct,  temper- 
ate habits,  and  general  behavior  and  that 
should  he  again  desire  to  enter  the  army  he 
was  to  be  taken  back  at  one  hundred  and 
twenty  dollars  per  year.  Returning  to  his 
home,  he  remained  there  until  January  i, 
1887,  when  he  sailed  from  Hamburg  by  way 
of  Li\'erpool  for  New  York.  He  proceeded 
at  once  to  Chicago  and  on  the  train  met  a 
conductor,  who  was  a  relative  of  his  father 
and  who  took  charge  of  him,  seeing  that 
he  got  to  his  brother  all  right.  He  remained 
about  twenty-four  hours  in  Chicago.  His 
money  by  this  time  was  exhausted  but  he 
finally  found  a  relative  who  let  him  have 
enough  to  go  to  Danforth,  Illinois,  where 
his  brothers  Wolf  and  Tane  were  then  liv- 
ing. A  week  later  the  brother  Wolf  ordered 
for  him  a  stock  of  goods  amounting  to  little 


over  forty-nine  dollars,  and  with  this  he 
started  out  as  apeddler  with  his  pack  upon  his 
back.  His  brother  drove  a  team  and  went 
a  couple  of  miles  ahead  toward  Cullom  their 
destination.  Our  subject  met  with  most 
excellent  success  from  the  start  and  at  the 
end  of  three  weeks  was  able  to  buy  a  horse 
from  Frank  Drendel,  living  east  of  Cullom. 
for  which  he  paid  eighteen  tlollars,  to  be 
taken  out  in  trade.  He  then  went  to  Dan- 
forth where  his  brother  Tane  was  living 
and  bought  a  wagon.  With  horse  and 
wagon  he  traveled  for  one  year,  and  at  the 
end  of  that  time  he  and  his  brother  Tane 
bought  property  in  Cullom,  where  they  suc- 
cessfully conducted  a  pool  and  billard  hall 
one  year.  On  selling  out,  in  1889,  he  and 
his  brother  Wolf  started  a  store  with  a  small 
stock  of  goods  costing  about  two  thousand 
dollars,  and  later  took  in  another  partner 
B.  Brode,  who  was  a  member  of  the  firm 
for  about  a  year,  but  this  venture  did  not 
prove  a  success,  as  three  families  could  not 
live  oiT  the  profits  of  the  small  store.  The 
brother  then  went  to  Herscher,  where  he  has 
since  prospered,  but  our  subject  remained 
in  Cullom,  where  he  rented  a  building  of 
J.  \y.  White  for  two  years,  and  then  of 
Walter  Rider  of  Saunemin  for  five  years, 
but  at  the  end  of  five  months  he  purchased 
the  latter,  which  he  subsquently  enlarged. 
Later  he  bought  a  house  and  lot  adjoining, 
sold  the  house  and  moved  the  oldest  store, 
and  erected  a  double  store  building,  40x120 
feet,  and  half  of  which  is  two  stories  in 
height,  the  other  one  story.  He  has  stead- 
ily prospered  and  has  never  yet  had  occasion 
to  regret  his  emigration  to  the  new  world. 
In  March,  1899,  he  and  his  brother  W'oli 
formed  a  partnership,  and  under  the  firm 
name  of  Leiserowitz  Brothers  have  the  larg- 
est stores  at  Cullom  and  Herscher,  and  also 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


267 


have  a  good  store  in  Caherry,  the  building 
also  being  owned  by  them.  To-day  they  are 
numbered  among  the  most  successful  and 
progressive  business  men  of  this  section. 
The  Cullom  store  is  in  use  as  a  department 
store,  having  added  hardware,  paints,  wail 
paper  and  undertaking  in  addition  to  the 
general  line  handled  before.  There  is  a 
special  department  of  silverware,  jewelry, 
clocks  and  watches.  A  watchmaker  of  thirty 
years  experience.  Mr.  Lawrence  Holland, 
is  in  charge  of  this  department.  He  for 
the  past  twelve  years  has  been  a  resident  of 
Cullom. 

In  August,  1886,  Mr.  Leiserowitz  mar- 
ried Miss  Golda  S.  Cohn,  and  to  them  were 
born  se\-en  children,  but  tlie  three  oldest 
died  in  infancy.  The  other.-;.  Joseph,  Jane, 
Isadore  and  Esther,  are  all  attending  school. 
In  politics  Mr.  Leiserowitz  is  a  Republican, 
and  in  his  social  relations  is  a  member  of 
Saunemin  Lodge,  Xo.  728.  I.  O.  O.  P.,  and 
is  a  charter  member  of  Star  Camp,  Xo.  1886, 
M.  \V.  A.  of  Cullom. 


SHERMAX  H.  JOKXSOX. 

Sherman  H.  Johnson,  who  is  ])rominently 
identified  with  the  agricultural  interests  of 
Germanville  township,  Livingston  county, 
owns  and  operates  a  fine  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  on  section  15.  The 
neat  and  thrifty  apjiearance  of  the  place 
testifies  to  his  careful  supervision,  and  shows 
him  to  be  not  only  a  thorough  and  skillful 
farmer,  but  also  a  man  of  good  business 
ability. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Peru,  Clinton  county,  Xew  York,  September 
13,   1847.  ^  son  of  Jeremiah  and  Harriet 


(Bridges)  Johnson.  The  father  was  born 
in  Hartford,  Connecticut,  and  resided  there 
for  some  years.  He  enlisted  in  the  war  of 
1812,  and  served  for  five  years  under  Gen- 
eral Scott,  coming  out  of  the  service  as  first 
lieutenant.  After  receiving  his  discharge 
at  Plattsburg,  X'^ew  York,  he  remained  at 
that  place  and  engaged  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness, which  he  carried  on  until  sixty-eight 
years  of  age,  when  meeting  with  loss  from 
fire,  he  retired  from  active  business.  He 
died  in  1872,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two  years, 
his  wife  in  the  same  year  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two.  In  their  family  were  twelve 
children,  eight  of  whom  are  still  living.  Our 
subject  is  the  youngest  son,  but  has  two 
younger  sisters. 

In  the  common  schools  of  his  birthplace 
Sherman  H.  Johnson  ac(|uired  his  educa- 
tion, and  remained  at  home  until  eighteen 
years  of  age,  when,  in  1865,  he  came  toLiv- 
ingston  county.  Illinois.  After  sjjending  a 
few  months  in  Belle  Prairie  township,  how- 
ever, he  went  to  Minnesota,  where  he  worked 
by  the  month  two  years,  and  then  returned 
to  this  county,  being  engaged  in  farming 
upon  rented  land  in  Belle  Prairie  township 
for  a  number  of  years.  Subseciuently  he 
leased  a  farm  in  McLean  county,  whicli  he 
afterward  bought,  and  on  selling  that  prop- 
erty in  1876  went  to  Bates  county.  Missouri, 
where  he  followed  farming  one  year.  Re- 
turning to  Belle  Prairie  township. Livingston 
county,  he  rented  a  farm  for  three  years, 
and  then  moved  to  Forrest  township,  where 
he  leased  a  half  section  of  land  for  the  same 
length  of  time.  During  the  following  three 
years  we  again  find  him  in  Belle  Prairie 
township,  and  in  1888  he  located  upon  his 
present  farm  in  Germanville  township^  He 
purchased  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres, 
and  two  vears  later  sold  one  hundred  and 


26S 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


sixty  acres  to  Henry  Nettleton.  but  still  owns 
the  remainder,  which  was  only  partially  im- 
proved w'hen  it  came  into  his  possession,  but 
he  has  since  erected  a  lar^^e  and  substantial 
barn,  improved  the  house,  and  tiled  the  land, 
placing  it  under  excellent  cultivation.  In 
connection  with  general  farming  he  raises 
considerable  stock,  including  short-horn 
cattle  and  Poland  China  hogs. 

On  the  7th  of  October,  1869,  in  Belle 
Prairie  township,  Mr.  Johnson  led  to  the 
marriage  altar  Miss  Emeline  Alford,  a 
daughter  of  Wesly  J.  and  Emiline  C. 
(Randall)  Alford.  The  father  was  born 
in  Vermont,  but  when  a  small  child  moved 
with  his  parents  to  New  York  state,  where 
he  continued  to  make  his  home  until  Mrs 
Johnson  was  two  years  old,  and  then  brought 
his  family  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Kendall 
county,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  for 
some  time,  but  is  now  living  a  retired  life  in 
Rose  Lawn,  Indiana.  He  was  a  very  prosper- 
ous man  and  highly  respected.  His  wife  died 
six  years  ago,  leaving  a  family  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Johnson  is  the  fifth 
in  order  of  birth.  Ten  children  have  been 
born  to  our  subject  and  his  wife,  namely : 
William  H..  a  well-driller  of  Strawn,  -who 
married  Clara  Johnson  and  has  four  chil- 
dren. Myrtle.  Pearl.  Elmer  and  Clarence 
Sherman ;  Cornelia,  wife  of  William  Day,  a 
farmer  of  Ford  county,  Illinois,  by  whom 
she  has  five  children,  Myron  William.  Sarah, 
Annie  and  Hershal  A. ;  Lorenzo.  Hannah 
and  Bertha,  all  at  home;  Myron,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  years ;  Myra,  who  died 
in  Missouri,  at  the  age  of  three  years ;  and 
three,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Johnson  is  a  supporter  of  the  Repub- 
hcan  party,  and  as  a  public-spirited  and  pro- 
gressive citizen  is  an  advocate  of  those  en- 
terprises that  tend  toward   public  develop- 


ment. He  filled  the  ofifice  of  school  director 
during  the  first  seven  years  of  his  residence 
in  Germanville  township,  and  has  efficiently 
served  in  the  same  capacity  for  the  last  three 
years,  during  which  time  he  has  done  much 
toward  bettering  the  schools  in  his  locality. 
He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Methodist 
church,  in  which  he  served  as  deacon  four 
vears. 


JAMES  J.  BROADHEAD. 

James  J.  Broadhead,  a  prominent  repre- 
sentative of  the  business  interests  of  Forrest 
is  a  native  of  Illinois,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred near  Mackinaw,  September  22,  1857. 
His  father,  Edward  Broadhead,  was  born 
July  2,  1827,  in  Manchester.  England,  where 
he  grew  to  manhood  and  learned  the  trade 
of  a  machinist.  There  he  was  married, 
March  6,  1847,  to  Miss  Nancy  McDonald, 
also  a  native  of  Manchester,  and  in  1855 
they  came  to  the  United  States,  locating  first 
in  Tazewell  count}-,  Illinois,  where  he  found 
employment  on  a  farm.  In  1859  he  settled 
near  Danvers,  McLean  county,  and  com- 
menced farming  on  his  own  account.  In 
1867  he  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  wild  prairie  land  in  For- 
rest township,  Livingston  ccnuity,  for  which 
lie  paid  fifteen  dollars  per  acre,  and  for 
w  hich  he  was  later  offered  one  hundred  dol- 
lars per  acre.  He  made  all  of  the  improve- 
ments upon  the  place,  erecting  a  good  set  of 
farm  buildings,  tiling  the  land  and  placing 
it  under  excellent  cultivation,  and  dividing 
it  into  fields  of  sufficient  size  by  good  hedge 
fences.  He  also  planted  trees  and  ornament- 
al shrubs,  and  made  his  farm  one  of  the  best 
in  the  locality.  He  continued  to  actively  en- 
gage  in   agricultural   pursuits   until   six  or 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


269 


seven  years  before  his  death,  wlien  he  nioveil 
to  Forrest  and  hved  retired,  dying  there 
Marcli  8,  1896.  He  purciiased  a  good  resi- 
dence in  that  town,  wliich  is  now  the  home 
of  his  widow.  On  coming  to  this  country 
lie  was  in  \  ery  limited  circumstances  and  his 
success  tliat  he  acliieved  in  Hfe  was  due  en- 
tirely to  his  well-directed  labors.  Politically 
he  was  always  identified  with  the  Republican 
party,  and  religiously  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  to  which  his 
wife  also  belongs.  To  them  were  born  eight 
children.  sc\en  of  whom  are  now  liv- 
ing, namely :  William,  a  resident  of 
Xiinnal.  Illinois ;  John,  of  Chatsworth ;  Mary 
J.  resides  with  her  nif^ther ;  James  J.,  our  sub- 
ject; George  H..  of  Indiana;  Cornelia,  wife 
of  W.  B.  Moyer,  of  Galva,  Illinois;  and 
Loxina,  wife  of  J.  L.  Moyer.  of  Forrest. 
I  he  subject  of  this  review  was  a  lad  of 
ten  years  when  the  family  came  to  Liv- 
ingston county,  and  he  attended  both  the 
country  schools  and  those  of  Forrest. 
On  the  home  farm  he  acquired  an  ex- 
cellent knowledge  of  agriculture,  and  on 
starting  out  in  life  for  himself  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years  comiuenced 
farming,  which  occupation  he  fe)llowed 
with  good  success  until  his  removal  to 
Forrest,  in  1897.  He  had  previously  spent 
two  winters  in  town,  those  of  1893  and 
1894.  He  now  conducts  the  only  real  estate 
office  in  the  place,  ar.d  handles  a  large  amount 
of  city  and  farm  property.  He  is  also  en- 
gaged in  merchandising  and  the  fire  and  life 
insurance  business,  and  is  a  director  of  the 
Peoria  Eastern  Telephone  Company,  of 
which  he  was  one  of  the  original  incorpora- 
tors and  was  an  active  member  of  the  com- 
pany when  the  lines  were  put  in  operation. 
As  a  business  man  he  is  reliable,  energetic 
and  progressive,  and  generally  carries  for- 


ward to  successful  completion  whatever  he 
undertakes. 

On  the  20th  of  March,  1884,  Mr.  Broad- 
head  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ella 
Rose,  of  Fairbury,  a  daughter  of  I.  V.  Rose, 
a  farmer  of  Indian  Grove  township.  Living- 
ston county,  and  to  them  have  been  born 
two  children;  Ralph  R.  and  Ray  V.  The 
family  have  a  pleasant  home  in  Forrest  and 
attend  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of 
which  Mrs.  Broadhead  is  a  member.  So- 
cially Mr.  Broadhead  is  connected  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Modern  Woodmen 
ot  Amreica,  and  the  Court  of  Honor,  and  is 
now  keeper  of  records  and  seals  in  the  first 
named  order.  Since  attaining  his  majority 
he  has  affiliated  with  the  Republican  party, 
and  although  he  has  never  aspired  to  office 
he  was  elected  trustee  of  the  village,  taking 
his  seat  May  i,  1900.  He  is  public-spirited 
and  progressive  and  as  a  citizen  ever  stands 
ready  to  discharge  any  duty  devolving  upon 
him. 


THRONE  &  HATFIELD. 

Throne  &  Hatfield  is  the  name  of  a  well- 
known  firm  of  Cullom,  Illinois,  comixtscd  of 
Charles  H.  Throne  and  George  H.  Hatfield, 
tw(3  of  the  most  enterprising  and  progress- 
ive business  men  of  that  town.  They  are 
successfull)'  engaged  in  the  livery  business 
and  also  have  control  of  the  dray  line. 

Mr.  Throne  is  a  native  of  Livingston 
county,  born  in  .Sullivan  township.  Septem- 
ber 23.  1876,  an<l  is  a  son  of  W  .  H.  and 
Laura  E.  ( Edwards)  Throne,  who  were 
also  born  in  this  state.  The  father,  who  is 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  lived  in  Sullivan 
township  many  years,  but  for  the  jiast 
eighteen  years  has  made  his  home  in  Cullom. 


270 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


His  children  are :  Maggie,  wife  of  B.  A. 
Park,  of  Fisher,  Illinois;  Calvin,  a  general 
merchant  of  McCook,  Nebraska;  Bertha, 
wife  of  S.  M.  Boeman,  of  Cullom,  Illinois; 
Nellie,  wife  of  Frank  Copp,  of  Fisher; 
Charles  H.,  our  subject;  and  Reta,  at  home. 

Mr.  Throne  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Cullom,  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years 
began  his  business  career  as  clerk  in  the 
general  store  of  Enos  Flessner,  of  that  place, 
remaining  with  him  six  j-ears,  and  with  the 
firm  of  Flessner  &  Amachee  four  years.  In 
1896,  in  connection  with  John  Tyrrell,  he 
purchased  the  livery  stable  and  dray  line 
of  John  Fritzon,  and  at  the  end  of  four 
months  George  H.  Hatfield  purchased  Mr. 
Tyrrell's  interest  in  the  business,  which  has 
since  been  successfully  conducted  imder  the 
firm  name  of  Throne  &  Hatfield.  In  1898 
Mr.  Throne  and  B.  A.  Park  purchased  a 
livery  and  sale  stable  in  Fisher,  Illinois, 
which  they  carried  on  together  until  the 
spring  of  1900,  when  our  subject  sold  out 
to  his  partner.  During  all  this  time  Air. 
Throne  was  still  employed  in  the  mercantile 
establishment  of  Flessner  &  Amachee,  but 
in  March,  1900,  concluded  to  give  his  whole 
time  and  attention  to  the  livery  and  dray 
business,  which  he  has  since  done. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  1899,  Mr. 
Throne  married  Miss  Jennie  Kewley,  a  na- 
tive of  Ford  county,  Illinois,  and  daughter 
of  Thomas  Kewley,  one  of  its  old  settlers. 
She  is  second  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of 
five  children.  Politically  Mr.  Throne  is  a 
Republican,  and  socially  is  a  member  of 
Cullom  Camp,  No.  1886,  M.  W.  A. 

Mr.  Hatfield,  the  junior  member  of  the 
firm,  was  born  in  Mona  township.  Ford 
county,  Illinois,  September  12,  1876,  a  son 
of  Jesse  S.  and  Sarah  (Cart)  Hatfield,  na- 
tives of  Indiana.       The  father  carried  on 


blacksmithing  in  Ford  county  until  1880, 
when  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Cul- 
lom, where  he  opened  a  shop  and  has  since 
conducted  a  successful  business.  He  is  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  In  his  political 
^■iews  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  has  two  chil- 
dren:  George  H.,  our  subject;  and  Edward, 
at  home  with  his  parents. 

George  H.  Hatfield  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Cullom.  When 
about  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  embarked 
in  the  livery  business  with  Mr.  Throne  ami 
has  since  devoted  his  energies  to  that  en- 
terprise. They  are  wide-awake  business 
men  of  known  reliability,  and  are  meeting 
with  well-deserved  success.  Mr.  Hatfield  is 
a  Republican  in  politics,  anil  is  an  acti\-e 
member  of  Star  Camp,  No.  1886,  M.  W. 
A.,  of  Cullom,  and  Livingston  Cnuntv 
Lodge,  No.  264,  K.  P.,  of  Chatsworth. 


ALPHA  BAKER. 

Alpha  Baker,  an  honored  and  highly 
respected  citizen  of  Dwight,  Illinois,  who 
is  now  living  a  retired  life,  was  born  in 
Oneida  county.  New  York,  September  19, 
183 1,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel  A.  and  Sophia 
(Porter)  Baker,  who  spent  their  entire  lives 
in  that  county,  where  the  father  cleared  and 
improved  a  good  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres.  He  was  a  most  progressive  and 
enterprising  man  and  an  excellent  judge  of 
good  stock,  to  the  raising  of  which  he  de- 
voted considerable  attention.  He  died  at 
about  the  age  of  sixty  years,  his  wife  at  the 
age  of  seventy-seven.  His  father  was  Henry 
Baker,  a  ship  carpenter  in  early  life.  Our 
subject  is  the  second  in  order  of  birth  in  a 
familv  of  three  children.     Ellis,  the  oldest, 


A.  BAKER. 


MRS.  A.  BAKER. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


now  seventy-two  years  of  age,  followed 
farming,  and  is  now  living  on  his  old  home 
farm  in  Xew  York  state.  Hope,  the  young- 
est, died  in  girlhood. 

In  the  county  of  his  nativity.  Alpha 
Baker  was  reared  and  educated,  and  re- 
mianed  under  the  parental  roof  until  twen- 
ty-three years  of  age,  when  he  Aent  to  Con- 
necticut, working  three  years  in  Hartford 
and  New  Haven  counties.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  he  moved  to  Warren,  Ohio,  where 
he  worked  about  a  }ear  at  anything  lie 
could  find  to  d6,  and  then  cafne  to  Illinois, 
stopping  in  Grundy  county  from  1856  until 
1890.  The  winter  of  1856-7  was  spent  in 
the  lumber  woods  on  the  Eau  Claire  river, 
Wisconsin,  but  the  following  spring  he  re- 
turned to  Grundy  county.  Illinois,  where  he 
worked  by  the  month  one  year.  He  next 
rented  a  farm  in  Mazon  township,  which 
he  operated  three  years,  and  then  purchased 
a  wild  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
which  he  commenced  immediately  to  im- 
prove and  cultivate,  erecting  first  a  house, 
22x22  feet  in  dimensions  and  containing 
three  rooms. 

Mr.  Baker  was  married,  September  25, 
1861,  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Collar,  a  native  of 
St.  Lawrence  county.  New  York,  and  a 
daughter  of  Lyman  and  Eliza  Jane  (Crabb) 
Collar,  also  natives  of  that  state.  The 
father  engaged  in  farming  and  also  followed 
the  wagon-maker's  trade  in  St.  Lawrence 
county  until  Mrs.  Baker  was  eight  years  of 
age.  when  he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  fam- 
ily, locating  in  Grundy  county,  when  it  con- 
tained only  a  few  houses  and  these  widely 
scattered.  He  took  up  a  tract  of  govern- 
ment land,  to  which  he  later  added  by  pur- 
chase. He  lived  to  the  advenced  age  of 
ninety  years.  In  his  family  were  ten  chil- 
dren,  of   whom   five   died   young,   namely: 


Addison.  Jessie,  Reuben,  Frank  and  Har- 
riet. Those  living  are  Norman,  a  resident 
of  Iowa;  George,  of  Joliet,  Illinois;  Alfred, 
of  Iowa;  Malinda,  '  of  Mazon  township, 
Grundy  county.  Illinois;  and  Sarah  J.,  wife 
of  our  subject.  Eight  chiitlren  were  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baker,  but  four  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  others  are  Frank,  who  is  now 
engaged  in  farming  in  Storm  Lake,  Iowa; 
Emery,  a  stock  raiser  of  Lincoln  county, 
Nebraska ;  Stella  and  Ada  Sigourney,  at 
home. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Baker  took  up 
his  residence  upon  the  farm  which  he  had 
previously  purchased,  and  five  years  later 
added  to  it  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  and  after- 
ward one  hundred  and  twenty-six  acres 
more.  His  landed  possessions  in  Grundy 
county  now  aggregate  six  hundred  and 
sixty-two  acres,  consisting  of  two  hundred 
and  forty  acre's  on  section  12  and  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  on  section  24,  High- 
land township;  and  one  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-six on  section  7,  and  one  hundred  and 
thirty-six  acres  on  section  19,  Goodform 
township.  He  also  owns  one  hundred  and 
ninety  acres  of  improved  land  in  York  coun- 
ty, Nebraska,  and  ten  lots  in  Dwight.  In 
connection  with  general  farming  he  always 
engaged  in  stock  raising,  but  since  Febru- 
ary, 1890,  he  has  made  his  home  in  Dwight 
and  lived  retired,  la3'ing  aside  all  business 
cares. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Baker  is  a  member  of 
\'erona  Lodge,  No.  757,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
Verona,  in  which  he  has  held  office.  He 
is  idejjendent  in  politics,  voting  for  the  man 
whom  he  believes  best  qualified  f(jr  ofiice  re- 
gardless of  party  lines.  He  efticiently 
served  as  commissioner  of  highways  for 
two  terms  of  three  years  each  and  put  up 
the  first  iron  bridges  and  stone  abutments 


2/6 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


in  Highland  township  during  his  term.  For 
a  number  of  years  he  and  his  wife  have 
traveled  in  the  west  quite  extensively,  and 
can  now  take  life  easy  after  their  earh'  years 
of  toil  and  privations.  As  a  business  man 
Mr.  Baker  has  been  remarkably  successful, 
and  his  career  affords  an  excellent  example 
to  the  young  in  that  he  commenced  life 
without  capital,  but  having  a  determination 
to  succeed  he  industriously  applied  himself 
until  he  has  acquired  a  handsome  property, 
and  has  also  won  the  confidence  and  respect 
of  his  fellow  men  in  a  marked  desfree. 


JAMES  BROWN. 

The  career  of  him  whose  name  heads 
this  review  illustrates  most  forcibly  the  pos- 
sibilities that  are  open  to  young  men  who 
possess  sterling  business  qualifications.  It 
proves  that  neither  wealth  or  the  assistance 
of  influential  friends  at  the  outset  of  his 
career  are  necessary  to  place  him  on  the  road 
to  success.  It  also  proves  that  ambition, 
perseverance,  steadfast  purpose  and  inde- 
fatigable industry,  combined  with  sound 
business  principles  will  be  rewarded,  and  that 
true  success  follows  individual  effort  only. 
For  many  years  Mr.  Brown  was  actively 
identified  with  the  agricultural  and  stock 
raising  interests  of  Livingston  county,  but 
is  now  living  a  retired  life  in  Dwight.  hav- 
ing accumulated  a  handsome  competence 
through  his  own  well  directed  efforts. 

He  was  born  in  Oneida  county.  New 
York,  September  14,  1828,  a  son  of  David 
and  Sophia  (Mumford)  Brown,  the  former 
a  native  of  Scotland,  the  latter  of  Connecti- 
cut. When  David  Brown  was  ten  years  of 
age  he  was  brought  to  America  by  his  fa- 


ther, David  Brown,  Sr.,  a  stocking  weaver 
by  trade,  who  settled  in  Herkimer  county, 
New  York,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  forest 
cleared  and  developed  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
acres,  upon  which  he  set  out  one  of  the  finest 
orchards  in  the  country.  In  those  early 
days  it  often  happened  that  he  sold  his  best 
apples  for  six  cents  a  bushel  and  farmers 
would  come  from  miles  around  to  get  them. 
He  also  owned  and  operated  a  cider  mill, 
maiuifacturing  from  two  to  three  hundred 
barrels  of  cider  in  one  season.  He  died  at 
the  age  of  si.xty-six  years,  his  wife  at  the  age 
of  eighty.  In  their  family  were  twelve  chil- 
dren. Our  subject's  maternal  grandfather. 
Captain  William  Mumford,  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  died  at  the  age  of  about  sev- 
enty, while  his  wife  lived  to  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety-five  years.  To  them  were  also 
born  twelve  children.  After  reaching  man- 
hood. David  Brown,  Jr..  also  followed 
farming  and  became  quite  well-to-do,  being 
able  to  give  his  children  good  educational 
advantages.  He  died  at  the  age  of  ninety 
years,  while  the  mother  of  our  subject  de- 
parted this  life  at  the  age  of  forty-four.  For 
his  second  wife  he  married  Cornelia  ]\Iarvin, 
but  had  no  children  by  that  marriage.  By 
the  first  union  nine  children  were  born, 
seven  of  whom  reached  years  of  maturity, 
namely:  Charlotte.  Jeanette,  Mary.  David, 
James,  John  and  Elizabeth.  All  are  living 
with  the  exception  of  Jeanette,  and  all  are 
residents  of  New  York  state  except  our  sub- 
ject. 

During  his  boyhood  James  Brown  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  his  native  coun- 
t\-  until  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to 
live  with  his  uncle.  James  Brown,  a  lawyer 
of  Oswego,  New  York,  who  sent  him  to 
school  and  also  assisted  him  in  his  algebra, 
geometry,  trigonometry,  philosophy  and  as 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


2-n 


tniiiomy  at  home  during  the  evenings,  in 
this  way  acquiring  a  good  education.  He 
was  a  student  at  tlie  W'hitesboro  Academy, 
L'tica,  New  York,  for  a  time,  and  after 
leaving  that  institution  tauglit  scliool  for  six 
winters,  while  tlirough  tlie  summer  montlis 
he  engaged   in   farming. 

At  the  end  of  that  time  Mr.  Brown  liad 
saved  one  thousand  dollars,  which  he  invest- 
ed in  cattle,  and  for  fi\e  years  was  success- 
fully engaged  in  the  butcher  business.  He 
then  went  to  Wayne  county.  New  York, 
where  he  bought  some  dairy  stock,  which 
he  shipped  to  Herkimer  county,  and  from 
that  time  on  was  extensively  interested  in 
the  stock  business,  traveling  all  o\er  w estern 
New  York  and  Canada  buying  dairy  stock 
most  of  the  time  and  shipping  the  same  to 
every  station  from  Bufifalo  and  Erie. 

Coming  to  Livingston  county,  Illinois, 
in  1867.  Mr.  Brown  purchased  an  improved 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in 
Nevada  township  but  did  not  locate  thereon 
until  1869,  and  the  first  year  raised  nothing 
as  the  season  was  so  wet.  He  had  married 
July  2"^,  1866,  Miss  Eudora  Wood,  a  native 
of  Oswego  county.  New  York,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Moses  Wood,  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  that  county  and  a  successful  farmer  and 
cattle  dealer.  She  was  the  second  in  order 
or  birth  in  a  family  of  twelve  children,  nine 
of  whom  grew  to  maturity.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Brown  had  one  son  on  coming  to  this  coun- 
ty, and  here  the  family  circles  was  increased 
by  the  birth  of  seven  other  children.  They 
were  as  follows :  James,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  months ;  Eva,  who  married  Wil- 
bur Reed,  a  business  man  of  Chicago,  and 
has  two  children.  James  and  George;  Ade- 
laide, at  home ;  George,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  stock  business  and  resides  at  home :  Ma- 
bel, who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years :  Da- 


vid, who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years; 
Blanche,  who  is  attending  school  in  Dwight; 
and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 

When  he  located  here  Mr.  Brown  had 
about  one  hundred  steers,  and  being  unable 
to  buy  corn  to  feed  them  he  went  to  Mason 
county,  where  he  purchased  five  thousand 
bushels  and  shipped  to  his  home.  He  con- 
tinued to  feed  from  one  hundred  and  fifty 
to  two  hundred  head  of  cattle  each  year  un- 
til 1888,  when  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
raising  of  blooded  stock,  making  a  specialty 
of  Norman  draft  horses,  starting  in  this 
business  with  a  capital  of  seven  thou.sand 
dollars.  He  was  interested  in  that  enterprise 
until  1897,  when  he  retired  from  business, 
having  at  that  time  ninety-five  head  of 
horses.  He  had  previously  given  considera- 
ble attention  to  the  raising  of  Poland  China 
hogs,  shipping  about  two  hundred  each  year. 
He  never  sold  any  of  the  ^raiu  Xhat  he 
raised  upon  his  land,  but  fed  it  all  to  his 
stock.  He  still  owns  eight  hundred  acres 
on  sections  12,  13  and  24,  Nevada  township, 
and  also  has  fourteen  hundred  acres  of  land 
in  LaPorte  county,  Indiana,  which  he  pur- 
chased in  1897.  and  which  is  partly  improved 
and  cultivated.  He  formerly  owned  lands 
in  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  but  has  since  dis- 
posed of  them.  He  has  building  ])roj>erty  in 
l^wight.  where  he  removed  in  November, 
1899,  'I'l'l  'i^s  since  made  his  home.  Start- 
ing out  in  life  for  himself  with  no  capital 
his  success  seems  almost  phenomenal,  but  it 
is  due  to  his  own  industry,  enterprise,  per- 
severance and  good  management. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  hold  membership 
in  the  Methodist  Episcojial  church,  and  he  is 
identified  with  the  Republican  party,  but 
has  never  taken  an  active  part  in  politics 
aside  from  voting.  ])referring  to  give  his 
entire  time  and  attention  to  his  business  in- 


278 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


terests.  He  and  his  wife  have  returned  to 
New  York  on  visits  several  times.  After 
a  useful  and  honorable  career  he  can  well 
afford  to  lay  aside  all  business  cares  and 
live  in  ease  and  retirement,  enjoying  a  well 
earned  rest. 


SAMUEL  HOKE. 


Samuel  Hoke,  deceased,  was  for  many 
years  prominently  identified  with  the  agri- 
cultural and  business  interests  of  Livingston 
county,  and  also  took  quite  an  active  and  in- 
fluential part  in  pubHc  affairs,  especially 
along  educational  lines.  He  became  a 
resident  of  the  county  in  1859,  coming  here 
from  Williamsburg,  Blair  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, then  a  part,  of  Bedford  county,  and 
spent  his  last  days  in  Odell. 

Mr.  Hoke  was  born  in  Bedford  county, 
Pennsylvania,  April  24,  1827,  a  son  of 
Jacob  and  Margaret  Rebecca  Hoke,  natives 
of  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania,  whose  parents 
came  from  Germany  to  America  sometime 
during  the  eighteenth  century.  The  father 
of  our  subject  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of 
18 12,  and  was  a  potter  by  trade,  following 
that  occupation  in  Gettysburg  and  McCon- 
nellsburg,  Pennsylvania.  Samuel  was  the 
youngest  in  his  family  c)f  ten  children,  six 
sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom  ^Irs. 
Julia  Phenice,  of  Tacoma,  Washington,  is 
now  the  only  survivor. 

In  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
county  Sanuiel  Hoke  acquired  his  education 
and  remained  with  his  father  until  reach- 
ing man's  estate.  In  early  life  he  learned 
the  trade  of  paper  hanger  and  cabinet-maker 
in  Chambersburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  for 
eleven  years  worked  at  the  same  in  that 
state.     Taking   an   active   part   in   political 


affairs,  he  sered  as  deputy  sheriff  of  his  na- 
tive county,  school  director  and  trustee. 

On  the  i8th  of  April,  1850,  Mr.  Hoke 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Laura 
M.  Kenney,  who  was  also  born  in  Bedford 
county,  November  22,  i8ji,  a  daughter  of 
Alexander  W.  and  Hannah  E.  (Harvey) 
Kenney.  Her  ancestry  were  residents  of 
Pennsylvania  for  many  generations,  and 
were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Philadel- 
phia. She  is  only  one  of  a  family  of  seven 
children  now  living..  Having  received  a 
good  common  school  education,  she  success- 
fully engaged  in  teaching  for  several  years, 
and  also  served  as  assistant  in  the  postoffice 
at  Williamsburg,  of  which  her  father  was 
postmaster  for  twenty-five  consecutive  years. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoke  were  born  si.x 
sons  and  one  daughter,  namely :  ( i )  Alex- 
ander R.  took  a  course  at  the  Wesleyan  Nor- 
mal School,  of  Bloomington,  Illinois,  and 
followed  teaching  for  some  time,  but  is  now 
employed  at  the  State  Reformatory  in  Pon- 
tiac.  He  is  married  and  has  two  children, 
Frank  F.  and  Samuel  L.  (2)  Hannah  M. 
is  the  wife  of  J.  W.  Houchins,  who  was 
graduated  at  a  college  in  Chicago  and  en- 
gaged in  teaching  during  his  active  business 
career,  but  is  now  living  retired  in  Odell. 
He  owns  a  large  amount  of  land  in  Illinois 
and  Nebraska.  (3)  William  E.  is  repre- 
sented on  another  page  of  this  volume.  (4) 
Charles  H.,  who  is  now  living  in  Pontiac 
and  serving  as  deputy  sheriff  of  the  county, 
was  formerly  engaged  in  the  undertaking 
business  in  Odell  for  some  time,  and  has  filled 
the  offices  of  constable  and  collector.  He 
is  married  and  has  one  daughter,  Georgetta 
D.  (5)  George  K.,  a  farmer  and  liveryman, 
died  at  his  home  in  Odell  from  the  effects 
of  injuries  received  in  the  collapse  of  a 
brick   Iniilding  during   a   cyclone   in    1886. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


279 


He  was  married  and  had  one  daughter, 
Laura  R.  (6)  Samuel  L.,  deceased,  was 
graduated  at  the  Odell  high  school  in  1885, 
and  the  Xorthern  Illinois  Normal  School  at 
Dixon  in  1886,  and  followed  teaching  for 
several  years,  but  was  preparing  to  enter  the 
ministry  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1887. 
(7)  Frank  Lincoln,  who  lives  at  home  with 
his  mother,  has  a  good  education  and  is  a 
harness  maker  by  trade.  He  took  the  gov- 
ernment census  in  Odell  in  1900. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Hoke  continued 
to  reside  in  Pennsylvania  until  1859,  when 
he  sold  his  property  there  and  came  to 
Dwight,  Illinois,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
the  furniture  and  undertaking  business  for 
six  months.  He  then  located  on  the  farm 
i)-^  Odell  township,  which  he  had  previously 
purchased,  it  being  a  tract  of  eighty  acres 
of  wild  prairie  land,  whicli  now  forms  a 
part  of  Union  township.  He  erected  build- 
ings thereon,  made  many  other  improve- 
ments, and  added  to  his  property  until  at 
one  time  he  had  five  hundred  acres  of  val- 
uable land,  nearly  all  improved  by  himself. 
During  the  civil  war  he  was  drafted  but  hired 
a  substitute,  and  met  with  excellent  success 
in  his  business  affairs  during  that  period. 
Although  his  early  training  fitted  him  for 
far  different  work,  he  prospered  in  his  farm- 
ing operations,  being  a  man  of  sound  judg- 
ment, observant  and  energetic.  He  made  a 
specialty  of  the  raising  of  horses  and  cattle, 
and  was  wonderfully  successful. 

Mr.  Hoke  was  one  of  the  men  who  laid 
out  the  school  districts  of  Union  township, 
and  his  wife  was  one  of  the  first  teachers, 
conducting  a  school  in  their  own  home,  in 
addition  to  taking  care  of  her  three  chil- 
tiren.  She  taught  six  months  for  twenty 
dollars  pkr  month  and  with  the  money 
thus    earned    purchased    their     first    horse. 


I'heirs  was  the  third  school  house  of  the 
township,  and  was  built  on  land  donated  by 
Mr.  Hoke  for  that  purpose.  He  served  as 
school  director  and  school  trustee  for  many 
years,  and  was  one  of  the  influential  Repub- 
licans of  his  community,  with  which  party 
his  sons  also  affiliate.  For  over  twenty 
years  he  successfully  engaged  in  farming, 
and  in  1880  moved  to  Odell,  purchasing  the 
house  now  occupied  by  his  widow.  He 
sold  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  his 
land  and  engaged  in  the  loan  and  real  es- 
tate business,  still  retaining  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  the  original  farm,  which 
is  all  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  years  Mr.  Hoke  joined 
the  Sons  of  Temperance,  and  was  also  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  Presbyterian  church,  though 
he  later  in  life  attended  the  Congregational 
church.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Odell,  May 
23,  1898,  honored  and  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him.  His  estimable  wife  still  carries 
on  the  business  left  by  him,  and  has  met 
with  excellent  success  in  all  her  business 
ventures,  being  a  woman  of  more  than  or- 
dinary business  ability  and  sound  judgment. 


JAY  G.  BARXHIZER,  M.  D. 

Jay  G.  Barnhizer,  M.  D.,  a  prominent 
and  successful  homeopathic  physician  of 
Forrest,  IlUnois,  was  born  in  Thornburg, 
Iowa,  January  11,  1875,  and  is  a  son  of 
Joseph  and  Samantha  (Stout)  Barnhizer. 
His  paternal  grandfather  was  Joseph  Barn- 
hizer, a  native  of  Holland  and  a  soldier  of 
the  Revolutionary  war,  who  lived  to  the  ex- 
treme old  age  of  one  hundred  and  six  years. 
The  father  was  born,  reared  and  educated 


28o 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


in  Pennsylvania,  and  in  early  life  went  to 
Ohio,  where  he  married  Samantha  Stout, 
a  native  of  Leipsic,  that  state,  of  which  place 
her  father,  Elisha  Stout,  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  and  a  wealthy  farmer  and  miller. 
He  was  also  one  of  the  early  members  and 
a  minister  of  the  Christian  church.  In  1874 
the  Doctor's  parents  moved  to  Coal  Creek, 
Iowa.  His  father  had  been  successfully 
engaged  in  milling  in  Ohio,  and  traded  his 
milling  property  there  for  a  half  section  of 
land  near  Thornburg,  Iowa,  which  place  he 
improved  and  operated  with  marked  success 
until  1888,  when  he  sold  out  and  moved  to 
California.  After  a  short  time  spent  in 
Pasadena,  he  returned  to  Iowa  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  adjoining  Sigourney,  in  which 
town  he  lived  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
April  9,  1898.  He  was  quite  wealthy,  his 
capital  being  largely  invested  in  stock.  Re- 
ligiously both  he  and  his  wife  were  promi- 
nent members  and  active  workers  in  the 
Christian  church,  and  practically  building 
the  church  at  Sigourney.  She  died  Decem- 
ber 9.  1893. 

Dr.  Barnhizer  obtained  a  good  common - 
school  education,  graduating  at  the  high 
school  of  Sigourney  in  the  class  of  i8qi. 
and  he  then  read  medicine  with  Dr.  F.  A. 
Strawbridge,  of  that  place  in  1893  and  1894 
He  took  his  first  course  of  lectures  in  the 
medical  department  of  the  Iowa  State  Uni- 
versity at  Iowa  City,  in  the  latter  year,  and 
was  graduated  at  the  Chicago  Homeopathic 
Medical  College  in  1898,  the  same  year  tak- 
ing a  post  graduate  course  at  that  institu- 
tion. For  a  year  he  was  engaged  in  practice 
at  Oilman,  Illinois,  and  in  April,  1899,  came 
to  Forrest  and  opened  an  office.  Although 
he  has  been  here  only  a  short  time,  he  has 
already  built  up  a  large  and  constantly  in- 
creasing practice,  and  the  liberal  patronage 


he  enjoys  attests  his  skill  and  ability  in  his 
chosen  calling.  He  is  examiner  for  the 
Court  of  Honor.  On  the  24th  of  October. 
1899,  Dr.  Barnhizer  married  Miss  Eliza- 
beth D.  Bond,  of  Sigourney,  Iowa,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Lorenzo  D.  Bond,  and  the  young 
couple  have  already  made  many  warm 
friends  in  their  adopted  city. 


WILLIAM  T.   GARDNER. 

William  T.  Gardner,  dealer  in  hard- 
ware, stoves,  tinware,  staple  and  fancy  gro- 
ceries, Chatsworth,  Illinois,  was  born  near 
Lawrence,  Kansas.  June  6,  1862,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  J.  and  Mary  (Lambourne) 
Gardner,  the  former  a  native  of  Scotland  and 
the  latter  of  England.  She  is  a  sister  of 
Mrs.  D.  B.  Puffer,  of  Chatsworth.  John 
P.  Gardner  emigrated  from  Scotlantl  to 
Canada,  where  he  resided  for  a  time.  He 
was  a  coal  miner  in  the  old  country,  and  was 
engaged  in  that  occupation  for  some  years. 
From  Canada  he  removed  to  Kansas  where 
he  engaged  in  farming,  but  later  came  to 
Illinois  and  located  near  Streator.  where  he 
remained  a  short  time  and  then  removed  to 
Deer  Park  township.  La  Salle  county :  James, 
engaged  in  farming.  He  yet  makes  his 
home  in  that  township,  where  he  owns  a 
farm  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres.  His 
wife  died  in  1898.  They  were  the  parents 
of  fourteen  children,  eight  sons  and  six 
daughters,  of  whom  two  died  in  childhood, 
and  Emma,  in  1898,  at  the  age  of  nineten 
years.  The  living  are  Matthew  T.,  a  farmer 
of  Pleasant  Ridge  township.  Livingston 
county;  William  T.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch:  Mary,  wife  of  Emerson  Calkins,  of 
La  Salle  ceuntv :  lohn.  living  in  Iowa  Falls, 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Iowa;  Jennie,  wife  of  Thomas  Nicholson, 
hving  in  Iowa  Falls,  Iowa ;  Fred,  also  of 
Iowa  Falls ;  Nellie,  wife  of  L.  Calkins,  of 
Der  Park  township.  La  Salle  county ;  James, 
of  Vermillonville,  La  Salle  county:  Char- 
lotte, wife  of  Roy  Logfan.  of  La  Salle  county ; 
Sadie  and  George,  residing  at  home  witli 
their  father.  In  politics  John  P.  Gardner 
is  a  Democrat,  hut  has  never  sought  or  would 
serve  in  any  official  capacity.  Religiously 
he  is  an  Adventist.  For  several  years  he 
has  heen  living  a  retired  life  in  X'ermillion- 
ville. 

The  suhject  of  this  sketch  was  but  a 
small  child  when  his  parents  removed  to 
La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  and  on  his  father's 
farm  in  that  county  he  grew  to  manhood, 
and  in  the  district  schools  he  received  his 
education.  He  remained  at  home  until  he 
was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  came 
to  Charlotte  township,  Livingston  county, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  for  himself. 
After  remaining  on  that  farm  for  two  years 
he  went  hack  to  La  Salle  county,  and,  in  1885, 
was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Hampson,  who 
was  horn  near  Washington.  PennSyKania. 
and  a  daughter  of  Lindsey  and  Martha 
(Earl)  Hampson,  both  of  whom  were  also 
natives  of  Pennsylvania,  where  their  mar- 
riage occurred.  Tliey  later  moved  to  La 
Salle  county,  Illinois,  but  are  now  deceased. 
They  had  a  family  of  three  sons  and  three 
daughters,  all  of  whom  are  living,  as  fol- 
lows: Mary,  wife  of  William  Eaton,  ol 
Deer  Park  township.  La  Salle  county;  .\nna, 
wife  of  our  subject :  William.  Clara,  James 
and  Minor,  all  of  whom  are  living  in  La 
Salle  county. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Gardner  engaged 
in  farming  on  a  forty-acre  tract.  He  re- 
mained there  for  three  years,  left  it,  but  re- 
turned and  remained  there  five  years  longer, 


when  he  was  compelled  to  give  up  farming. 
He  then  moved  to  Chats  worth,  purchased 
a  lot,  erected  a  building  and  opened  up  in 
the  restaurant  and  hotel  business  on  the 
15th  of  August,  1893.  He  continued  in 
that  business  very  successfully  until  Novem- 
ber. 1898.  when  he  closed  out  and  put  in 
a  stock  of  hardware  and  groceries.  He 
now  carries  a  full  line  of  shelf  and  heavy 
hardware,  stoves  and  tinware,  staple  and 
fancy  groceries,  and  is  doing  a  good  business. 
Owning  the  building  in  which  his  store  is 
located,  his  expenses  are  light,  and  he  can 
and  does  compete  with  stores  in  the  larger 
towns. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gardner  ha\e  l)een 
born  five  children,  as  follows:  Gertrude, 
Edith.  Edna.  Ola  and  Leslie  J.,  all  of 
whom  are  jmpils  in  the  public  schools,  with 
the  e.xception  of  the  last  named. 

In  politics  Mr.  (lardner  is  a  Denii  crat, 
and  while  he  has  in\ariably  refused  to  ac- 
cept public  office,  was  elected  a  memljer  ;)f 
the  board  of  education  in  1900.  Fraternally 
lie  is  a  member  of  Camp  No.  1829,  M.  W. 
.\.  He  is  on  the  working  team  in  his  camp, 
and  takes  great  interest  in  its  proceedings. 
.\s  a  citizen  he  is  enterprising  and  progress- 
ive, ever  willing  to  do  his  share  in  advancing 
the  welfare  of  his  adopted  city  and  county. 


WILLI. \M    S.  SKIXXER.  M.  D. 

William  S.  Skinner,  M.  1)..  a  prominent 
and  successful  i)hysician  and  surgeon  of  For- 
rest, Illinois,  was  born  in  London.  Ontario, 
Canada,  January  20.  1872,  and  is  a  son  of 
George  R.  and  Dina  (Reeves)  Skinner,  na- 
tives of  the  same  place.  His  paternal  grand- 
father. Rev.  James  Skinner,  a  Presbyterian 
minister,  removed  from  Scotland  to  Canada 


282 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


in  1837,  and  for  twenty-six  years  was  pas- 
tor of  a  church  in  the  township  of  London, 
Ontario.  He  also  served  as  superintend- 
ent of  schools  for  Middlesex  county  a  num- 
ber of  years,  and  died  there  about  1866. 
The  Doctor's  maternal  grandfather,  \\'ill- 
iam  Reeves,  was  a  native  of  England,  an 
early  settler  of  London,  Canada,  where  he 
followed  the  occupation  of  farming  through- 
out life.  The  father  of  our  subject  engaged 
in  the  same  pursuit,  and  became  quite  an 
extensive  dealer  in  real  estate  in  Dakota. 
He  is  now  a  resident  of  Manitoba,  where  he 
conducts  a  large  stock  and  grain  farm.  In 
his  family  of  seven  children  the  Doctor  is 
the  second  in  order  of  birth. 

Dr.  Skinner  began  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  London,  Ontario,  and  spent 
three  years  at  the  Collegiate  Institute.  He 
next  attended  the  AVestern  Medical  College, 
of  London,  one  year  and  then  entered  the 
medical  department  of  the  Northwestern 
University,  at  Chicago,  where  he  took  a  full 
three-years"  course,  during  which  time  he 
was  assistant  to  Professor  McDiarmiel,  who 
occupied  the  chair  of  gynecology  and  ob- 
stetrics in  the  Post-Graduate  School.  He 
was  graduated  in  1899  and  took  a  competi- 
tive examination  fur  a  position  in  the  Ly- 
ing-in Hospital,  and  standing  third  highest 
was  resident  physician  there  for  a  time.  He 
then  came  to  Forrest  and  opened  an  office, 
buying  the  practice  of  an  old  physician.  He 
has  had  a  remarkably  successful  career  for 
so  young  a  man  and  his  practice  is  steadily 
increasing.  His  practice  now  is  of  a  general 
character,  tending  toward  a  specialty  in  sur- 
gery. The  Doctor  is  now  a  member  of  the 
board  of  health  of  Forrest  and  assistant 
physician  for  the  Wabash  and  Toledo,  Pe- 
oria and  Warsaw  Railroads,  in  which  ca- 
pacity he  does  much  work. 


On  the  4th  of  Xovember,  1899,  Dr. 
Skinner  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mabel  Cracraft,  of  Forrest,  formerly  of 
Wilmington,  Illinois.  She  is  a  well-edu- 
cated lady  and  has  successfully  engaged  in 
teaching  school.  Both  the  Doctor  and  his 
wiie  are  active  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  and  she  is  now  serving  as  sec- 
retary of  the  Ladies"  Aid  Society  and  holds 
the  same  office  in  the  Eastern  Star.  Fra- 
ternally the  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  }iIod- 
ern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  the  med- 
ical examiner  for  the  Laiion  Central  Life  In- 
surance Company,  of  Cincinnati. 


WILLIAM  LOUIS  RABE,  M.  D. 

William  Louis  Rabe,  M.  D.,  is  a  skilled 
ph}'sician  and  surgeon  of  Dwight,  whose 
knowledge  of  the  science  of  medicine  is 
broad  and  comprehensive,  and  whose  ability 
ill  applying  its  principles  to  the  needs  of  suf- 
fering humanity  has  gained  him  an  enviable 
prestige  in  professional  circles. 

The  family  to  which  the  Doctor  belongs 
was  founded  in  America  by  his  paternal 
grandfather,  Jacob  Rabe,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, who  came  to  this  country  when  a 
young  man  prior  to  the  war  of  1812.  His 
ancestors  had  for  many  generations  been 
widely  known  throughout  Prussia,  and  two 
of  his  brothers  were  publishers  at  Berlin. 
On  his  arrival  in  America  he  located  on  a 
tract  of  land  near  what  was  then  the  unim- 
portant little  town  of  Monongahela,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life  as  a  farmer.  There  he  married 
and  reared  a  family  of  three  children,  and 
was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  188 12.  Being 
a  temperate  man   and   of  good   habits,   he 


WILLIAM  LOUIS  RABE,  M.  D. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


285 


lived  to  the  extreme  old  age  of  one  Inindred 
years  and  three  months,  and  preserved  his 
mental  and  physical  strength  tn  a  rcniark- 
ahle  decree.  He  was  noted  tHr  his  indns- 
try  and  intet^rity.  and  whether  at  home  or 
ami)n<j  his  neighhors  nreserxcd  that  C(|na- 
nimity  of  temper  and  welUhred  manner 
w  hich  at  once  singled  him  out  as  a  gentleman 
hy  birth  and  breeding.  The  celebrated 
opera  singers,  the  Rabe  sisters,  belonged 
to  the  same  family,  and  were  widely  known 
throughout  Europe,  where  they  made  a  for 
tune  l)y  their  talent,  who  in  the  early  '30s  an<l 
"4OS  twice  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  ]>lcasc  and 
delight  the  (iothaniilcs  with  the  songs  and 
melodies   of    h'atlierland. 

John  Rahe,  the  Doctor's  father,  was 
born  on  the  old  homestead  near  .Mmionga- 
hela,  Pennsylvania,  and  in  the  schools  of 
tliat  locality  iitted  himself  for  the  teacher's 
profession,  which  he  followed  for  some 
lime,  also  farmed  during  .summer.  On 
reaching  manhood  he  married  i\liss  Eliza- 
beth Luce,  also  a  nati\e  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  to  them  were  born  the  following  chil- 
li ren  :  Melesendra,  wife  of  Dr.  Henry  Mor- 
rison, of  Pittsbure;  Amanda,  wife  of  Samuel 
A.  Erederick,  of  Ohio;  Maria,  who  diet!  at 
tiie  age  of  sixteen  years:  Hiram,  a  capitalist 
of  Clyde,  Ohio;  John,  a  physician  of  Mo- 
nongahela,  Pennsyhania ;  and  William  L., 
our  subject.  In  1820  the  father  moved  with 
his  family  t(j  Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  and 
I'urchased  a  farm,  which  continued  to  be  his 
home  until  called  to  his  final  rest  in  1872. 
1  le  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinar\-  abilitw 
and  was  at  once  recognized  as  a  valuable 
addition  to  the  community.  Religiously 
he  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  and  politicall_\-  was  first  a 
Whig  and  later  a  Republican.       As  one  of 

the  leading  citizens  of  his  township  he  was 
16 


called  u])on  to  fill  \arious  local  offices.  He 
sought  to  wield  a  healthy  influence  over  his 
children,  to  whom  he  gave  a  liberal  educa- 
tion and  encouraged  them  in  the  e.xercise 
oi  those  virtues  by  which  they  became  valued 
and  reputable  citizens. 

William  J-ouis  Rabe  was  born  near 
Steubenville,  Ohio,  May  8,  1839.  His  ele- 
mentary education  was  conducted  chiefiy  by 
his  father,  an  intelligent  farmer  and  teacher. 
■Snb.sequently  he  was  thoroughly  trained  in 
the  higher  branches,  first  taking  a  course  in 
Richmond  College  and  then  matriculating  in 
the  Cleveland  Medical  University.  He  be- 
gan the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Wells- 
ville,  Ohio,  the  larger  portion  of  w  Inch  was 
on  the  Virginia  side  of  the  Ohio  river.  Dur- 
ing the  ci\il  war  he  served  as  assistant  sur- 
geon with  the  Union  forces,  and  was 
wounded  upon  the  occasion  of  General  Mor- 
gan's capture  in  Columbiana  county.  As 
hostilities  drew  to  a  clo.se,  in  common  with 
other  industrious  citizens  he  prepared  to  re- 
sume the  occuijations  of  peace.  Eor  a  time 
his  decision  wa\ered  between  the  adoption 
of  the  clerical  and  the  medical  professions. 
In  1862  he  was  chosen  president  of  the  Rich- 
mond (Ohio)  College,  which  position  he 
resigned  after  filling  it  two  terms.  In  iS()5 
he  entered  both  the  McCormick  Theological 
Seminary  and  Rush  Medical  College,  of 
Chicago,  two  years  thereafter  receiving  a 
diploma  from  each  of  the  institutions  named. 
After  his  graduation  he  was  honored  with 
calls  from  the  First  Presljyterian  church,  of 
Hloomington,  Illinois,  Ahuioon.  Illinois,  an.] 
LaPorte,  Lidiana.  In  i^()j  he  located  at 
the  place  first  named  and  remained  there 
nine  years,  when  he  removed  to  Dwight  to 
engage  in  the  practice  of  medicine.  Here 
for  more  than  twenty  years  he  has  given 
faithful  and  effective  attention  to  his  pro- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


fessional  duties,  and  has  esta1)lished  one  of 
the  largest  and  most  hicrative  practices  to 
be  found  in  the  interior  of  the  state.  He  is 
a  constant  reader  of  the  best  medical  litera- 
ture of  the  (lay.  to  which  he  is  also  a  valued 
contribute ir.  He  is  a  member  of  the  state, 
inter-state  and  national  societies,  and  cor- 
respondent of  the  World's  Medical  Con- 
gress. He  has  repeatedly  deliveretl  ad- 
dresses before  medical  associations.  The 
following  is  an  e.xtract  from  an  adilress 
made  before  the  Inter-State  Association: 
•'Gentlemen  or  Brothers — Wise  and  learned 
as  we  are  supposed  or  ought  to  be — walking 
or  moving  thesaurus  of  medical  knowledge, 
can  anyone  answer  satisfactorily  why  nr  of 
what  a  pain  is?  Why  are  so  many  so  se- 
riously sick?  Or  most  of  all,  why  do  so 
many  die?" 

Conservati\-e  in  medical  practices  as  he 
is,  in  theory  he  is  always  respecting  and  try- 
ing a  new  remedy.  He  never  discharges  an 
old  soldier  (so  to  speak)  in  old  attire  for  a 
recruit  in  costlier  dress,  until  he  knows  the 
latter  can  mure  quickly  wound  or  kill  one 
or  more  of  the  twenty-five  hundred  diseases 
that  not  nnlv  afflict  hut  by  which  mankind 
ultimately  dies.  He  has  a  bitter  hatred  of 
artful  or  underhanded  dealing  of  any  kind; 
is  in  fact  an  uncompromising  but  honest 
fighter  when  he  believes  he  is  in  the  right  or 
has  been  unjustly  assailed.  A  case  in  point 
was  the  protracted  contest  which  was  waged 
against  him  by  the  Keeley  Company.  A 
jjost  graduate  of  the  Keeley  Institute,  and 
at  the  same  time  an  attorney  for  the  same, 
had  him  called  before  the  United  States 
court  fi>r  a  technical  violation  of  the  reve- 
nue laws.  The  Doctor  was  asked  to  plead 
for  himself  and  in  ten  minutes  his  case  was 
dismissed,  the  United  States  district  at- 
torney emphasizing  the  fact  by  the  remark  ; 


"This  is  a  vindication  of  a  noble  man."  The 
closing  period  of  Dr.  Rabe"s  address  was  as 
follows:  "If  there  is  any  secret  oath  re- 
corded as  I  know  on  earth,  and  I  trust  in 
heaven,  it  is  that  I  am  a  good  Templar.  And 
more:  I  have  on  my  body  the  mark  .of  a 
wound  out  of  which  blood  fiowed.  more 
than  several  drops  of  l)lood.  over  thirty 
years  ago,  in  defense  of  a  country  the  best 
of  which  history  gives  any  record.  Now 
please  do  not  even  intimate  when  I  am  get- 
ting old  and  gray  and  feel  I  am  verging  to- 
wards the  close  of  active  life,  that  I  should 
for  any  cause  be  forgetful  of  the  past,  recre- 
ant to  sacred  duty;  in  a  word,  be  a  semi- 
traitor  to  tlie  strong,  lasting,  lienefiicent 
government  that  not  only  protects  mj-  prop- 
erty, but  graciously  shields  and  preser\-es 
my  person."  The  secjuence  of  the  case  was 
the  dismissal  of  the  attorney  by  the  ctmi- 
pany,  and  they  in  turn  were  siuiimoned  by 
the  people  to  appear  before  the  bar  of  one 
of  the  lower  and  higher  courts  of  the  com- 
monwealth of  Illinois  for  actual  violation  of 
law  and  good  order. 

In  1S67  Dr.  Rabe  was  married  to  Miss 
Emma  Clay  Temple,  of  Bloomington,  Illi- 
nois, whose  parents  were  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  lineal  descendants  of  the  I'arke 
Curtis  (Martha  Washington)  family.  Mrs. 
Rabe  died  in  August,  1888,  leaving  four 
children:  Mildred  T.,  born  July  17,  1868, 
is  the  widow  of  Leonard  How  lett,  of  Syra- 
cuse, New  York, '  anil  a  resident  of  that 
place;  William  L.,  born  October  8,  1869,  is 
connected  with  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad 
and  is  a  resident  of  Washington,  Illinois; 
Clarence  Parke,  born  January  10,  iSjJ,  is 
connected  with  the  firm  of  Nicolas  Cramer 
&  Company,  dealers  in  real  estate,  insurance 
and  loans,  of  Chicago:  Lucy  E.,  born  Jan- 
uary Ji,   1S74.  is  at  home.     All  lia\e  l>een 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


287 


provided  with  good  educational  advantages, 
and  Mrs.  Howlett  studied  music  for  two 
years  under  Professor  Phelps,  of  Chicago. 
Both  she  and  her  sisters  are  singers  of  unu- 
sual ahility.  The  former  is  and  has  been 
for  several  years  a  salaried  soloist  in  the 
First  Presbyterian  church,  of  Syracuse.  Xew 
York,  devoting  herself  to  concert  and  church 
service,   or  engagements. 


J.XMES  .McCOK.MICK. 

James  McCormick.  one  of  the  early  set- 
tlers and  highly  respected  citizens  of  Living- 
.stnn  county,  who  is  now  living  a  retired  life 
in  the  village  of  Strawn.  Fayette  township, 
is  a  native  of  this  state,  born  in  La  Salle 
county,  October  21,  1837.  and  is  a  son  of 
Alfred  and  Amanda  ( Downerd )  McCor- 
mick. His  paternal  grandfatlier  was  Charles 
McCormick,  a  native  of  County  Tyrone. 
Ireland,  who,  on  coming  to  this  country  at 
an  early  day,  settled  in  Fayette  ounty,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  his  three  sons  and  two 
daughters  were  born  and  reared.  He  went 
to  La  Salle  county.  Illinois,  with  the  father 
of  our  subject,  and  engaged  in  farming  in 
Farm  Ridge  township  for  many  years,  but 
died  in  Bruce  township  at  the  age  of 
se\enty-three  years.  His  wife,  who 
survived  him  several  years,  died  in 
the  same  place  and  was  laid  to  rest  by  his 
side.  Alfred  McCormick  was  born  in  Fay- 
ette county,  Pennsylvania,  about  1808,  and 
remained  there  until  twenty-five  years  of 
age.  assisting  his  father  in  the  work  of  the 
farm.  In  1833  he  moved  to  La  Salle  coun- 
ty. Illinois,  and  purchased  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of.  government  land  in  Farm 
Ridge  township,  wJiich  property  he  improved 


and  made  his  home  for  about  eight  years. 
On  selling  out  he  bought  another  farm  in 
the  .same  township,  and  lived  there  for  a 
number  of  years,  when  he  disposed  of  that 
place  and  moved  to  Streator.  where  he  spent 
the  last  ten  years  of  his  life  in  retirement 
from  active  labor,  dying  there  in  1886.  He 
was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist 
church,  which  his  family  attended,  and  was 
a  life-long  Democrat,  but  never  sought  nor 
held  ])ublic  oftice.  He  was  a  public-spirited 
man,  an  advocate  of  ail  that  would  tend  to 
advance  or  im])rove  the  community  in  which 
he  lived.  His  wife  survived  him  about  three 
years,  and  also  died  in  Streator.  Of  their 
eleven  children,  eight  are  still  living,  our 
subject  being  the  second  in  order  of  birth. 

Until  he  attained  his  majority  James  Mc- 
Cormick lived  with  his  parents,  assisting  in 
the  farm  work  and  attending  the  common 
schools  of  La  Salle  county.  He  then  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  himself  upon  rented 
land  in  that  county  until  after  the  Civil  war 
broke  out.  when  he  enlisted  at  Ottawa,  in 
.\ugust.  1862,  in  Company  E.  One  Hundred 
and  Fourth  Illinois  V'olunteer  Infantry. 
At  Hartsville.  Tennessee,  he  was  taken 
prisoner,  and  held  for  about  si.\  months 
before  being  exchanged.  Returning  home 
sick,  he  was  finally  discharged  at  Ottawa,  in 
the  winter  of  1863. 

-After  recovering  his  health  Mr.  McCor- 
mick came  to  Livingston  county,  where  for 
a  year  he  worked  by  the  month  for  Mr. 
Morgan,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  the 
county,  and  for  the  same  length  of  time 
herded  cattle  where  the  town  of  Strawn  now 
stands.  He  next  engaged  in  farming  for 
himself  in  Fayette  township,  and  followed 
that  occupation  continuously  for  twenty 
years.  For  four  years  he  was  then  engaged 
in   the   liquor  business   in    Strawn,   and   at 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Kangley.  La  Salle  county,  ten  years,  after 
which  he  returned  to  Strawn.  where  he  con- 
tlucted  a  saloon  one  year,  but  since  tliat  time 
has  lived  a  retired  life,  enjoying  the  fruits 
of  former  toil.  Since  attaining  his  major- 
ity Mr.  McCormick  has  always  affiliated 
with  the  Democratic  party,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  of  Strawn,  to 
which  his  family  also  belong.  He  is  widely 
and  favorably  known  and  has  many  friends 
throughout  Livingston  and  La  Salle  coun- 
ties. 

In  Farm  Ridge  township.  La  Salle  coun- 
ty, Mr.  McCormick  was  married.  February 
4,  1858,  to  Miss  Jane  Conelly,  a  native  of 
Oswego,  New  Ynrk,  and  the  thirtl  in  order 
of  birth  in  a  family  i)f  ten  children,  seven  of 
who  are  still  living.  Her  parents  were 
Michael  and  ALirgaret  (Coregan)  Conelly. 
Her  father,  who  was  a  miller  by  trade,  died 
in  Oswego,  at  the  age  of  thirty  years,  but 
her  mother  li\-ed  to  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety  and  died  in  Fayette  township.  Living'- 
ston  county.  September  24.   1899. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCormick  were  born 
the  following  children:  (i)  Thomas  P. 
died  at  the  age  of  two  months.  (2)  Ed- 
ward, an  engineer  on  the  Union  Pacific  Rail- 
road and  a  resident  of  Pittsburg,  Kansas,  has 
been  married  three  times,  his  first  wife  being 
Mary  Saughnessey,  by  whom  he  had  four 
children  :  James ;  Thomas,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  years;  William  and  Edna 
Jane,  who  both  died  in  infancy.  His  second 
wife  was  Florence  Lossing  and  to  them  were 
born  two  children,  Ruth  and  Edith.  His 
present  wife  was  Delia  Otterman.  (3) 
Maggie  is  the  widow  of  Thomas  Smoot,  a 
telegraph  operator  of  Strawn,  where  she  is 
now  keeping  a  boarding  house.  She  had  three 
children :  Robert,  Maude  and  Thomas,  all 
living;  and  Catherine,  deceased.       (4)    Min- 


nie is  the  wife  of  William  A.  Somers,  of 
Strawn.  and  they  had  nine  children,  namely : 
Frank,  Elizabeth  J.,  Geneva,  Wiliiarii.  Peter, 
Katie.  Cora.  Alarie  and  William.  2nd.  (5) 
Rose,  the  first  white  child  born  in  Fayette 
township,  Livingston  county,  is  the  wife  of 
James  Keeley,  a  farmer  of  Forrest  township, 
and  they  have  seven  children :  Edward, 
Maggie.  Thomas,  May,  Agnes,  Teresa  and 
James.  (6)  Cora  died  at  the  age  of  nine 
months.  (7)  Agnes  is  the  wife  of  W.  A. 
Myers,  of  Chicago,  superintendent  of  the 
Harlem  race  track.  (8)  Lizzie  is  at  home. 
(9)  Teresa  is  now  teaching  in  the  public 
schools  of  Sibley,  and  also  taught  in  Kangley 
five  years.  (  10)  Katie  dietl  at  the  age  of 
two  years  and  four  months.  (.11)  Martha 
is  the  wife  of  Elmer  Davis,  a  farmer  oi  For- 
rest township,  and  they  have  two  children, 
Josephine  and  Jane  Frances. 


AUGCSTl-S   ROBINSON. 

Augustus  Robinson,  who  for  a  third  of  a 
century  has  been  prominently  identified  with 
the  agricultural  interests  of  Broughton  town- 
ship, Livingston  county,  his  home  being  on, 
section  30,  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  in  La 
Salle  county,  October  24,  1840,  and  is  a 
son  of  James  and  Sophia  (Richey)  Robin- 
son, who  were  born  in  Ohio,  in  181 5  and 
1 818,  respectively,  and  when  young  came  to 
this  state  with  their  parents,  settling  in  La 
Salle  county  during  the  Indian  troubles. 
There  the  families  engaged  in  farming  un- 
der great  difficulties,  hauling  their  wheat 
to  Chicago  markets.  The  grandparents  of 
our  subject  all  died  in  La  Salle  county  upon 
land  which  they  had  taken  up  from  the  gov- 
ernment. His  grandfather,  Nathaniel  Richey. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


289 


served  as  a  private  in  the  war  of  181 2.  Our 
subject's  parents  were  married  in  La  Salle 
county  and  settled  on  government  lantl 
where  they  made  their  home  throughout  life, 
the  father  dying  June  2,  1899,  the  mother 
in  1864.  He  was  a  radical  Republican  in 
politics,  but  never  took  an  active  part  in  po- 
litical affairs,  however,  and  both  were  earn- 
est and  consistent  members  of  the  Congre- 
gational church.  Augustus  was  their  old- 
est child,  the  others  being  Priscilla.  wife  of 
Ellison  Shepherd,  a  farmer  of  La  Platte, 
Missouri;  Alexander,  a  farmer  of  High- 
more,  South  Dakota:  Andrew  J.,  a  resident 
of  Granville,  Illinois;  Eva  S.,  wife  of  R.  N. 
West,  of  Mexico,  Missouri;  Jolin  11..  who 
is  living  near  that  place;  James  \'.,  wim  lives 
near  Geneva.  Nebraska;  and  Sophia,  wife 
of  William  E.  Hoke,  of  Odell. 

Augustus  Robinson  is  indebted  to  the 
public  .schools  of  La  Salle  county  for  his 
early  educational  advantages.  He  remained 
upon  the  home  farm  until  he  attained  his 
majority,  and  then  enlisted  in  1862  in  Com- 
pany B,  One  Hundred  and  Fourth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry.  He  followed  his  regi- 
ment to  the  Cumberland  mountains,  where 
he  was  taken  ill  and  assigned  to  other  duty. 
He  participated  in  the  battle  of  Nashville, 
and  was  honorably  discharged  in  July,  1865. 
After  his  return  home  he  rented  land  and 
lived  near  his  parents  until  his  marriage.  In 
1866  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  unimproved  land  in  Broughton 
township,  Livingston  county,  but  did  not  lo- 
cate thereon  until  two  years  later.  It  was 
canal  land,  which  by  hard  work  and  skill- 
ful management  he  has  transformed  into  one 
of  the  most  productive  and  best  improved 
farms  n{  the  locality.  .\s  he  succeeded  he 
added  another  one  hundred  and  eighteen 
acres  to  his  farm,  and  now  has  two  hundred 


and  seventy-eight  acres  on  section  30  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  has  made 
a  specialty  of  stock  raising,  devoting  his  at- 
tention principaljy  to  hogs. 

Mr.  Robinson  was  united  in  marriage 
January  9,  1868,  with  Miss  Alice  Hayward, 
who  was  born  in  county  Kent,  England. 
August  25,  1842,  and  about  1850  emigrated 
to  Toronto,  Canada,  with  her  parents,  John 
and  Mary  (Waghorne)  Hayward.  In  1866 
she  came  to  La  Salle  county,  Illinois.  Her 
parents  made  their  home  in  Saugatuck, 
Michigan,  but  her  father  died  while  on  a 
visit  at  the  home  nf  our  subject.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Robinson  have  live  children  :  (  i ) 
William  A.,  who  lives  near  Kirksville.  Mis- 
souri, married  Edith  Gilbert,  daughter  of 
C  H.  Gill)ert.  of  Emington,  Illinois,  and 
they  have  four  children.  Elsie  G.,  Lael  F., 
Clyde  A.  and  Mary  A.  (2)  Mattie  1..  who 
was  educated  at  01)erlin  College,  is  the  wife 
of  Dr.  C.  P.  Wikoff.  a  prominent  physician 
of  Emington.  and  they  have  one  daughter, 
Alice  F.  (3)  Gertrude  took  a  course  of 
music  at  Wheaton  College,  and  is  ncnv  at 
home.  (4)  Horace  E.,  who  operates  a 
part  of  his  father's  farm,  married  .Alice 
Drew,  (laughter  of  Thomas  Drew,  of  Eming- 
ton. and  they  have  two  ciiildren,  Harland 
Drew  and  Irving  Clare.  ( 5 )  Charles  .\. 
is  at  home. 

Politically  Mr.  Robinson  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican, and  has  held  nearly  every  office 
in  the  township,  serving  as  collector,  assessor 
and  supervisor  one  term  each,  and  school 
treasurer  .since  1875.  He  takes  quite  an 
active  and  prominent  part  in  local  politics, 
and  has  been  a  delegate  to  state  and  county 
conventions  of  his  party.  Fraternally  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Grand  .\rmy  Post  of  Saune- 
min;  and  religiously  is  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church,  of  which  he  is  treas- 


>90 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


urer  and  trustee.  He  is  a  worthy  Christian 
gentleman,  well  liked  by  all  who  know 
him. 


ELIAS  HARTMAN. 

Elias  Hartman,  a  prosperous  and  sub- 
stantial farmer  residing  on  section  23,  Sulli- 
van township,  Livingston  county,  Illinois, 
was  born  in  Tazewell  county,  this  state,  July 
20,  1842,  a  son  of  Peter  and  Agnes  (Hart- 
man)  Hartman,  who,  though  of  the  same 
name,  were  not  related  prior  to  their  mar- 
riage. They  were  natives  of  Germany,  and 
shortly  after  their  marriage  emigrated  to 
the  new  world,  locating  first  in  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania.  Not  long  afterward 
they  went  to  Ohio,  and  after  a  short  time 
spent  in  that  state  came  to  Tazewell  county, 
Illinois,  where  they  were  numbered  among 
the  early  settlers.  There  the  father  pur- 
chased land  and  engaged  in  farming  until 
his  death.  In  the  family  were  si.x  children : 
Ann,  who  died  young;  Henry,  a  resident  of 
Tazewell  county;  Elias,  our  subject;  Ben- 
jamin, deceased,  who  spent  his  entire  life  in 
Tazewell  county;  Sarah  and  Emanuel,  still 
residents  of  that  county. 

The  subject  of  this  review  began  his  edu- 
cation in  an  old  log  school-house  in  Tazewell 
county,  one  mile  from  his  boyhood  home, 
where  he  pursued  his  studies  for  two  months 
tluring  the  winter,  and  later  walked  two 
miles  to  school  through  timber,  over  hills 
and  hollows.  At  intervals  he  attended 
school  through  the  winter  as  he  had  oppor- 
tunity until  about  twenty  years  of  age,  and 
thus  acquired  a  good  practical  education. 
His  father  had  died  when  the  family  was 
young,  and  he  remained  at  home  with  his 
mother  until  he  attained  his  majority,  and 


then  commenced  farming  on  a  small  tract 
of  land  for  himself,  at  the  same  time  assist- 
ing in  the  management  of  the  home  jjlace. 
In  1866  he  came  to  Livingston  and  bouglit 
a  forty-acre  tract  of  land  adjoining  the 
eighty  acres  of  raw  prairie  land  purchased 
by  his  mother,  and  that  year  broke  both 
places.  As  he  was  unmarried  he  returned 
to  the  old  home  in  Tazewell  county  each 
winter  for  four  years.,  and  in  the  spring 
would  resume  his  farming  operations  here. 
On  the  _'4th  of  January,  i8ji.  Mr.  Hart- 
man was  united  in  marriage  with  AIiss  Sarah 
Shell}',  a  native  of  Butler  cinint}-,  Pennsyl- 
\ania.  and  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Marga- 
ret (  Drushel )  Sholly  who  was  also  born  in 
that  county,  and  spent  his  last  days  in  Kan- 
kakee county,  Illinois.  She  is  the  second  in 
order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  five  children, 
the  others  being  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Emanuel 
Hartman,  of  Tazewell;  Reinhard,  a  resident 
of  Round  Grove  township.  Livingston  coun- 
ty; Matilda,  wife  of  Albert  Wild,  of  Ogle 
count}-,  Illinois;  and  Mar}-,  who  died  at 
about  the  age  of  ten  years.  Of  the  twelve 
children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hartman 
one  died  in  infancy.  The  others  are  Mar- 
tha, wife  of  Elias  Christophel,  residing  on 
section  12,  Sulli\'an  township,  Livingston 
county;  Henry,  who  married  Ida  Engle  and 
lives  in  Tazewell  county;  Peter,  a  resident  of 
Li\ingsti)n  county;  Margaret,  wife  of  John 
Diebel,  li\ing  on  section  22.  Sullivan  town- 
ship; and  John,  Emanuel.  Levi,  .\manda, 
Ilarvev,  Reuben  and  Lewis,  all  at  home. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Hartman  moved 
into  a  house  on  his  mother's'  eighty-acre 
farm  in  Livingston  county,  and  three  years 
later  built  his  present  residence  on  his  own 
land.  A  year  or  two  after  making  the  first 
purchase  he  bought  another  forty  acres,  and 
in   course  of  ten  vears  bought   the  eighty 


THE    BlOGRArHlCAL    RECORD. 


291 


acres  lielonging  to  his  mother,  so  that  hs 
owned  all  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 23,  Sulhvan  townsliip.  lie  lias  since 
hought  eighty  acres  on  section  14,  and  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  22.  making- 
four  hundred  acres,  lacking  one  acre,  un 
which  the  school-house  is  located,  and  the 
track  (if  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  which 
runs  through  one  quarter-section,  lie  is  a 
thorough  and  skillful  farmer,  a  man  of  good 
business  ability  and  sound  judgment,  and 
has  met  with  well-merited  success  in  his 
farming  operations.  Both  Mr.  antl  .Mrs. 
llartman  are  members  of  the  .Mennoniic 
church,  of  Cullom,  and  he  is  indepenilcnl 
in  politics,  voting  for  the  men  best  (jualitied 
for  the  ])ositii)ns  regardless  of  party  lines. 


JOSEPH  KLXTZ. 

Joseph  Kuntz,  a  highly  esteemed  and 
hiinored  citizen  of  Strawn,  Livingston  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  was  born  in  Alsace,  France, 
July  I'l,  1825,  and  is  a  son  of  Michael  and 
r>;irl);u"a  (I'mcli)  Kuntz,  who  spent  almost 
their  entire  li\es  as  farming  penpk-  in  Ba- 
\aria,  (iermany,  going  there  in  iSjy. 
in  their  family  were  ti\e  children,  namely; 
Jacnl).  h'rederick,  Joseph,  Alagdalena  and 
Barbara. 

The  early  life  of  owv  subject  was  spent 
in  his  native  land,  but  in  1865  he  crossed 
the  broad  Atlantic  and  took  up  his  residence 
in  Tazewell  county,  Illinois,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  coming  to  Livingston 
county,  in  1868.  He  then  purcha.sed  one 
lunidred  and  sixty  acres  on  section  18.  Fay- 
ette township,  to  which  he  added  from  time 
to  time  until  he  became  the  owner  of  seven 
hundred  and  twentv  acres  of  rich  and  arable 


land,  having  one  of  the  largest  and  best 
improved  farms  in  the  county.  In  connection 
with  general  farming  he  engaged  in  stock 
raising  quite  e.xtensivel}',  and  in  all  his  un- 
dertakings met  with  most  gratifying  suc- 
cess. He  has  c\er  been  found  upright  and 
honorable  in  all  his  dealings,  and  the  pros- 
[jcrity  that  has  ct)me  to  him  is  certainly 
well  (leser\ed. 

On  the  jth  of  .\pril,  1836,  Mr.  Kuntz 
married  Miss  Barbara  Meister,  who  was 
;dso  horn  in  (iermany,  September  17,  1837, 
and  to  them  were  born  the  following  chd- 
dren  :  (  i  )  Peter,  a  resident  of  Fayette  town- 
ship, married  Elizabeth  Garboge,  and  they 
have  six  children,  Joseph,  William,  Her- 
mann, Clara,  Catherine,  llallie  and  an  in- 
fant daughter.  (  _' )  Joseph,  a  resident  of 
Ford  county,  Illinois,  married  j-'lizabeth 
Kanauer.  and  has  one  son,  I-'rank.  (3)  Hen- 
ry, a  farmer  of  McLean  county,  married 
Emma  l-'nday.  (4)  .Mary  is  now  the  wife  of 
liric  .\.  (lullberg,  mentioned  below.  (5) 
Susan  is  the  wife  of  Henry  W'itzburger,  a 
farmer  of  P'ayette  tow^nship,  Livingston 
county,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Stella. 
( ())  -Mbert  married  .Sarah  .Schrine  and  re- 
sides in  Ford  county,  (j)  John  married 
Lena  .Schrine  and  resides  on  the  home  farm 
of  .Mr.  Kuritz.  (8|  Kiltie  married  Andrew 
Roth  and  the_\- li\e  in  b'ord  count)-.  ( <; )  Rosa 
married  dustolph  Uingle,  and  resides  in 
.Straw  n. 

.Mr.  Kuntz  and  his  family  are  dexout 
members  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  are 
people  of  jiromincnt-e  in  the  communities 
where  they  reside.  Politicaly  he  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Democratic  [)arty,  and  has  ever 
taken  a  deep  and  commendable  interest  in 
public  affairs.  He  lilled  the  oftice  of  road 
commissioner  two  terms  and  school  director 
for  the  same  length  of  time. 


292 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Eric  N.  Gullberg,  one  of  the  leading 
business  men  of  Strawn,  was  born  in  the 
southern  part  of  Sweden,  January  i8,  1858, 
a  son  of  Nels  and  Anna  (Olson)  Erickson. 
For  about  eighteen  years  the  father  was  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  shoes,  conduct- 
ing a  large  shop  and  emploj'ng  seven  or 
eight  hands.  On  retiring  from  that  business 
he  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  which  he 
followed  for  many  years.  He  died  at  his 
home  in  Sweden,  in  1881,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-five  years,  and  tiie  mother  departed 
this  life  in  1895,  ^t  the  age  of  eighty-one. 
In  their  family  were  six  children,  three  of 
whom  are  still  living,  namely :  Peter  N. 
Erickson,  who  is  now  engaged  in  the  shoe 
business  in  St.  Paul,  Minnesota :  Nellie 
Erickson,  who  is  unmarried  and  still  resides 
in  Sweden ;  and  Eric  N.  Gullberg,  our  sub- 
ject. 

Mr.  Gullberg  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Sweden,  attending  the  high  school  of  his 
birth-place.  He  worked  on  his  father's 
farm  until  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  then 
entered  the  Swedish  army,  serving  five  years 
as  a  corporal  in  a  cavalry  regiment,  and 
during  his  vacations  was  employed  in  a 
wholesale  house  in  Sullvesburg.  On  enter- 
nig  the  army  he  changed  his  name  from 
Erickson  to  Gullberg,  which  was  the  name  of 
one  of  his  cousins,  and  has  since  retained 
the  latter.  In  1883  he  embarked  in  the  gro- 
cery business  in  Pukawic,  but  his  store  was 
destroyed  by  fire  in  August,  1885,  and  he  lost 
all  he  had.  He  then  worked  in  a  grocery 
store  until  coming  to  the  United  States 
April  15.  1890.  He  made  his  home  in  Chi- 
cago until  March,  1891,  and  then  went  to 
Goodland,  Indiana,  where  he  worked  on  a 
farm  for  nearly  a  year.  On  the  3d  of  Febru- 
ary, 1892,  he  came  to  Strawn,  and  after 
being  employed  as  a   farm  liand   for  about 


four  years,  he  embarked  in  the  liquor  busi- 
ness in  that  village,  which  he  still  carries  on 
with  good  success. 

On  the  23d  of  August,  1898,  in  Strawn, 
Mr.  Gullberg  was  imited  in  marriage  with 
Mrs.  Mary  L.  Benway.  daughter  of  Joseph 
Kuntz.  and  widow  of  Joseph  Benway,  by 
whom  she  had  three  children,  all  still  liv- 
ing, namely :  Albert  J.,  Oscar  W.  and  Will- 
iam J.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Gullberg 
is  a  Republican,  and  in  his  social  relations  is 
a  member  of  Payson  Lodge,  No.  705.  1.  O. 
O.  F..  and  Fayette  Lodge,  No.  458,  K.  P., 
of  Strawn.  He  has  passed  all  the  chairs  in 
both  orders,  and  is  now  secretary  and  repre- 
sentative in  the  former  and  master  of  ex- 
chequer in  the  latter,  having  held  the  last 
named  office  for  the  past  three  years.  He  is 
also  a  prominent  member  of  the  Living- 
ston County  Liquor  Dealers'  Association, 
and  has  been  treasurer  of  the  same  since  its 
oroanization. 


CHARLES  H.  HOKE. 

Charles  H.  Hoke,  chief  deputy  sheriff 
of  Livingston  county,  and  one  of  the  lead- 
ing citizens  of  Pontiac,  was  born  in  Union 
township,  this  county,  June  28,  1861,  a  son 
of  Samuel  and  Laura  X.  (Kenney)  Ploke. 
The  father  was  born  in  Bedford  county. 
Pennsylvania,  and  there  grew  to  manhood 
and  learned  the  cabinet-maker's  trade.  The 
mother  was  a  native  of  Williamsburg,  the 
same  state,  and  a  dughter  of  a  Mr.  Kenney, 
a  well-kn(3wn  attorney  of  that  place.  Three 
of  their  children  were  born  in  Penn.sylvania 
before  the  family  came  to  Illinois.  There 
the  father  conducted  a  large  furnture  and 
undertaking  establishment,  but  on  account  of 
failing  health  be  was  obliged  to  discontinue 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


293 


tlie  lousiness.  Selling"  his  store,  lie  came  to 
Livingston  county,  Illinois,  in  1859,  and 
purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Uninn 
township  for  eight  dollars  per  acre.  In  tlie 
house  he  erected  thereon  his  wife  taught  the 
first  school  in  the  township,  having  pre- 
viously eneaged  in  teaching  in  her  nati\e 
state.  He  turned  his  attention  to  the  im- 
provement and  cultivation  of  his  land,  and 
so  successful  was  he  in  his  farming  opera- 
tit)ns  that  he  added  to  his  place  until  he  had 
four  hundred  acres,  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  which  is  still  in  possession  of  the 
family.  He  tiled  the  land  and  converted  it 
into  <  )ne  of  the  hest  farms  of  the  county.  He 
took  a  prominent  and  active  part  in  puhlic 
atYairs.  especially  along  educational  lines, 
serving  as  a  school  directt)r  and  memher  of 
the  hoard  for  many  years.  He  also  filled 
the  office  of  assessor  for  a  nuniher  0/  years, 
and  was  a  stanch  Republican  in  politics.  In 
18 —  he  left  the  farm  and  moved  to  Odell, 
v.here  he  lived  retired  until  his  death,  in 
i8y8.  He  was  a  faithful  memher  of  the 
Congregational  church,  to  which  his  wife 
also  belonged.  She  is  still  a  resident  of 
Odell.  In  their  family  were  five  children, 
namely :  Ale.xander  R.,  a  teacher  who  lives 
in  the  Illinois  State  Reformatory:  Mrs. 
Margaret  Houchin:  William  E..  a  real  es- 
tate dealer  of  Odell;  Charles  H.,  our  sub- 
ject: and  I""rank  L.,  a  harness-maker  of 
Odell. 

Our  subject  commenced  his  education  in 
the  district  schools  of  Union  township,  and 
later  attended  the  Odell  high  school.  On 
leaving  the  home  farm  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  years,  he  went  to  Odell,  where  he  suc- 
cessfully conducted  a  livery,  sale,  feed  and 
e.xchange  stable,  building  up  a  large  and 
I)rofital)le  business  and  shipping  in  car- 
load lots  to  Xew  York,  Chicago  and  other 


markets.  He  was  a  fine  judge  of  horses 
and  was  thoroughly  conversant  with  e\ery 
department  of  the  business. 

While  engaged  in  business  at  OtlcU  Mr. 
Hoke  became  interested  in  Republican  pcjli- 
tics,  and  was  elected  constable,  which  posi- 
tion he  acceptably  filled  for  twelve  years. 
He  was  a  delegate  to  most  of  the  county  and 
state  conventions  of  his  part\-,  and  served 
as  deputy  sheriff  for  Odell  under  Sheriff 
Wilson  for  two  years;  four  years  under  T. 
W.  Coe,  and  four  years  under  E.  O.  Reed, 
the  present  county  treasurer.  He  was  also 
prominently  mentioned  as  candidate  for 
sheriff  in  1897,  and  received  the  second 
highest  number  of  votes,  W.  L.  Talliott 
being  the  successful  candidate  of  the  seven 
in  the  field.  Mr.  Hoke  made  a  thorough 
canvass  and  after  the  election  was  at  once 
a])pointed  chief  deputy  by  Sheriff  Talbott. 
Since  then  he  has  been  a  resident  of 
Pontiac,  and  now  owns  a  beautiful  home 
at  No.  610  East  Madison  street.  In  his 
present  position  he  has  had  charge  of  a 
number  of  noted  criminals,  including  Sam- 
uel Rightsel,  convicted  of  murder  at  Fair- 
bury;  and  the  six  bank  robbers  who  looted 
the  Cornell  Piank.  He  has  prosed  a  most 
efficient  and  satisfactor\-  otiicer.  being 
prompt  and  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duties  and  true  to  e\er_\'  trust  reposed  in 
him.  whether  public  or  ])rivate. 

On  the  _'2d  of  .\\n-\\.  1893.  Mr.  Hoke 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Minnie 
G.  Worthley.  of  Harvey,  Illinois,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  Worthley,  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  war  and  an  early  settler  of  this  state 
from  Ohio,  who  is  now  living  retired  in 
Pontiac.  By  this  union  lias  been  born  one 
child,  Georgetta  D.  The}-  attend  and  sup- 
])ort  the  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  Mrs. 
Hoke  is  a  member.      I'raternalK-  Mr.   Hoke 


294 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


is  an  honored  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows 
Lodge,  No.  464,  of  Odell,  of  which  he  is 
past  grand ;  also  a  member  of  the  encamp- 
ment :  the  Court  of  Honor  at  Pontiac.  and 
one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  Toilers" 
Fraternit\'. 


ALBERT  GRAXT  TUTTLE. 

Albert  Grant  Tvittle,  one  of  the  most  en- 
terprising agriculturists  of  Livingston  coun- 
t}',  now  owns  and  operates  the  northwest 
Cjuarter  of  section  i,  Saunemin  township, 
\\  hich  he  has  converted  into  one  of  the  best 
improved  farms  of  that  locality.  He  was 
born  in  \'erona  township,  Oneida  county, 
New  York,  June  28,  1845,  ^^^'^  is  the  only 
child  of  Solomon  and  Emeline  (Page)  Tut- 
tle.  The  father  was  born  near  Camden, 
New  Yoi;k,  August  15,  18 15,  and  is  a  son 
of  Zopher  Tuttle,  a  soldier  of  the  war  of 
181 2,  who  was  born  in  England  and  on  first 
coming  to  this  country  located  in  Connecti- 
cut, where  he  married,  but  later  moved  to 
Oneida  county.  New  York.  He  followed 
farming  and  reared  a  large  family  of  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom,  Zopher  Tuttle.  became 
a  prominent  pioneer  of  Illinois  and  a  large 
land  owner,  who  recently  dietl  in  Wichita, 
Kansas. 

The  father  of  our  subject  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Oneida  county,  New  York,  and  in 
early  life  was  a  successful  boat  builder  on 
the  Erie  canal.  He  invested  his  capital 
largely  in  real  estate  and  the  dairy  business 
and  made  quite  a  fortune.  He  was  one  of 
the  early  land  owners  in  La  Salle  cnunt}', 
Illinois,  and  for  years  was  a  director  and 
large  stockholder  of  the  First  National 
Bank,  of  Rome,  New  York.  He  was  une 
of  the  most  influential  men  in  his  commu- 


nity in  raising  money  and  soldiers  fnr  the 
Civil  war,  and  has  always  been  a  stanch  sup- 
porter of  the  Republican  party.  He  served 
as  supervisor  of  liis  township  for  some  years, 
and  is  one  of  its  most  highly  esteemed  citi- 
zens. Religiously  he  is  an  active  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  to  which 
the  mother  of  our  subject  also  belonged, 
has  e\er  taken  an  active  part  in  its  work, 
and  is  one  of  its  most  liberal  supporters. 
The  mother  died  when  our  subject  was  only 
a  few  days  old.  She  was  a  native  of  Oneida 
county.  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  Na- 
thaniel Pase,  who  at  one  time  was  a  prom- 
ment  boat  builder  and  real  estate  owner  of 
that  county..  He  was  born  in  England,  and 
before  his  removal  to  Oneida  county  lived 
in  Herkimer,  New  York,  for  a  time.  When 
our  subject  was  two  years  old  his  father 
married  Sarah  Bailey,  by  whom  he  had 
three  sons. 

During  his  boyhood  Grant  Tuttle  at- 
tended the  common  schools  of  New  London, 
New  York,  and  remained  at  home  until  he 
attained  his  majority,  when  he  started  out 
to  make' his  own  way  in  the  world,  working 
as  a  dri\er  on  canal  boats  for  si.x  months. 
The  following  year  he  steered,  and  then  ran 
a  boat  for  one  man  two  seasons,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  he  bought  a  boat  and  success- 
fully engaged  in  the  same  business  fur  him- 
self, making  seven  trips  each  season  between 
Buffalo  and  New  York.  He  became  well 
acquainted  with  the  boatmen  along  the  canal, 
and,  when  business  began  to  drop  off  and 
he  sold  his  boat,  he  was  offered  a  position 
with  a  commission  house  in  Buffalo,  at  good 
wages,  the  firm  trying  hard  to  get  him.  In 
September,  1882,  Mr.  Tuttle  came  tn  Li\- 
ingston  county,  Illinois,  and  purchased  his 
present  farm  in  Saunemin  township,  which 
at  that  time  was  entirelv  unimproved.       Af- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


295 


tor  building  a  small  house  he  was  joined  by 
his  family,  December  12,  i88j.  He  has 
thoroughly  tiled  his  land,  which  was  at  first 
swampy,  has  buiU  fences,  a  good  set  of  farm 
buildings,  and  a  beautiful  country  hduie  in 
iS()3 — one  of  the  finest  in  the  townshi]).  He 
has  been  (|uite  extensively  engaged  in  horse 
r.iis'ng.  hut  now  devotes  most  of  lii,s  atten- 
tion to  general  farming,  in  which  he  has 
met  with  well-merited  success. 

Mr.  Tuttle  was  married.  Octolier  i.  1S7J. 
ti'  Miss  Henrietta  Belcher,  a  native  of  \'c- 
rniia.  .\'cw  York,  and  a  daughter  ni  Alex- 
ander I'iclcher.  ;i  well-km iwn  farmer  and 
mill  iiwncr  of  that  place.  ( )i'  the  se\en 
children  born  to  them  two  are  deceased. 
Tlio.se  li\ing  are  .Marcia.  Wells.  .Morris, 
Julia  and  iCllis,  all  at  home,  .\lthough  f;rm- 
erly  Methodists.  Mr.  and  ^lr^.  Tuttle  now 
attend  and  support  the  Ennngton  Congre- 
gational church.  He  is  a  stanch  supporter 
of  the  Republican  jiarty.  but  has  never  been 
an  aspirant  for  ofiice.  preferring  to  devote 
his  undivided  attention  to  his  business  in- 
terests. He  is.  however.  public-s])iritcd  an  1 
progressive,  and  gives  his  inthience  toward 
advancing  ;uiy  enterprise  which  he  believes 
Vvill  pro\e  of  i)ublic  lienefit. 


GEORGE  J.  \\ALTER. 

George  J.  Walter,  who  has  success- 
fully engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
brick  and  tile  for  the  past  twenty  \ears,  is 
numbered  among  the  leading  and  most  suc- 
cessful of  the  business  men  of  Chatsworth, 
of  which  city  he  has  been  a  resident  since 
September,  1S66.  He  was  born  in  Xew 
"^'ork  city,  December  5,  1852,  and  is  tlie  son 
of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Reille)  Walter,  the 


former  a  native  of  Baden,  Germany,  and  the 
latter  of  Wurtemburg,  Germany,  but  who 
came  to  this  country  in  early  man  and  wom- 
anhood and  were  married  in  New  York  city, 
wliere  they  lived   for  some  years. 

In  his  youth  John  Walter  learned  the 
shoemaker's  trade  which  he  followed  for 
twentv-five  years,  after  which  he  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  trade,  in  which  lie  con- 
tinued until  about  uSc/).  since  which  time  he 
has  lived  a  retired  life.  After  leaving  Xew' 
\'ork  he  remained  for  a  time  in  Indiana, 
and  then  came  with  his  family  to  Chats- 
worth,  in  1866,  and  here  has  since  con- 
tinued to  reside.  Eor  many  years  he  was 
one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  the  city, 
and  carried  a  general  stock  of  goods.  For  a 
number  of  years  he'  served  on  the  school 
board  of  that  city,  and  was  also  for  sev- 
eral years  a  member  of  the  village  board  of 
trustees.  John  and  Elizabeth  Walter  were 
the  parents  of  six  children,  two  of  whom  died 
in  infancy,  while  Elizabeth  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years.  GeorgeJ.  is  the  subject  of 
this  .sketch.  Louis  .\  .  is  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness in  Chatsworth.  while  .\lbert  F.  is  in 
the  dry  goods  business  in  the  same  cit\'. 

George  J.  Walter  was  fourteen  \ears  old 
when  he  came  to  Chatsworth.  His  educa- 
tion, begun  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
city,  was  continued  in  the  public  schools 
of  Indiana,  where,  as  stated,  the  family  re- 
sidetl  for  a  time.  On  coming  to  Chatsworth 
he  entered  the  public  schools  of  the  place  and 
for  about  three  years  attended  the  high 
school.  The  education  received  in  the 
schools  was  a  practical  one.  and  on  lea\;ng 
school  he  entered  the  store  of  his  father, 
and  later,  in  com]ian\-  with  his  brother 
1.1  nis.  took  cha.rge  of  the  business  foi-  .about 
tw  o  years. 

In    September.    1877.    .Mr.    Walter    was 


296 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Lena  Heil- 
mann,  who  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  in 
1857,  and  who  came  to  this  country  with  her 
parents  when  but  two  years  of  age.  By  this 
union  tliere  have  been  born  si.x  children, 
one  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Edna  E.  is  at- 
tending Northwestern  College,  Naperville. 
Illinois,  where  she  is  taking  a  commercial 
course,  and  als(j  the  music  and  art  course. 
Lydia  is  at  home  attending  the  high  school 
of  Chatsworth.  Clara,  Arthur  and  Esther 
are  all  at  home. 

After  his  marriage.  Mr.  Walter  eml)arked 
in  the  bakery  business  in  which  he  remained 
about  two  years  with  a  fair  degree  of  suc- 
cess. He  was  then  one  year  in  the  furniture 
business,  and  in  1880  sold  out  and  broke 
ground  for  his  present  plant  for  the  manu- 
facture of  brick  and  tile,  and  at  once  engaged 
in  the  business.  He  has  four  kilns  for  burn- 
ing brick  and  tile,  and  has  erected  large 
buildings  and  sheds  for  drying,  with  a  floor 
space  of  nine  thousand  scjuare  feet.  In  1881 
he  put  in  an  engine  of  eighty-five  horse 
power,  and  also  two  boilers  of  one  hundred 
and  ten  horse  power.  The  plant  has  a  ca- 
pacity for  thirty  thousand  brick  and  Mr, 
Walter  does  the  largest  business  of  any  firm 
in  the  county,  shipping  his  product  by  rail 
to  nianv  points  in  and  out  of  the  county. 

In  politics  Mr.  Walter  is  a  Republican, 
and  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  politi- 
cal affairs  of  his  country,  though  never  an 
active  politician.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
the  school  board  in  Chatsworth  for  seven 
years,  and  has  taken  great  interest  in  main- 
taining good  schools.  Religiously  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Evangelical 
Association. 

In  his  business  life  Mr.  Walter  has  been 
verv  successful.  For  a  short  time  he  had 
a  i)artner.  and   fi  ir  aliout  five  years  his  fa- 


ther was  associated  with  him  in  business, 
but  for  the  greater  part  of  the  time  he  has 
managed  it  alone,  and  as  stated  does  the  larg- 
est business  of  any  firm  in  the  county  in 
like  business,  and  he  has  the  largest  plant  in 
the  county.  In  addition  to  the  plant  which 
covers  two  and  a  half  acres  of  ground,  he 
owns  eighty  acres  adjoining  the  city  on  the 
east.  As  a  citizen  no  one  is  willing  to  do 
more  to  advance  the  interests  of  his  adopted 
city  and  county,  and  as  friend  he  is  kind 
and  obliging,  ever  willing  to  do  a  good  turn. 
.\s  such  as  he  is  entitled  to  a  place  in  the 
historical  annals  of  his  countv. 


WALTER  LEGGATE. 

Walter  Leggate,  one  of  the  leading  agri- 
culturists of  Germanville  township,  whose 
fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  is 
pleasantly  situated  on  section  14,  was  born 
in  the  city  of  New  York,  December  7,  1853,  a 
son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Fleming)  Leg- 
gate.  The  father  was  bom  on  the  25th  of 
August.  1816.  in  Lanarkshire,  Scotland, 
through  which  county  flows  the  far-famed 
and  beautiful  ri\er  Clyde,  and  is  a  sun  oi 
James  and  Margaret  (Dalgleish)  Leg- 
gate,  who  had  three  children  :  Robert,  who 
served  for  twenty  years  in  the  British  army, 
and  died  at  his  home  in  Scotland  in  1885; 
John,  father  of  our  subject ;  and  James,  who 
came  to  America  when  a  young  man  and  is 
now  living  in  New  Jersey.  In  early  life 
John  Leggate  learned  the  weaver's  trade, 
and  in  1837  married  Elizabeth  Fleming,  also 
a  native  of  Lanarkshire.  In  1848,  witli  their 
family  of  four  children,  the}'  took  ])assage 
on  a  sailing  vessel  at  Glasgow,  and  after  ten 
weeks  si)ent  upon  the  water  landed  in  .\e\v 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


297 


^t)^k  city,  where  the  father  worked  at  liis 
trade  three  years,  and  in  a  glass  factory  the 
^ame  lengtli  of  time.  Later  he  moved  to 
Canada,  and  made  his  home  near  London, 
until  1857.  being  employed  in  a  brickyard 
most  of  the  time.  Having  saved  a  little 
money  by  close  economy  and  untiring  in- 
dustry, he  resolved  to  invest  it  in  western 
land  and  came  to  Livingston  county.  Illi- 
nois, where  he  jnirchased  eighty  acres  in 
( iermanville  township.  He  prospered  in  his 
new  home,  and  at  length  became  the  owner 
lit  two  hundred  -.uul  forty  acres  of  valuable 
hind  on  section  10.  where  he  is  now  living 
a  retired  life  enjoying  the  fruits  of  former 
toil.  He  is  a  man  of  many  noble  traits  of 
character,  and  is  highly  respected  and  es- 
teemed by  all  who  know  him.  Religiously 
lie  is  a  faithful  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  and  has  always  taken  an  acti\e  part 
in  church  and  Sunday  school  work.  In 
h.is  political  views  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
filled  the  ofiice  of  justice  of  the  ]ieace  in  his 
tiiwnship  for  nian_\-  yern"s.  His  wife  died  in 
May.  1893.  at  about  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  German- 
ville  cemetery.  She,  too.  was  a  devout  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  a  most  es- 
tinicible  lad  v. 

To  this  worthy  coujjle  were  Ijorn  nine 
children,  of  whom  four  are  now  living; 
James,  a  brick  manufacturer  of  Chicago, 
who  first  married  Matilda  Linn,  and  second 
.\nna  Smith,  of  Chicago;  John,  an  engineer 
of  Chicago,  who  married  Xancy  McKav; 
Walter,  our  subject;  and  Sarah,  wife  of 
Owen  McMahon.  who  operates  his  father- 
in-law's  farm  in  Germanville  township. 
Of  those  deceased  Marion  died  when  a  small 
child  in  Scotland ;  Margaret  married  John 
Beckman  of  Germanville  township,  and  died 
ii",  Iowa,  where  her  husband  is  now  engaged 


in  farming;  Robert  served  three  years  in 
Company  E.  Eighty-ninth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  died  in  Iowa,  leaving  a  wife 
and  two  children;  (jecirge.  born  in  Scotland, 
married  Dora  Lutson,  of  Germanville  town- 
slii]).  where  he  followed  farming  for  some 
tune,  but  about  fourteen  years  ago  moved 
t'l  Iowa,  where  he  died  in  March,  1898,  leav- 
ing a  widow  and  four  children;  and  Archie 
died  in  Germanville,  at  the  age  of  four 
years. 

Walter  Leggate  was  only  a  year  old 
w  hen  the  family  mo\ed  to  Canada,  and  came 
with  them  to  Illinois,  in  the  spring  of  1857. 
At  the  age  of  nine  \ears  he  entered  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Germanville  township,  where 
he  was  educated.  He  continued  to  assist  in 
the  operation  of  the  home  farm  until  four- 
teen yearge  ago,  when  he  located  upon  his 
present  place,  and  has  since  devoted  his  en- 
ergies to  its  further  improvement  and  culti- 
vation. Politically  he  is  identified  with  the 
Republican  party,  and  he  has  been  called 
u])iin  III  scr\c  his  fellow  citizens  as  town- 
ship collector  several  terms  and  also  as  con- 
stable. He  is  widely  and  favorably  known 
in  his  ado|)ted  county,  and  those  who  know 
him  best  are  numbered  among  his  warmest 
friends. 

On  the  25th  of  December.  1876,  in  Ger- 
manville township,  Mr.  Leggate  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Ruth  Ellen  Mahood, 
a  daughter  of  .Me.xander  and  Mary  (Sum- 
ney)  Mahood.  The  father,  who  was  a 
prominent  and  prosperous  farmer  of  that 
township,  died  in  1874.  and  was  buried  there, 
but  the  mother  is  still  living  at  the  age  of 
seventy-one  years,  and  makes  her  home  with 
our  subject.  Mr.  Leggate  has  been  called 
upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  estimable  wife, 
who  died  June  i,  1897.  leaving  four  chil- 
dren, namely:    John  Alexander,  born  March 


298 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


30,  1878;  Laura,  August  26,  1880;  Walter 
F.,  July  12,  1884;  and  Eva  May,  January 
26,  1889.  All  were  born  in  Livingston 
countv.  and  the  family  is  one  of  prominence 
in  the  community  where  they  reside. 


HON.     CHARLES     M.     BARICKMAN. 

Hon.  Charles  M.  Barickman,  judge  of 
the  county  and  probate  courts  of  Livingston 
county,  is  a  native  of  the  county,  and  was 
born  in  Newtown  township,  December  28, 
1862.  His  father,  Benjamin  Barickman,  is 
one  of  the  oldest  living  settlers  of  the  county, 
having  located  here  in  1832,  when  a  lad  of 
eight  years.  (See  sketch  on  another  page 
of  this  work.) 

On  the  home  farm  Charles  M.  grew  to 
manhood,  and  in  the  common  schools  of 
the  neighborhood  he  received  his  primary 
education,  while  during  his  vacations  he  as- 
sisted in  the  operation  of  the  farm.  \\'ith 
the  desire  to  obtain  a  more  liberal  education 
than  that  afforded  by  the  public  schools,  he 
entered  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University, 
Bloomington,  Illinois,  from  which  institu- 
tion he  was  graduated  with  the  class  ol 
1887. 

Lea\-ing  the  university  for  the  next  two 
years,  Mr.  Barickman  was  engaged  in  teach- 
ing, first  at  Ancona  and  later  at  Cornell, 
spending  one  year  in  each  place.  During 
that  time,  in  his  leisure  linurs  and  during  his 
vacations,  he  read  law  and  made  such  prog- 
ress in  his  studies  that  in  1889  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  in  all  the  courts  of  the 
state  bv  the  supreme  court  in  session  at  Ml. 
Vernon,  Illinois. 

On  his  admission  to  the  bar,  Mr.  Barick- 
man located  in  Pontiac  and  at  once  entered 


upon  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He 
very  soon  took  rank  with  the  leading  prac- 
titioners of  the  place,  and  became  well 
known  throughout  the  county.  His  ability 
as  an  attorney  was  recognized,  and  in  1894 
he  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  county 
judge,  and  at  the  election  in  November  of 
that  year  he  was  elected  by  a  majority  of 
about  eight  hundred  over  his  Democratic 
opponent.  So  well  did  he  transact  the 
business  of  the  olifice  that  in  1898  he  was  re- 
nominated and  elected  by  a  largely  increased 
majority,  receiving  the  largest  number  of 
votes  of  any  candidate  upon  the  ticket,  his 
majority  being  twelve  hundred  and  twenty- 
six  votes.  He  is  now  serving  his  second 
term,  and  to  say  that  his  management  of  the 
ofifice  is  satisfactory  to  the  people  goes  with- 
out question. 

On  the  1 6th  of  April,  1890,  Judge  Ba- 
rickman was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Rena  M.  Ten  Eick  and  daughter  of  ^Matthew 
and  Mary  (Means)  Ten  Eick,  of  Blooming- 
tun.  Illinois.  The  judge  and  his  wife  attend 
and  support  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
cf  Pontiac,  and  socially  they  are  held  in  the 
highest  esteem.  They  occupy  a  fine  resi- 
dence on  Maplewood  avenue,  erected  by  the 
Judge,  and  their  home  is  ever  open  to  their 
many  friends. 

Judge  Barickman  was  born  during  the 
time  of  the  civil  war,  and  grew  up  a  loyal 
citizen  and  an  ardent  Republican.  His 
first  presidential  vote  was  cast  for  James 
G.  Blaine  in  1884,  and  since  that  time  he 
has  ever  taken  an  active  interest  in  politics, 
and  his  influence  has  been  felt  in  the  councils 
of  his  partv  and  in  the  county  of  which  he 
has  been  a  life-long  resident.  Eratcrnally 
he  is  a  member  of  Pontiac  Lodge,  No.  294, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  and  of  Crescent  Lodge,  No. 
118,  K.  P.     In  the  latter  lodge  he  has  held 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


299 


all  the  chairs,  and  has  been  a  representative 
to  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  state.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Uniformed  Rank,  K. 
P.,  and  has  served  as  captain  two  terms. 
As  a  citizen  he  is  alive  to  all  that  has  a  tenil- 
ency  to  make  the  city  of  his  adoption  and 
the  connty  of  his  birth  take  rank  with  the 
best  in  our  fair  state. 


LEONARD   LARGE. 

Leonard  Large,  deceased,  was  for  many 
years  identified  with  the  agricultural  inter- 
ests of  Pleasant  Ridge  township,  Livingston 
county,  Illinois,  and  was  numbered  among 
its  highly  respected  citizens.  He  was  born 
May  3,  1818,  in  Farrington,  five  miles  from 
Lynn,  England,  and  there  grew  to  manhood 
on  a  farm,  his  father  being  employed  as  a 
farmer  on  an  estate  there.  In  1853  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Sarah  F.  Mitchell,  who  was  born 
near  the  same  place.  May  4,  i8_'(j.  Her 
father  was  Freeman  Mitchell,  a  native  of 
W  ispich,  England,  and  a  blacksmith  by 
trade,  who  died  when  she  was  eight  years 
old,  leaving  a  widow  and  four  children. 

For  one  year  after  their  marriage  Mr. 
and  Airs.  Large  made  their  home  in  Rose- 
berry,  Topham,  Yorkshire,  England,  and 
then  came  to  the  United  States,  settling  first 
in  Stony  Rocks,  New  York,  not  far  from 
Auburn,  where  they  spent  four  years.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  they  came  to  Illinois 
and  bought  a  small  tract  of  ten  acres  of  land 
five  miles  from  Eureka,  on  which  a  log  house 
was  built.  As  his  financial  resources  in- 
creased Mr.  Large  added  to  his  property 
little  by  little  until  he  had  forty  acres,  which 
he  subsetiuently  sold  for  eleven  hundred 
<l(illars.     In  1870  he  came  to  Pleasant  Ridge 


township,  Livingston  county,  and  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  land  on  which  the  family 
still  reside.  At  that  time  not  a  fence  had 
been  built  or  an  improvement  made,  but  he 
erected  a  good  house  and  barn,  planted  fruit 
and  shade  trees,  tiled  the  land  and  placed  it 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  so  that  it 
ii  now  a  valuable  farm. 

Mr.  Large  died  September  11,  1880, 
houiired  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 
J>oth  be  and  his  estimable  wife  held  mem- 
bership in  the  Episcopal  church.  In  their 
family  were  the  following  children :  \Vill- 
iam;  Sarah  A.,  deceased;  Leonard,  Isaac, 
Thomas,  Mrs.  Rebecca  Minear,  Mrs.  Martha 
Bruner  and  John,  all  living  near  Lexington, 
Nebraska;  Rachel  and  Robert,  both  at  home. 


MILES  DESIRE. 

Miles  Desire,  a  farmer  and  stock  raisir, 
residing  on  section  28,  Chatsworth  townshi]), 
while  not  numbered  among  the  earlv  settlers 
is  a  well  known  citizen  of  the  county,  which 
has  been  his  home  since  1876.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  iM-ance,  born  March  r,  1853,  and  is 
a  son  of  Casimer  W.  and  Mary  (Savorvin) 
Meillian,  both  of  whom  were  also  natives  of 
b'rance,  where  their  entire  lives  were  spent, 
and  where  they  died  about  1896.  They  were 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  one 
(lied  in  infancy.  The  living  are  Desire,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch:  Marrius,  Dennis, 
Ferdinand,  Julius,  Mary  and  Susan.  Of  the 
children  none  came  to  this  country  but  our 
subject  and  Dennis.  The  latter  is  living  in 
Colorado,  where  he  is  engaged  in  mining. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  man- 
hood and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  land.     He  was  reared  to  farm 


300 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


life  and  assisted  his  father  on  tlie  home  farm 
until  \SyT,.  when  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  with  a  \iew  of  bettering  his  condition 
m  life.  On  his  arrir\al  he  took  up  his  resi- 
lience in  Marshall  county,  Illinois,  where 
worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  three  years.  He 
then  came  to  Livingston  county,  rented  land 
in  Germanville  township,  and  commenced 
farming  for  himself.  Two  years  later,  Sep- 
tember 21,  1878.  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Martha  Be\-ins,  who  was  born  in 
Bureau  county,  Illinois,  in  i860.  After  his 
marriage  he  continued  to  farm  rented  land 
in  Germanville  township  until  1881,  when  he 
moved  to  Chatsworth  township,  where  he 
also  rented  and  continued  to  farm  until  1889, 
when  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  on  section  30,  a  partly  improved  farm. 
To  that  farm  he  mo\-ed  and  put  it  under  an 
excellent  state  of  cultivation.tiling  and  other- 
wise improving  the  place.  He  remained  on 
that  farm  for  six  years  and  then  purchased 
three  hundred  and  sixt}-  acres  of  swamp 
and  timber  land  on  section  28.  This  land 
was  entirly  unimproved,  havinj^-  neither 
building  or  fence  on  the  place.  He  has  since 
cleared  about  two  hundred  acres  of  timber, 
drained  the  swamp,  and  now  has  a  good 
farm.  The  first  year  he  raised  ninety  bushels 
of  sod  corn  to  tlie  acre. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Desire  are  the  parents  of 
three  children :  ]\Iary  Ann.  who  is  engaged 
in  dressmaking"  in  Chatsworth ;  and  Lizzie 
and  Joseph,  at  home.  Mrs.  Desire  was  one 
of  a  family  of  four  daugliters  and  one  son. 
as  follows :  Annie,  wife  of  Carl  Drake,  liv- 
ing in  Chicago;  Martha  E.,  wife  of  our  sub- 
ject; Sarah  E.,  wife  of  George  Pyles,  now 
living  in  Missouri;  Mary  A.,  wife  of  M. 
Krebb,  of  Chicago;  and  Caleb  E.,  living  in 
Whiting,  Indiana. 

When  Mr.   Desire  came  to  the  United 


States  he  could  not  speak  a  word  of  the  Eng- 
lish language,  anil  he  was  se\enteen  dollars 
in  debt  when  he  landed  in  Chicago.  He 
came  here,  howe\-er.  with  the  intention  of 
overcoming  all  obstacles,  and  that  he  has 
overcome  them  this  record  of  his  life  will 
attest.  By  his  industry  and  enterprise  he  has 
become  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm,  well 
stocked,  and  the  future  is  bright  before 
him.  In  addition  to  general  farming  he  has 
usually  engaged  in  the  stock  business,  not 
onlv  raising  but  buying  and  shipping  as 
well,  and  in  this  he  has  met  with  a  reasonable 
degree  of  success. 

Mr.  Desire  cast  his  first  presidential  vote 
for  Samuel  J.  Tilden,  but  now  votes  the 
Republican  ticket  straight.  He  has  served 
as  commissioner  of  highways  for  ten  years, 
urer  of  the  commissioner  of  highways  for 
school  director  nine  years,  and  has  been  tras- 
the  last  three  years.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  of  Chats- 
worth, and  has  lieen  trustee  of  the  same. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America  of  Chatsworth.  Religiously 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church  of 
Chatsworth.  He  has  been  a  successful  man, 
is  well  esteemed  in  the  community  which 
lias  been  his  home  for  nearly  a  (|uarter  of  a 
century  and  has  many  warm  friends. 


DA\TD  SHANTZ. 

David  Shantz,  who  owns  and  operates 
a  valuable  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  on  section  2/.  Sullivan  township,  Liv- 
ingston county.  Illinois,  is  a  native  of  Can- 
ada, born  in  Berlin,  Waterloo  county,  Jan- 
uarv  30,  1846,  and  is  a  son  of  Isaac  C.  and 
Elizabeth  (Snyder)  Shantz,  both  natives  of 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


301 


reniisylvania.  Tlie  Sliaiitz  family  came 
<>rigiiiall\'  from  Switzerland,  and  were 
among  the  tir.-it  settlers  of  Bucks  county. 
Pennsylvania.  Tlie  great-grandfather  of 
our  subject  was  Isaac  Shantz,  who  was  ■horn 
in  .Montgomery  county,  that  state,  January 
14,  174S,  anil  was  married,  in  1774.  to  Piar- 
hara  Reiti'.  who  was  born  in  September, 
1753.  When  our  subject's  father  was  only 
three  years  old,  the  grandfather.  Christian 
Shantz,  took  his  family  to  Waterlot)  county. 
Canada,  locating  there  when  the  Indians 
were  far  more  nuiuerous  than  the  wliite  set- 
tlers. There  he  and  his  wife  spent  their  re- 
maining days.  The  father  grew  to  manhood 
in  Canada  and  in  early  life  learned  the  cab- 
ir.ctmaker's  trade.  I'^or  many  years  he  ran 
a  sawmill  and  furniture  factory  at  Man- 
heim.  manufacturing  all  kinds  of  furniture, 
l)ut  misfortune  overtook  him  and  he  sold 
out.  In  1858  he  removed  to  (iardner,  Grun- 
dy county.  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming  upon  rented  land  for  two  years, 
ar.d  for  the  same  length  of  time  rented  land 
in  Round  Grove  and  Dwight  townships.  Liv- 
ingston county.  Coming  to  Sulli\an  town- 
ship in  1864  he  purchased  one  hundred  and 
si.xty  acres  of  land,  for  which  he  paid  twenty 
dollars  per  acre,  it  being  the  farm  on  which 
our  subject  now  lives.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  he  owned  two  hundred  acres,  a  part  of 
which  was  wild  prairie  when  he  purchased 
it.  His  first  home  here  was  a  small  struc- 
ture. 14x16  feet,  the  lumber  for  which  he 
hauled  from  Pontiac,  a  distance  of  twenty 
miles.  While  a  resident  of  Dwight  town- 
ship he  sold  one  horse  for  war  purposes  for 
two  hundred  dollars.  On  first  coming  to 
this  county  our  subject  herded  cattle  on  the 
prairies,  bringing  them  from  Ottawa  each 
s])ring  and  taking  them  back  in  the  fall.  For 
this  he  received  one  dollar  and  a  half  per  head 


for  the  season,  and  has  cared  for  as  many 
as  .seven  hundred  at  one  time.  The  father 
died  September  jo,  1885,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two  years,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in 
Sullivan  Center  cemetery,  while  the  mother 
died  in  December,  1892,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five  years.  Tn  their  familv  were  the  follow- 
ing children:  Daniel,  who  died  in  Round 
Grove  township,  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight 
years,  leaving  two  sons,  who  are  still  living; 
Lena,  wi(Unv  of  Jacob  .\macher  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Cullom.  Illinois;  Christian  S.,  who  is 
now  living  retired  in  the  same  place;  Eliza- 
beth, wiio  died  at  the  age  of  two  years; 
David,  our  subject:  and  Isaac,  a  farmer  of 
Sulli\an  t<»\\nship. 

During  his  boyhood  and  youth  David 
Shantz  attended  school  for  two  or  three 
months  during  the  winter  seasons,  and  re- 
mained at  home  until  he  was  married,  Feb- 
ruary 25,  1893,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Wenger. 
who  was  born  in  the  Shenandoah  valley,  Ef- 
fingham count}',  \'irginia.  Her  parents, 
Daniel  and  Sarah  (Coffman)  Wenger,  were 
natives  of  the  same  state,  and  her  grandfa- 
ther. Benjamin  Wenger,  was  also  a  Virgin- 
ian by  birth  and  a  planter,  who  in  the  midst 
of  the  timber  cleared  and  improved  a  farm. 
The  father,  who  also  followed'  the  occupa- 
tion of  farming,  died  in  1889,  the  mother 
in  1896.  They  had  twelve  children,  namely: 
Gideon,  Benjamin,  Samuel.  Daniel,  Annie, 
David,  Elizabeth,  Sarah,  Solomon,  Mary, 
Moses  and  John.  With  one  exception  all 
reached  years  of  maturity.  One  is  now  liv- 
ing in  Kansas,  amjther  in  Michigan.  Mrs. 
Shantz  in  Illinois,  and  the  others  in  Vir- 
ginia, lohn  and  two  sisters  live  on  the  old 
homestead.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shantz  have  five 
children:  John  and  Sarah,  who  arc  now 
attending  .school:  Alvin  and  Earl,  twins; 
and  Mary. 


302 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


In  1885  Mr  Shantz  purchased  the  inter- 
est of  the  other  heirs  in  his  father's  farm, 
and  in  18Q9  liought  an  adjoining  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  so  that  he  now  has 
a  fine  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  which  is  under  a  high  state  of  cuhi- 
vation  and  well  improveil.  He  makes  a 
specialty  of  raising  thoroughhred  hrown 
Swiss  cattle,  and  also  keeps  a  thoroughbred 
shire  stallion,  "Barnie,"  for  breeding  pur- 
poses. Since  casting  his  first  presidential 
vote  for  U.  S.  Grant  Mr.  Shantz  has  always 
supported  the  Republican  party,  hut  would 
never  accept  office,  preferring  to  devote  his 
undivided  attention  to  his  business  interests. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  ^len- 
nonite  church,  and  are  hip-hly  respected  and 
esteemed  bv  all  who  know  them. 


\VILLIA!\I  :\I.  MILLER. 

U'illiam  M.  Miller,  the  well-known  en- 
gineer of  the  city  water  works  of  Dwight, 
was  born  in  Aurora,  Illinois,  October  25, 
1855,  and  is  a  son  of  John  S.  and  Celia  J. 
(Kennedy)  Miller,  natives  of  Fulton  county. 
New  York,  where  they  were  reared  and  mar- 
ried. In  1854  they  came  west  and  located  m 
Aurora,  Illinois,  where  the  father  followed 
his  trade  oi  stone  mason  until  1S66,  when  he 
removed  to  Dwight.  Here  he  engaged  in 
■contracting  and  did  a  great  deal  of  the  stone 
work  in  Dwight  and  vicinity  for  many  years, 
but  is  now  living  a  retired  life,  in  his  eighty- 
eighth  year.  His  wife  died  January  14, 
1899,  aged  eightv  years.  Our  subject's 
paternal  grandfather  Miller  came  of  a  titled 
Holland  family.  He  was  i)res,sed  intu  the 
British  army  during  the  Revolutionary  war 
and  brought  in  .\merica. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  eighth 
in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, ten  sons  and  one  daughter,  of  whom 
the  eldest,  a  son,  died  in  infancy :  James  A. 
enlisted,  at  Aurora,  in  the  Forty-third  Illi- 
nois \'olunteer  Infantry  during  the  ci\il  war, 
and  after  two  years  re-enlisted  as  captain 
in  the  One  Hundred  and  Si.xty-si.xth  regi- 
ment, was  captured  at  Fort  Donelson  and 
(lied  in  .\ndersonville  prison:  Charles  is  a 
contractor  and  builder  of  Chicago;  .\ndrew 
has  been  an  engineer  on  the  W'abast  Rail- 
road for  thirteen  years,  and  is  now  a  resident 
of  Decatur,  Illinois;  Amos  is  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Ford  county.  Illinois :  Robert  was 
for  several  years  yard  master  for  the  Wis- 
consin Central  Railroad  at  tiie  Roby  street 
yards,  Chicago,  in  which  city  he  died  in  Sep- 
temlier,  1S95;  Alfred  was  for  eleven  years 
a  conductor  on  the  Indiana,  Illinois  &  Iowa 
Railroad,  and  was  killed  near  \\'alkerton, 
Indiana.  April  ^o,  1899,  leaving  a  widow 
and  three  children,  who  reside  in  Chicago ; 
Jennie  is  the  wife  of  Zerum  Johnson,  a  resi- 
dent of  Dwight ;  Joseph  and  Dewitt  both 
died  of  diphtheria,  aged,  respectively,  seven 
and  four  years. 

^^'illiam  B.  Miller  was  but  a  lad  of  eleven 
}'ears  when  the  family  removed  to  Dwight, 
which  has  been  his  home  ever  since.  He 
assisted  his  father  in  stone  work  until  si.x- 
teen  years  of  age,  when  he  entered  the  em- 
plo)"  of  the  Chicaeo  iS:  .\Iton  Railroatl  as 
section  hand,  and  in  less  than  a  year  was 
made  foreman.  Two  years  were  sjient  in 
the  round  hou.se  at  Dwight,  and  he  was  then 
promoted  to  engineer,  running  a  local 
freight  from  Dwight  to  Washington,  Illi- 
nois, for  three  years  and  a  half.  During 
the  big  strike  of  1892  he  left  the  railroad 
and  for  one  year  was  ene\age(l  in  running 
a  stationary  engine.     In  i8t\^  lie  accejned  his 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


303 


])resent  position  as  engfineer  of  tlie  city  water 
works  at  Dwight.  and  has  since  given  his 
entire  attention  to  that  work.  The  construc- 
tiiMi  of  tile  plant  was  commenced  in  189J 
and  finished  the  following  year,  and  at  that 
time  was  run  by  steam,  but  in  1897  tlie 
Leslie  E.  Keeley  Company  donated  to  the 
city  a  modern  Fairbank  &  Morse  gas  engine 
of  twenty-five  horse  power,  two  Gould  seven- 
inch  pumps  with  a  lift  capacity  of  seven 
thousand  gallons  per  hour,  and  a  stand  pipe 
one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  high,  the  upper 
l)art  of  which  is  a  still  tank,  fifty-two  feet, 
with  a  capacity  of  fifty  thousand  gallons. 
This  furnishes  an  ample  fire  protection  as 
well  as  supply  for  general  use. 

On  the  18th  of  February.  1881.  Mr. 
Miller  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Jennie  Heffner.  daughter  of  .Xndrew  and 
Jane  (  Vocum)  Heffner.  Her  lather  was  a 
])rominent  citizen  and  miller  of  Huntingxlon 
county.  Pennsylvania,  and  was  nct.d  for  his 
l)ene\olent  and  charitable  disposition.  iMrs. 
iMiller  was  born  in  that  county  October  27, 
i860,  and  there  our  subject  met  her,  while 
on  a  visit  to  Pennsylvania.  She  is  the  fourth 
in.  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  si.x  children, 
the  others  being  Mary,  wife  of  Stewart 
Africa,  of  Huntingdon  county.  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  Rachel,  who  is  at  home  with  her 
mother ;  John,  who  succeeded  his  father  in 
business;  Rebecca,  at  home;  and  Thomas, 
who  is  living  on  the  old  homestead.  To 
Mr.  and  iMrs.  Miller  were  born  eight  chil- 
dren, namely:  Lawrence  A.,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  twelve  years;  Celia  J.,  Francis 
J..  Ralphus  A.,  Milton  J.,  iMary  R.,  Rachel 
and  Rebecca. 

I-'raternally  iMr.  iMiller  is  a  charter  mem- 
l;er  of  the  Independent  Order  (jf  Mutual 
.Aid;  of  Hebron  Lodge.  Xo.  175.  K.  P.,  in 
which  he  has  filled  most  of  the  offices,  and  a 


charter  member  of  the  Knights  of  Macca- 
bees of  Dwight.  and  finance  keeper  of  the 
same.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in  the 
progress  and  growth  of  his  town,  and  by 
his  ballot  supports  the  men  and  measures 
of  the  Republican  party. 


JOHX  LEGG.VTE. 

John  Leggate.  one  nf  the  highly  honoretl 
and  respected  citizens  of  Germanville  towiv 
ship,  Livingston  county,  owns  and  occupies 
a  well-improved  and  highly  cultivated  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres  on  section 
10.  and  has  most  efficiently  served  as  justice 
of  the  peace  for  many  years.  He  was  born 
in  Lanarkshire,  near  (ilasgow.  Scotland,  Au- 
gust 25,  1816,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and 
Margaret  (Dalgleish)  Leggate.  who  si>ent 
their  entire  lives  in  that  country.  The 
mother  died  when  mir  subject  was  only  four 
years  old,  and  the  father  afterward  married 
Esther  Cooper,  also  a  nati.\e  of  Scotland. 
He  followed  the  occupation  of  weaving 
throughout  life  and  died  at  the  age  of  forty- 
seven  years.  IW  his  first  marriage  he  had 
three  childrlcn,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the 
oldest.  James,  who  is  now  living  retired 
in  Patteron,  New  Jersey,  alsi^  followed 
weaving  during  his  active  life  and  has  ac- 
cumulated considerable  property.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Watson,  of  Scotland,  and  to 
them  have  been  born  six  children.  Robert, 
the  other  brother  of  our  subject,  served 
twenty  years  in  the  British  army,  and  died 
at  his  home  in  Scotland  at  the  age  of  fifty 
years,  leaving  a  family  of  children,  none  of 
whom  ever  came  to  this  country.  By  his  sec- 
ond marriage  the  father  had  four  children: 
Esther.  George.  William  and  William,  all 
of  whom  died  when  (luite  \iiung. 


304 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


John  Leggate  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  birthplace,  and  in  early  life 
learned  the  weaver's  trade  with  his  father, 
following  that  occupation  continuously  un- 
til coming  to  tlii  United  States  at  the  age 
of  thirty-two  years.  In  his  nati\-e  land  he 
was  married,  December  29,  1837,  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Fleming,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Marian  (Stuart)  Fleming,  life-long  resi- 
dents of  Scotland.  Her  father  was  also  a 
weaver. 

In  1848,  with  his  wife  and  children,  Mr. 
Leggate  sailed  for  America,  and  spent  the 
first  six  years  of  his  residence  here  in  New 
York  City,  where  he  followed  his  trade  three 
years,  and  also  worked  in  a  stained  glass 
factory  the  same  length  of  time.  Subse- 
quently he  spent  two  years  near  London, 
Canada,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  brick,  and  in  1857  came  to  Liv- 
ingston county,  Illinois.  He  had  previously 
accjuired  some  capital,  being  economical  and 
industrious,  and  this  he  invested  in  land  on 
section  10,  Germanville  township,  where  he 
now  resides.  As  his  financial  resources  have 
increased  he  has  added  to  his  landed  posses- 
sions, and  now  owns  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  land,  eighty  acres  of  which  are  on 
section  14,  the  same  township.  When  it 
came  into  his  possession  it  was  wild  prairie 
land,  but  acre  after  acre  were  soon  placed 
under  the  plow,  a  comfortable  residence  was 
erected,  good  barns  and  outbuildings  were 
also  built  and  many  other  improvements 
made,  so  that  it  is  now  one  of  the  most  de- 
sirable farm  of  that  section  of  the  county. 

Of  the  nine  children  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Leggate  only  four  are  now  living, 
namelv :  James,  born  in  Scotland,  is  now 
a  brick  manufacturer  of  Chicago.  He  mar- 
ried Matilda  Linn,  by  whom  he  had  four 
children,  two  still  living,  Lillie  and  Mancel. 


His  second  wife  was  Anna  Smith,  of  Chi- 
cago. (2)  John,  born  in  Scotland,  is  an 
engineer  of  Chicago.  During  the  civil  war 
he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Eighty-ninth  Illi- 
iiois  A*,)lunteer  Infantry,  but  was  wounded 
shortl}-  after  entering  the  service  and  hon- 
orably discharged.  He  married  Nancy  Mc- 
Kay and  has  three  children,  Rebecca,  Liz- 
zie and  ]\Iaggie.  (3)  \\'alter,  a  farmer 
of  Germanville  township,  is  represented  on 
another  page  of  this  work.  (4)  Sarah  is 
the  wife  of  Owen  McMahon,  who  operates 
iiur  subject's  farm.  Of  those  deceased, 
Marion  died  in  Scotland  when  cjuite  young. 
Alargaret  married  John  Beckman,  of  Ger- 
manville township,  and  died  in  Lnva,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-seven  years.  Robert,  born  in 
Scotland,  was  a  member  of  the  same  com- 
]iany  as  his  brother  John,  and  ser\-ecl  until 
the  end  of  the  war.  He  married  Mary  Sher- 
man and  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight  years, 
lea\-ing  two  children.  Viola  and  Etta. 
George,  born  in  Scotland,  married  Dora  Lut- 
son  and  lived  in  Germanville  township  for 
some  time,  but  spent  his  last  days  in  Iowa, 
where  he  died,  leaving  four  children.  Nancv 
James,  Viola  and  Martha.  Archie  died  in 
Germanville  at  the  age  of  four  years. 

Since  becoming  an  American  citizen  Mr. 
Leggate  has  afiiliated  with  the  Republican 
party,  and  has  taken  quite  an  active  interest 
in  public  affairs.  Since  1869  he  has  most 
creditably  and  acceptably  filled  the  ofiice  of 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  at  different  times 
has  held  all  of  the  township  offices,  being 
school  treasurer  twelve  years.  Lpright  and 
honorable  in  all  things,  he  has  been  found 
true  to  every  trust  reposed  in  him,  whether 
jjublic  or  private,  and  is  accounted  tme  of 
the  most  valued  and  useful  citizens  of  his 
comnnuiitv.  In  religious  faith  he  and  his 
familv    are    Preshvterians.      His    estimable 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


30: 


wife  died  in  May,  1893,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-eiglit  years,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  the 
Ciermanville  cemetery.  He  is  now  practi- 
cally living  retired.  surrc;)unded  1)y  a  large 
circle  of  friends  and  ac(|uaintances,  who  es- 
teem him  higfhlv  for  liis  sterline:  worth. 


A1).\M  S MAKER. 

Adam  Shafer,  who  resides  on  section  27. 
Chatsworth  township,  has  been  a  resident  of 
Ei\'ingston  county  since  1863.  He  was  born 
in  Koor,  Hessen,  German}-,  September  26, 
1S47.  His  father  dying  when  he  was  but  an 
infant  and  his  mother  marrying  again,  he 
Mas  reared  by  an  aunt  until  twelve  years  of 
age,  when  he  went  to  live  with  his  mother 
and  .step- father,  Jacob  Gabriel.  In  1857 
tiie  family  came  to  the  United  States  and  lo- 
cated in  Tazewell  county,  Illinois,  where 
they  remained  for  five  years,  and  in  1863 
moved  to  what  was  tiien  the  southern  part 
of  Chatsworth  township,  but  is  now  Ger- 
manville  township.  On  the  farm  of  iiis  step- 
father our  subject  grew  to  manhood,  in  the 
meantime  receiving  a  limited  education  in 
the  pul)iic  schools.  From  the  time  he  was 
old  enough  to  follow  a  ])lmv  he  had  to  do 
his  share  of  the  farm  work,  and  therefore 
he  became  a  tlKjrough,  practical  farmer. 
\\'hen  twenty-one  years  old  he  left  home 
and  for  the  next  three  vears  worked  as  a 
farm  hand,  during  which  time  lie  saved  up 
the  greater  jjart  of  liis  earnings  and  was 
enabled  to  commence  farming  for  himself. 

In  December.  1870.  Mr.  Shafer  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Kathrina 
Xeiding,  who  was  born  in  Germany  in  1845. 
She  came  to  this  country  when  twenty-three 
years  of  age,  after  the  deatli  of  her  parents. 


She  had  one  brother  and  three  sisters  in  this 
country,  but  of  the  five  her  brother  John 
and  her  sister  Martha  are  the  only  ones  now 
living.  The  latter  is  the  wife  of  Henry 
Brents,  of  Brule,  Nebraska.  The  former  is 
engaged  in  farming  in  Chatsworth  town- 
ship. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shafer  were  born 
nine  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  early 
childhood.  Those  living  are  Christ,  a  pros- 
perous young  farmer  ;n  Chatsu'orth  town- 
shi]),  who  is  married  and  has  three  children. 
He  is  living  on  his  father's  farm  in  that 
township.  Lizzie  is  the  wife  of  Henry 
Klehm,  and  they  ha\-e  two  children.  They 
reside  on  a  farm  in  Ford  county.  Katie  is 
the  wife  of  I'hilip  Keosner,  and  thc\-  live 
near  Chenoa,  McLean  county.  They  ha\e 
one  son.  Edward,  Charles,  Bert'e  and  Lena 
yet  remain  at  home  with  their  fath:r,  the 
sons  assisting-  in  the  farm  work,  while  the 
daughter  attends  to  the  housekeeping. 

-After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  ]\lrs. 
Shafer  continued  to  reside  on  rentd  land  in 
Germainillc  lownshi])  for  five  years,  during 
which  time  he  succeeded  in  accunnilating 
sufficient  means  to  purchase  eighty  acres  of 
partially  improved  land  in  Chatsworth  town- 
ship, south  of  the  city.  To  that  farm  they 
removed,  and  here  he  has  continued  to  reside 
imtil  the  j^resent  time.  From  time  to  time 
he  added  to  his  possessions  nnt  1  he  now 
owns  two  hundred  acres  on  section  i".  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  on  section  2}^  and 
one  hundred  and  sixty  aci-es  on  section  16. 
Chatswiirtli  township,  all  of  which  is  inider 
a  high  state  of  cultivation.  When  twenty- 
one  years  old  he  had  to  face  the  world,  a 
young  man  without  means  and  the  owner 
of  not  an  acre  of  God's  green  earth,  but  by 
industry  and  the  help  of  his  wife,  and  also 
that  of  Iiis  children  in  later  years,  he  is  now 
possessed  of  a  competency  and  can  Jirne  no 


L 


3o6 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


fear  of  the  future.  During  the  greater  part 
of  tlie  time  in  which  he  has  been  accumulat- 
ing his  wife  was  in  ill  health,  and  for  much 
of  the  time  under  the  care  of  a  physician. 
He  never  went  into  the  field  without  fear  in 
his  heart  for  the  good  wife  at  the  house. 
Notwithstanding  her  illnefs  she  was  to  him 
a  true  helpmeet  and  an  inspiration,  and  no 
sacrifice  but  was  cheerfully  made  to  secure 
her  happiness.  By  her  cheerful  disposition 
and  loving  counsel  she  assisted  him  in  the 
toils  of  the  day.  The  improvements  on  his 
farm,  including  the  residence,  and  the  barns, 
the  fences,  the  tiling  and  the  orchard,  is 
the  result  of  his  own  labors,  and  he  has  rea- 
son to  be  proud  of  what  has  been  accom- 
plished. For  a  number  of  years  he  owned 
and  operated  a  corn  sheller  and  a  thresher. 
which  added  materially  to  his  income. 

On  the  24th  of  April.  1899.  ]\Irs.  Shafer 
passed  from  her  earthly  cares  to  the  haven  of 
rest.  In  the  old  country  she  was  a  number 
of  the  Lutheran  church,  but  after  her  ma 
riage  she  united  with  the  Evangelical  Asso- 
ciation, with  which  body  she  remained  a 
faithful  and  consistent  member  until  her 
death.  She  was  a  lo\'ing  wife,  a  kind 
mother  and  a  deserving  Christian  woman, 
beloved  by  all  who  knew  her.  With  the 
hope  of  a  restoration  to  health  she  was  taken 
tu  a  hospital  in  Chicago,  and  there  under- 
went a  severe  surgical  operation,  but  it  was 
without  avail.  Death  claimed  her,  but  she 
was  read}'  to  go.  During  her  lung  illness 
she  bore  it  all  uncomplainingly,  and  when 
the  dread  summons  came  she  was  ready,  hav- 
ing an  abiding  hope  in  her  blessed  Savior, 
and  with  the  full  assurance  that  in  the  home 
beyond  she  would  meet  her  loved  ones,  for 
they  are  all  followers  of  the  meek  and  lowly 
one.  In  her  life  she  was  an  earnest  and 
willing  supporter  of  the  church,  and   when 


able  a  worker  in  the  Sunday  school.  Her 
life  was  a  life  of  good  works,  and  it  can  well 
be  said  of  her,  "Blessed  are  the  dead  who 
die  in  the  Lord,  for  they  shall  rest  from  their 
labors  and  their  works  do  follow  them." 

Like  his  wife,  Mr.  Shafer  is  a  member  of 
the  Evangelical  Association  and  a  firm  be- 
liever in  the  Christian  religion.  Politically 
he  is  a  Repulilican,  but  he  is  not  an  office 
seeker.  Time  and  again  has  he  refused  local 
office  that  would  be  forced  on  h'm  liy  well 
meaning  friends.  His  taste,  however,  did 
not  run  in  that  direction.  He  preferred  to 
attend  to  his  duties  as  a  husband  and  father 
and  to  his  farm  work.  However,  he  served 
as  a  school  director  for  several  years,  but 
only  for  the  reason  that  he  was  interested 
in  the  public  schools  and  the  cause  of  educa- 
tion. He  is  a  citizen  deservedly  held  in  high 
esteem. 


RE\'.  GEORGE  HERTLEIX. 

Rev.  George  Hertlein,  who  is  now  liv- 
ing a  retired  life  in  the  village  of  Cullom, 
Livingston  county,  Illinois,  was  born  in 
Bavaria,  Germany,  November  30,  1849,  ^"^ 
is  a  son  of  Lawrence  and  IMar)'  Hertlein, 
both  of  whom  \\ere  natives  of  the  same 
country  and  there  spent  their  entire  lives. 
Thev  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  one 
of  whom,  Christ,  died  in  1897,  at  the  age 
of  forty-five  years.  Elizabeth  lives  in  Ba- 
varia, and  George  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

George  Hertlein  grew  to  manhood  in 
his  native  country  and  was  educated  in  the 
parochial  schools,  supplemented  by  a  four- 
years'  course  in  a  theological  seminary,  pre- 
paring for  the  ministry.  He  was  graduated 
from  the  seminarv  and  ordained  to  the  min- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


307 


istry  in  liis  native  country.  In  1877  lie 
came  tu  tlie  I'nited  States  and  located  in 
liiwa  Cilv.  Iowa,  where  he  ser\ed  as  assist- 
ant pastor  of  a  ciiurch  for  six  niontlis  ami 
was  then  called  to  the  church  at  Sharon 
Center.  Iowa,  and  for  two  years  served  as 
its  pastor,  tilling  the  duties  of  the  sacred 
office  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  pa- 
rishioners, while  enjoying  the  confidence  of 
the  coniniunity  at  large.  He  was  then  taken 
sick  with  inflammation  of  the  lungs  and  was 
compelled  for  a  time  to  abandon  the  minis- 
try. While  yet  resitling  in  his  native  land 
he  .served  three  years  and  a  half  in  the  Ger- 
man arm\-,  and  his  disability  dates  back  to 
that  time.  A  half-brother.  Rev.  Lorenz 
Schorr,  preceded  him  to  the  United  States, 
coming  in  1861.  He  died  in  1871.  and  our 
subject  took  up  the  work  where  his  brother 
left  oft". 

In  187S.  aliout  one  year  after  his  ar- 
rival in  this  country.  Mr.  Hertlein  was 
unitetl  in  marriage  with  ^liss  Mary  Laub- 
pender,  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  1856,  but 
who  was  then  living  in  Sharon  Center,  Iowa, 
where  the  wedding  ceremony  was  solemn- 
ized. By  this  union  ten  children  have  been 
born,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Of 
those  living,  Sophia  is  now  the  wife  of  Pro- 
fessor L.  Sheldahl,  professor  of  history  ami 
languages  in  the  Iowa  Synod  College,  at 
W'averly,  Iowa.  They  have  one  child, 
Guido.  Emma,  at  the  age  of  eighteen, 
graduated  from  Iowa  College,  having  taken 
the  classical  course.  Matilda.  Mary,  Ame- 
lia, Ruth  and  George  are  attending  school 
in  Cullom.  Hans  is  the  youngest  of  the 
chililren. 

When  comi)elled  to  relim|uish  his  charge 
at  Sharon,  Iowa,  Mr.  Hertlein  embarked  in 
the  mercantile  business  at  that  place,  in 
which    he   remained   some   vcars.      He   was 


also  commissioned  as  postmaster  and  served 
as  such  until  1883.  Regaining  his  health, 
he  notified  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Synod 
of  Iowa,  with  which  he  was  connected,  that 
he  was  again  prepared  to  take  up  his  life 
w  ork,  and  receiving  a  call  from  the  church 
at  Cullom,  he  moved  to  the  place  and  for 
six  months  engaged  in  his  chosen  calling. 
He  soon  found  that  it  would  be  impossible 
to  continue  in  that  wt)rk,  and.  resigning, 
again  entered  into  the  mercantile  business, 
carrying  a  general  stock.  Purchasing  a 
lot,  he  erected  a  building  and  commenced 
what  proxed  a  successful  mercantile  career. 
In  189^)  he  sold  out  his  stock,  having  in  the 
meantime,  bv  good  management  and  the 
exercise  of  good  business  ability  and 
sound  judgment,  acquired  enough  of 
this  world's  goods  to  enaljle  him  to 
live  in  comfort.  He  has  now  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  Indiana 
and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Sulli- 
van township.  Livingston  county,  together 
with  some  \illage  property.  In  1897  ha 
erected  on  his  business  block  a  good  two- 
story  brick  building,  well  suited  to  the 
wants  of  the  place,  and  which  adds  mate- 
rially to  the  business  section  of  the  town. 

When  Mr.  Hertlein  came  to  Cullom  it 
had  only  about  one  lnindre<l  inhabitants,  and 
to  him  much  of  the  credit  is  due  for  the 
advancement  it  has  made  in  jjopulation  and 
wealth.  He  assisted  in  securing  the  tile 
factory  for  the  place,  and  went  into  part- 
nership with  E.  .\.  Ortman  in  the  business, 
and  they  together  operated  it  for  seven  years 
with  good  success.  In  1898  he  sold  his  in- 
tere.st  to  Mr.  Ortman,  since  which  time  he 
has  li\ed  a  (luiet,  retired  life,  .giving  his  at- 
tention only  to  his  farm  and  his  village 
property. 

In  ])olitics  Mr.  Hertlein  was  a  Democrat 


308 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


until  1896,  since  wiiich  time  he  has  voted 
independently  of  party  lines.  For  two 
terms  he  served  as  treasurer  of  the  village, 
and  was  elected  \'illage  trustee,  but  after 
serving  six  months  he  resigned.  He  also 
ser\-ed  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  for 
se\'eral  terms,  and  while  no  the  l)oard  he 
succeeded  in  hax'ing  consolidated  districts 
No.  6  and  7,  and  also  secured  the  erection 
of  a  fine  school  building,  which  is  an  honor 
to  the  place.  The  first  class  to  be  grad- 
uated from  the  school  was  in  June,  1900, 
and  his  daughter  Mar}"  was  one  of  the  grad- 
uates. 

I\lr.  Hertlein  was  reared  in  the  Evan- 
gelical Ltuheran  church  and  has  e\'er  been 
an  earnest  ad\-ocate  of  its  doctrines  and  its 
polity.  Since  1883  he  has  served  as  an 
elder  in  the  church,  and  until  recently  he 
was  treasurer  of  the  chuich  in  CoUum. 
When  he  came  to  the  church  as  its  pastor 
there  was  a  debt  of  thirteen  hundred  dol- 
lars on  the  building  and  he  made  it  his  first 
duty  to  clear  that,  which  he  did  in  a  short 
time  by  securing  subscriptions  from  its 
members  and  friends.  He  later  as- 
sisted in  the  erection  of  the  parson- 
age, and  since  the  death  of  its  last 
minister  he  has  had  the  financial  man- 
agement I  if  it,  and  has  placed  it  in  good 
financial  condition.  He  has  always  taken 
an  active  interest  in  the  Sunday-school 
work,  and  is  at  present  superintendent  of 
the  school  and  also  serves  as  teacher. 
Acti\c  in  whatever  he  undertakes,  he  has 
met  with  uniform  success  in  all  things,  and 
to  such  as  he  the  general  welfare  of  a  com- 
munity depends.  All  esteem  him  as  a  true 
Christian,  a  successful  Inisiness  man  and  a 
giidil  citizen,  one  hax'ing  at  heart  the  l)est 
\\-elfare  nf  the  community  in  winch  he 
li\'es. 


J.  E.  BANGS. 

Joseph  Edward  Bangs,  a  well  known 
educator  of  this  state,  and  the  subject  of' 
this  sketch,  was  born  in  Bureau  county, 
Illinois,  and  is  the  seventh  in  a  family  of 
eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  now  living. 
His  parents  were  Samuel  L.  Bangs  and 
Margaret  (Howard)  Bangs. 

The  father  was  a  native  of  Massachu- 
setts, where  his  ancestors  had  resided  since 
1624.  They  were  originally  from  England. 
Our  subject's  paternal  grandfather  served  in 
the  Re\-olutionary  war  and  Professor  Bangs 
is  therefore  a  veritable  "Son  of  the  Revolu- 
tion."' In  the  '50s  Samuel  L.  Bangs  came 
to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Bureau  county, 
liut  later  moved  to  La  Salle  county,  which 
was  his  h(_>me  for  nearly  forty  years.  He 
died  in  1898  at  the  ripe  age  of  ninety  years, 
having  seen  Illinois  transformed  from  a  wil- 
derness to  a  garden.  His  wife,  who  is  still 
living,  was  born  in  England.  She  bejongs 
to  the  well-known  Howard  family  and  is  a 
direct  descendant  from  the  Duke  of  Nor- 
folk. She  possesses  an  unusually  bright  in- 
tellect and  now,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one, 
is  an  interesting  and  lovable  character. 

Mr.  Bangs  is  essentially  a  self-made  man. 
His  boyhood  was  spent  on  the  farm  in  La 
Salle  county,  where  he  early  learned  self 
sacrifice  and  endurance  through  the  disci- 
pline of  hard  work.  At  seven  years  of  age 
he  was  put  to  driving  a  team,  at  nine  he 
drove  a  four-horse  reaper,  at  fourteen  he 
was  making  a  "hand,"  regularly,  binding  be- 
hind a  I\IcCornnck  harvester.  From  earli- 
est boyhood  he  was  a  great  reader  and  e\-er 
anxious  to  secure  an  education,  but,  for  manv 
years,  necessity  compelled  him  to  be  content 
with  the  schooling  which  the  three  months 
Vv"inter    school    afforded.      V>y    studving    at 


ir"-. 


PROF.  J.  E.  BANGS. 


MRS.  J.  E.  BANGS. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


311 


night  and  by  improving  odd  moments,  how- 
ever, he  was  able  to  keep  up  with  his  more 
fortunate  companions,  who  could  attend 
school  the  year  around.  From  the  age  of 
sixteen  he  earned  his  own  spending  money, 
paid  for  his  clothes  and  books,  and  later 
made  his  own  way  through  school. 

On  leaving  college,  he  immediatel}-  began 
to  teach,  and  after  several  years  of  successful 
experience,  he  took  the  rigid  four  days'  ex- 
amination for  a  state  license.  This  he  suc- 
cessfully passed  and  received  the  state's  seal 
upon  his  ability  as  an  instructor  in  the  form 
vi  a  state  certificate,  good  for  life. 

In  the  same  year  he  took  charge  of  the 
schoL>ls  of  Washburn,  Illinois,  where  he  es- 
tablished a  course  of  study,  doubled  the  en- 
rullmeni  of  the  high  school,  drawing  in  pu- 
pils from  outside  tne  district  until  one-half 
of  the  high  school  was  composed  of  tuition 
pupils,  who  brought  into  the  district  enough 
money  to  pay  a  goud  teacher's  salary.  He 
was  especially  successful  in  holding  the  boys 
i;i  school  and  in  sending  his  graduates  to 
college.  Here  he  graduated  a  class  com- 
posed entirely  of  boys,  nearly  all  of  whom 
later  entered  college.  His  school  became 
the  inspiration  of  the  schools  of  the  county, 
w  hile  the  results  of  the  influences  for  higher 
education  which  he  set  at  work  among  the 
people,  can  scarcely  be  estimated. 

After  four  years  at  Washburn.  Mr. 
Bangs  was  called  to  a  wider  field  of  action 
at  Fairbury,  where  he  remained  eight  years, 
as  superintendent  and  principal  of  the  city 
schools,  and  a  similar  result  is  found.  Dur- 
ing his  administration,  while  the  city  in- 
creased but  a  few  per  cent,  in  population,  the 
average  daily  attendance  of  the  high  school 
increased  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  per 
cent.  A  large  increase  was  also  found 
in  the  amount  of  tuition  received.     At  the 


close  of  his  work  his  patrons  declared.  "He 
left  the  schools  on  a  practical  and  firm  basis, 
second  to  none  in  the  state." 

In  1894  Fairbury  reluctantly  yielded  Mr. 
Bangs  to  Pontiac,  where  the  buikling  of  a 
township  high  school  had  opened  a  larger 
field  for  the  exercise  of  his  executive  ability. 
Here  his  practical  methods,  his  capacity  for 
details  and  his  organizing  talent  brought  the 
school  very  soon  into  a  creditable  and  con- 
spicuous place  among  the  educational  insti- 
tutions of  Illinois.  Every  year  has  shown 
a  marked  increase  in  the  power  and  popu- 
larity of  the  school,in  the  amount  of  the  tui- 
tion received  from  foreign  students  and  in  the 
enrollment  of  boys.  In  1900  there  were  en- 
rolled one  hundred  and  fourteen  boys  and 
one  hundred  and  four  girls,  and  a  class  com- 
posed of  thirteen  boys  and  six  girls  was  grad- 
uated, while  over  twelve  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  tuition  was  collected  outside  of  the 
thirty-six  miles  of  free  territory.  During 
the  six  years  of  ]Mr.  Bangs'  administration 
he  has  collected  and  paid  into  the  lowiisliii) 
treasury'  between  fixe  and  six  thousand 
dollars  of  tuition  money.  If  tlie  same 
average  increase  continues,  it  can  be 
expected  that  the  high  school  building 
will  be  paid  for  by  outside  tuition  in  a  little 
over  a  score  of  years.  Tlie  best  test  of  any 
school  is  found  in  what  its  product  accom- 
plishes after  leaving  school,  judged  by  thi> 
test,  the  township  high  school  stands  in  the 
front  rank.  Its  graduates  are  making  a 
good  record.  In  six  years  fifty  graduates 
have  become  teachers  and  as  man\'  more 
uf  its  undergraduates.  A  large  number 
have  gone  to  college  and  an  unusually  large 
number  are  succeeding  in  business. 

By  conscientious  effort,  the  grade  of  the 
school  has  been  steatlily  raised  until  the  in- 
stitution is  now  recognized  bv  our  leading 


312 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


colleges  and  universities  and  has  a  place 
upon  their  lists  of  accredited  schools.  It  is 
doubtful  if  any  township  high  school  in  the 
state  has  made  a  better  record  in  the  first 
six  years  of  its  existence  than  the  Pontiac 
high  school  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Bangs. 
He  has  ever  been  found  faithfully  discharg- 
ing his  duties  in  the  least  pretentious  posi- 
tions as  in  the  most  important  ones  and  his 
efforts  ha\'e  in\'ariabl\'  benefited  the  school 
permanently.  It  has  been  well  said  that 
"few  men  naturally  possess  the  executive 
ability  and  talent  for  organization  that  we 
find  in  Mr.  Bangs."  This  is  amply  proven 
by  the  fact  that  he  has  built  up  every  school 
with  which  he  has  been  connected. 

In  addition  to  his  w^ork  as  principal  antl 
superintendent,  during  the  past  sixteen 
years,  Mr.  Bangs  has  spent  from  three  to 
twelve  weeks  of  his  summer  vacations,  each 
year,  as  an  institute  instructor  or  conductor, 
so  that  his  name  is  a  familiar  one  in  many 
counties  of  the  state,  and  he  has  justly 
achieved  the  reputation  of  being  a  strong  in- 
stitute worker.  In  one  county  he  has  been 
engaged  twelve  consecutive  years. 

Few  men  count  more  friends  among 
their  fellow  workers  than  does  Mr.  Bangs, 
for  teachers  recognize  in  him  an  earnest, 
sincere,  loyal,  helpful  co-laborer — one  who  is 
working  for  the  best  in  education  e\'ery- 
where.  This  was  markedly  shown  liv  the 
resolution  of  endorsement  for  state  superin- 
tendency  given  him  by  the  Teachers'  Asso- 
ciation of  Livingston  county,  in  1898.  This 
resolution  w-as  seconded  by  teachers  of  every 
political  party  and  unanimously  adopted  with 
cordial  enthusiasm.  ]\Ir.  Bangs  is  an  ardent 
Republican,  and  ever  has  been,  but  he  never 
lets  party  come  befure  principle  ;ind  where 
he  is  known  he  commands  the  respect  of  all 
parties. 


He  was  for  several  years  president  of  the 
Livingston  County  Teachers'  Association ; 
has  served  in  an  active  manner  on  various 
committees  in  the  state  associations ;  was 
vice-president  of  the  Northern  Illinois 
Teachers'  Association  in  1896,  and  is  now — ■ 
1900 — one  of  the  vice-presidents  of  the  Illi- 
nois State  Teachers'  Association. 

In  1898  Mr.  Bangs  was  urged  by  his 
friends  to  become  a  candidate  for  nomina- 
tion for  state  superintendent  of  public  in- 
struction. Being  engaged  in  teaching,  he 
made  no  canvass,  but  the  race  he  made  was 
declared  by  old  politicians  to  have  been  most 
creditable.  Starting  with  but  twenty-seven 
pledged  votes,  by  the  time  the  first  ballot  was 
taken  he  had  three  hundred  and  sixty-five 
recorded  for  him.  A  ijrominent  jiaper  in 
speaking  of  the  convention,  said:  "Xo  can- 
didate ever  overcame  odds  more  rapidly  or 
made  friends  faster  than  did  Mr.  Bangs. 
His  headquarters  were  always  crowded. 
Had  he  started  on  equal  terms  with  the  suc- 
cessful candidate  there  is  little  doubt  but  that 
he  would  ha\'e  been  nominated." 

]\Ir.  Bangs  is  deeplv  interested  in  all  the 
great  moral,  social  and  economic  questions 
of  the  day  and  is  ever  ready  to  help  in  any 
good  cause.  He  has  been  a  teacher  in  Sab- 
bath school  nearly  all  his  mature  life,  was 
for  some  seven  years  superintendent  of  one, 
and  is  a  regular  attendant  on  di\'ine  service. 
He  is  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  Pon- 
tiac Summer  Chautauqua  and  has  interests 
in  other  public  enterprises. 

The  principal  fraternal  societies  claim  him 
as  an  active  member.  He  belongs  to  the 
Woodmen,  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
the  various  orders  of  Masonry  and  has 
passed  through  the  "chairs"  and  licen  jjre- 
siding  officer  in  the  mai<>rit\-  (if  them.  He  is 
past  commander  of  St.   Paul  commandery, 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


313 


Knights  Templar,  a  member  of  the  grand 
commandery  of  Illinois  and  of  the  Past 
commanders'  Association  of  Chicago.  He 
was  active  in  working  up  the  uniform  rank, 
K.  P.,  in  the  county  and  was  successively 
elected  first  lieutenant,  then  captain  of  divis- 
ion No.  63,  and  later,  in  1893,  he  was  unani- 
mously elected  lieutenant  colonel  of  the 
Third  Regiment,  L'nifurm  Rank.  K.  P., 
which  is  composed  of  companies  located  at 
J<.>liet,  Seneca,  Lemont.  Ottawa,  Kankakee, 
Mazon,  Streator,  Pont^ac,  Peoria.  Fairljury. 
In  1897  he  was  re-elected  to  this  office  and 
has  been  for  nearly  eight  years  a  held  officer 
of  the  Illinois  brigade.  In  each  of  these  po- 
sitions he  has  served  h!s  brethren  well  and 
faithfully,  and  they,  in  turn,  have  shown 
their  appreciation  on  various  occasions,  bv 
testimonials  of  esteem  and  confidence. 

Mr.  Bangs  is  a  member  of  the  Marquetl; 
Club  and  also  of  the  Hamilton  Club,  both 
of  Chicago,  and  takes  an  active  part  in  ad- 
vancing their  interests.  Without  e.xceptinn, 
those  who  know  Mr.  Bangs  best  have  always 
said,  "He  is  the  right  man  in  the  right  place," 
and  if  his  friends  were  to  name  his  leading 
characteristics  they  would  say,  "Executive 
ability,  industry,  kmdness.  honesty  and  strict 
integrity."  Some  one  has  said  of  him, 
"Having  successfully  fought  his  own  way 
through  the  difficulties  which  beset  the  poor 
boy's  path,  he  is  eminently  fitted  to  sympa- 
thize with  others  similarly  situated  and  to 
guide  them  to  a  like  profitable  course  of 
action."  As  Mr.  Bangs  is  yet  in  the  prime 
of  life  we  may  expect  still  greater  service  in 
the  years  to  come. 

Mr.  Bangs  was  married  August  i.  1894, 
to  Margaret  R.  Maloney.  daughter  of  Dr. 
X.  \'.  and  Anna  (Krater)  iMaloney,  ui 
Washburn,  Woodford  county,  Illino's.  of 
which  her   father  was  one  of  the  pioneers 


and  prominent  physicians.  Both  parents  are 
now  dead,  the  father  dying  in  1892  and  the 
mother  in  1898.  Mrs.  Bangs  is  a  graduate 
of  Monticello  Seminary  and  was  valedic- 
torian of  her  class.  She  was  a  remarkably 
successful  teacher,  her  work  being  in  the 
grammar  school  at  Washburn,  as  superin- 
tentlent  of  schools  at  Rutland,  La  Salle  coun- 
tv,  for  seven  years,  as  i)rincipal  (^f  the  Fair- 
bury  high  school,  with  Mr.  Bangs  as  superin- 
tendent, and  also  in  the  I'ontiac  townsliip 
high  school. 

Mrs.  Bangs  was  also  a  successful  insti- 
tute instructor,  and  was  at  one  time  the  Re- 
publican candidate  for  county  superintendent 
of  schools  in  Woodford  county.  Her  popu- 
larity as  a  teacher  was  great  and  many 
a  boy  and  girl  marks  a  mile  stone  in  true 
progress  from  the  time  they  came  under  her 
influence.  Some  one  has  said.  "She  thinks 
of  every  one  else  first,  herself  last,  or  not 
at  all."  She  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  a  teacher  in  the  Sal)bath 
school,  an  officer  in  the  county  Sunday 
school  (organization,  secretary  of  the  Asso- 
ciated Charities  and  an  active  sympathizer 
with  the  unfortunate  everywhere.  She  is  a 
woman  of  excellent  literary  attainments,  is 
a  ready  writer,  an  able  critic,  has  occasion- 
ally contributed  to  'eading  periodicals  and 
has  assisted  in  the  ])reparatioti  of  several 
text-books. 


JOSEPH   BROWX. 

Joseph  Brown,  a  prominent  farmer,  who 
owns  and  operates  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  \'aluable  land  on  section  19.  Pleas- 
ant Ridge  tow'nshi]>,  Livingston  county,  Il- 
linois,   was   born     in     Camillus,    Onondago 


314 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


county,  Xew  York,  September  7,  1840. 
His  father,  Jolm  Brown,  was  lx>rn  in  Edin- 
btirg,  Scotland,  January  2,  1810,  and  when 
twenty  \ears  of  age  crossed  the  broad  At- 
lantic and  settled  in  Onondago  county,  Xew 
York,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm  for  a 
time.  There  he  married  Rebecca  Conklin, 
a  native  of  Fulton  county,  Xew  York, 
and  they  continued  to  make  their  home 
in  Onondago  county  until  1856,  when 
the_\-  came  to  Peoria,  Illinois,  where 
tlie  father  engaged  in  farming  until 
the  spring  of  1868.  On  our  sub- 
ject purchasing  a  tract  of  wild  prairie 
land  in  Eppards  Point  township,  Liv- 
ingston county,  he  came  with  him  and 
made  his  home  there  with  our  subject 
in  Pleasant  Ridge  township  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  November  27,  1897.  The 
mother,  who  was  a  consistent  member  of 
the  ^lethodist  Episcopal  church,  died  in 
1852. 

The  greater  part  of  the  early  education 
of  our  suliject  was  obtained  in  the  schools 
of  Xew'  York,  though  for  a  short  time  he 
attended  school  in  Peoria.  In  early  life  he 
worked  by  the  month  as  a  farm  hand  for 
six  years.  On  the  2d  of  August,  1862,  he 
joined  the  boys  in  blue  as  a  member  of 
Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
second  Xew  York  X'olunteer  Infantry,  and 
went  first  to  \Vashington,  D.  C.  He  par- 
ticipated in  the  battles  of  Antietam,  the 
^\'ilderness,  Spotts_\-l\-ania,  Cold  Harbor, 
Gettysburg,  INIine  Run,  and  the  engage- 
ments in  the  Shenandoah  valley,  being  with 
Sheridan  at  Winchester,  Strasburg  and 
Fisher's  Hill.  They  then  joined  Grant's 
army  at  Deep  Bottom,  and  from  that  time 
until  the  close  of  the  war  were  near  the 
Potomac.  Mr.  Brown  was  in  the  front  line 
of   battle   when   Lee   surrendered   and   par- 


ticipated in  the  grand  review  at  Washing- 
ton, l)eing  mustered  out  July  2,  1865. 

Returning  to  Peoria,  he  worked  in  the 
ciial  mines  there  for  two  years,  and  then 
purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Ep- 
pards Point  township,  Livingston  county, 
upon  which  he  made  all  of  the  improve- 
ments, but  in  1883  he  traded  that  property 
for  his  present  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  Pleasant  Ridge  township, 
which  at  that  time  was  only  partially  im- 
prLsxed.  He  has  since  thoroughly  tiled  the 
place,  using  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  thou- 
sand tiles,  has  planted  an  orchard  and  erected 
a  good  residence  and  barn,  so  that  he  now 
has  one  of  the  most  desirable  farms  of  its 
size  in  the  township.  Every  foot  of  space 
is  now  available  for  cultivation.  Besides 
this  valuable  farm.  ]\Ir.  Brown  owns  another 
one  hundred  and  sixty-acre  tract  in  Ford 
county,  all  of  which  has  been  acquired 
through  liis  own  well-directed  and  ener- 
getic efforts  since  1865. 

On  the  24th  of  October,  1865,  "Mr. 
Brown  married  Miss  Emily  L.  Archdale, 
of  Peoria.  Her  parents,  XN'illiam  and  Sarah 
(Lacey)  Archdale,  who  were  born,  reared 
and  married  in  Yorkshire,  England,  came 
to  the  L'nited  States  in  1837,  being  among 
the  pioneers  of  Peoria.  The  father  died 
there  August  15,  1870,  the  mother  Xovem- 
ber  1,  1872,  lo  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  were 
born  eight  children,  namely:  William  L., 
born  December  6,  1866,  is  a  resident  of 
Ford  county,  and  has  filled  the  office  of 
school  director.  Alice  M.,  born  October 
29,  1869,  is  ow  the  wife  of  Edison  Howe, 
of  Windom,  Minnesota,  and  they  have  three 
children:  Joseph,  born  Februarv  16,  1894; 
Francis,  born  June  22,  1898;  and  Harry, 
born  December  7,  1899.  Charles  R.,  born 
X"o\ember  24,    1872,  lives  in  Ford  count  v. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


315 


He  married  Nellie  Day  and  has  two  chil- 
dren: Emily  P.,  born  November  5.  1897; 
and  ora,  born  September  20,  1899.  Jo- 
seph, born  March  26,  1878,  is  living  at  home 
and  ser\ino-  as  school  tlirector.  Edwin, 
born  February  6,  1881,  and  P'lorence.  born 
May  ig,  1883,  are  both  at  home. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  member  of  Fairbury 
Post,  No.  75.  Cj.  A.  R.,  antl  attemls  and 
supports  tlie  .Metliodist  Episcopal  church. 
In  bis  political  views  be  is  a  Republican,  and 
has  filled  the  offices  of  road  commissioner 
and  school  director,  serving  in  the  latter 
position  ten  or  fifteen  years  and  always  tak- 
ing a  deep  and  conimendal)le  interest  in  edu- 
cational affairs.  In  all  the  relations  of  life 
be  has  been  found  true  to  everv  trust  reposed 
in  him,  and  has  manifested  his  loyalty  and 
patriotism  in  days  of  peace  as  well  as  in 
tune  of  w  ar. 


CONRAD    TRECKER. 

Among  the  representative  business  men 
of  Livingston  county  none  are  more  de- 
serving of  representation  in  this  volume 
than  Conrad  Trecker,  the  well-known  tile 
manufacturer  of  Odell,  who,  through  his 
own  well-directed  efforts,  has  gained  a 
comfortable  competence  that  numbers  him 
among  the  substantial  men  of  his  commu- 
nity. He  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany, 
October  2,  1850,  a  son  of  Theodore  and 
Elizabeth  (Franken)  Trecker,  natives  of  the 
same  place  where  the  father  followed  the 
carpenter's  trade,  which  he  had  learned  when 
a  young  man.  In  1852  he  brought  his 
family  to  America  and  first  located  in  P-?ru, 
Illinois,  where  he  lived  four  years,  later 
making  his  home  in  Mendota,  and  following 


his  trade  in  each  place.  In  1868  he  i)ur- 
chased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
in  Union  township.  Livingston  county, 
which  he  (leve!<>])ed  fmm  raw  land  into  a 
good  farm  and  which  he  successfully  oper- 
ated until  his  death,  dying  in  1886,  at  the  age 
of  si.xty-three  years.  He  was  a  self-made 
man,  lia\ing  no  capital  when  he  came  to  this 
country.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and 
in  religious  views  both  he  and  his  wife  were 
Catholics.  She  died  in  1897,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-nine  years,  and  the  property  in 
L'nion  township  was  then  divided  among 
the  children.  The  family  consisted  of  the 
following  named  :  William,  a  shoemaker  of 
Cabrey,  Illinois,  died  in  1884;  Conrad  is  next 
in  order  of  birth ;  Peter,  a  farmer,  died  in 
Union  township  in  1881 ;  Joseph  is  engaged 
in  farming  in  that  township,  and  owns  a 
half  interest  in  the  tile  works  of  which  our 
subject  has  charge;  Katrina  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  Sieberg.  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin ; 
Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  John  Cheslie,  of  the 
same  city:  lillen  died  at  the  ln)me  of  her 
sister  in  Kankakee,  in  1887;  Christina  is 
the  wife  of  Peter  Kettwich,  of  Peru,  Illi- 
nois: and  riicodorc  is  the  owner  of  a  ma- 
chine shop  in  -Milwaukee,  ha\ing  learned 
the  trade  when  young. 

Conrad  Trecker  received  only  a  limited 
common-school  education,  and  during  his 
boyhood  he  worked  at  farming  and  at  the 
carpenter's  trade  with  his  father.  After  the 
latter  purchased  a  farm  our  subject  devoted 
his  entire  time  and  attention  to  its  cultiva- 
tion until  twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  then 
commenced  operating  rented  land  on  bis 
own  account.  He  was  married,  in  i>>j^,  to 
Miss  Nettie  Meyer,  who  was  born  near 
Sandwich,  Illinois,  September  29,  1855. 
Her  parents,  Henry  and  Elizabeth  Meyer, 
natives  of  Germanv,   moved  to  Livingston 


i 


3i6 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


county  when  she  was  but  a  small  child.  She 
was  the  eldest  of  their  eight  children,  the 
others  being  William  and  Herman,  both 
farmers  of  Union  township,  Livingston 
county;  Albert,  of  Odell  township;  x\deline, 
wife  of  George  Miley,  of  Odell;  Martha, 
wife  of  William  Bowers,  of  Odell;  Norman, 
who  died  at  the  home  of  his  father  in  Iowa, 
in  1898;  and  Frank,  a  resident  of  Sunbury 
township,  Livingston  county.  The  mother 
is  deceased,  but  the  father  is  still  living  and 
makes  his  home  in  Iowa.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Trecker  have  been  born  the  following  chil- 
dren: Theodore,  who  assists  his  father  in 
his  business;  Elizabeth,  who  died  in  infancy; 
Katie  and  Nettie,  both  at  home;  Joseph, 
who  died  April  30,  1900;  Addie,  at  home; 
Henry,  who  died  in  infancy;  Annie,  Marr 
and  Conrad  William,  all  at  home.  The 
children  have  had  the  advantages  of  a  high- 
school  education. 

After  his  marriage  J\Ir.  Trecker  con- 
tmued  farming  and  also  managed  and  owned 
a  corn  sheller  and  threshing  outfit.  He 
commenced  handling  machinery  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  years,  and  met  with  excellent 
success  in  that  branch  of  his  business,  doing 
more  work  along  that  line  than  any  other 
man  in  the  community.  He  still  owns  an 
interest  in  an  outfit,  but  does  not  personally 
attend  to  the  business.  In  1881  he  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  land  i"  L^nion  town- 
ship, which  he  sold  two  years  later  on  his 
removal  to  Odell,  and  bought  a  half  interest 
in  the  old  brick  and  tile  yard,  then  operated 
by  horse  power.  New  buildings  were 
erected,  steam  power  put  in,  as  well  as  pat- 
ent kilns,  and  the  manufacture  of  tile  was 
carried  on  on  an  extensive  scale  for  five 
years.  During  the  following  two  years 
Mr.  Trecker  engaged  in  the  hardware  and 
implement  business,  and  at  the  end  of  four 


years  he  and  his  brother  Joseph  purchased 
the  tile  factory,  which  he  now  conducts  in 
a  most  profitable  and  satisfactory  manner, 
doing  a  business  which  has  amounted  to  as 
much  as  twenty  thousand  dollars  per  year. 
In  the  meantime  he  added  to  his  land  posses- 
sions until  he  now  owns  two  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  of  land,  all  under  cultivation, 
and  now  divides  his  attention  between  tile 
manufacturing  and  farming.  When  he 
started  out  in  life  for  himself  he 
had  no  capital,  but  being  a  good  man- 
ager, he  has  met  with  excellent  suc- 
cess in  his  labors,  and  he  is  today 
one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  his  com- 
munity. For  the  past  three  years  he  has 
given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising 
of  brown  Swiss  cattle  for  dairy  and  beef 
purposes,  owning  some  of  the  first  brought 
to  this  part  of  the  country.  They  were  pur- 
chased by  him  at  Roberts,  Illinois,  being 
imported  stock  from  Switzerland.  Mr. 
Trecker  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  has 
never  found  time  to  accept  or  hold  any 
office.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  church  of  Odell,  and  he  is  also 
connected  with  the  ^Mutual  Aid  Insurance 
Company. 


HERMAN'  E.  SIEGERT. 

No  better  illustration  of  the  character- 
istic energy  and  enterprise  of  the  typical 
German-American  citizen  can  be  found  than 
that  afforded  by  the  career  of  this  gentle- 
man, the  well-known  proprietor  of  the  elec- 
tric light  plant  of  Dwight,  Illinois.  Com- 
ing to  this  country  with  little  capital  except 
his  abilities,  he  has  made  his  way  to  success 
through    wisely-directed    effort   and    he   can 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


317 


now  look  back  with  satisfaction  upon  past 
struggles. 

yh.  Siegert  was  born  May  26,  1830,  in 
Xeudam,  Badenburg,  Germany,  in  which 
country  his  parents,  Gotlieb  and  Sophia 
(Siegert)  Siegert,  spent  their  entire  lives. 
His  father  was  a  paper  manufacturer  of 
Xeudam-by-Custrin,  where  he  was  born,  and 
he  inherited  the  factory  from  the  grand- 
father of  our  subject.  He  did  quite  an  im- 
portant business,  which  he  continued  up  to 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  died  in  1836, 
at  the  age  of  forty-five  years,  and  his  wife 
departed  this  life  in  1861,  at  the  age  of 
about  sixty-one.  There  were  two  other 
children  in  their  family,  namely :  Amelia, 
who  married  and  died  in  Germany ;  and 
Hannah,  who  is  the  wife  of  Frederick  Mil- 
ler, a  printer  of  that  country,  near  the  old 
home. 

Herman  E.  Siegert,  the  only  son,  re- 
mained with  his  mother  until  twenty-two 
years  of  age.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  com- 
menced learning  the  millers  trade  at  Quart- 
shan,  where  he  spent  four  years,  and  then 
workeil  as  a  journeyman  miller  and  mill- 
wright in  various  places  for  seven  years. 
In  June,  1857,  he  sailed  from  Bremen  on 
the  Asia,  a  sailing  vessel,  which,  after  a 
\oyage  of  se\en  weeks,  landed  him  in  New 
York.  He  proceeded  at  once  to  Chicago, 
and  from  there  to  Somonauk,  Illinois,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  erecting  a  steam  gristmill 
for  a  Mr.  Bliss,  and  remained  in  that  town 
for  two  years,  working  at  the  carpenter's 
trade.  From  there  he  went  to  Morris,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  engaged  in  building  a  mill 
and  operating  it  for  five  years. 

While  there  Mr.  Siegert  was  married, 
in  October,  1863,  to  Miss  Magdalene  Born- 
man,  a  native  of  Hohenvard,  Saxon  Wimer, 
Eisenher,   the  place   where   Martin  Luther 


was  imprisoned.  She  came  to  America 
with  her  cousin  and  lived  with  relatives  in 
Morris,  Illinois,  until  her  marriage.  By 
this  union  were  born  seven  children,  of 
whom  five  li\e,  namely :  Sophia,  who  was 
born  in  1864,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Leon- 
ard G.  Hahn,  a  grain  dealer  of  Dwight; 
George,  who  was  born  in  18O5,  and  is  now 
a  resident  of  Los  Angeles,  California :  John 
C,  born  in  1868,  and  Henry  E.,  born  in 
1 870,  who  now  have  charge  of  their  father's 
business;  and  Herman  C,  born  in  1872,  a 
minister  of  the  Lutheran  church  at  Pipe 
Stone,  Minnesota;  Anna  and  .Mary,  twins, 
born  in  July,  1869,  died  at  the  age  of  about 
six  months. 

On  leaving  Morris,  Mr.  Siegert  moved 
to  Channahon,  Will  county,  Illinois,  where 
he  leased  a  gristmill  and  successfully  oper- 
ated it  for  two  years  and  a  half.  On  the  i:t 
of  April,  1867,  he  came  to  Dwight,  and  in 
company  with  ^lichael  Hahn  bought  the 
old  stone  mill  at  that  place,  where  he  car- 
ried on  business  in  partnership  for  ten  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  Mr.  Siegert  pur- 
chased his  partner's  interest  and  operated 
it  alone  until  1891,  when  he  put  in  an  elec- 
tric light  plant,  the  first  in  Dwight.  As  the 
latter  business  increased  in  importance  and 
the  demand  for  more  light,  he  ga\e  up  mill- 
ing at  the  end  of  tliree  years  and  converted 
the  old  stone  mill  into  his  jiresent  electric 
light  plant.  This  is  supplied  with  a  Cor- 
liss engine  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
horse-power,  three  dynamos,  one  for  arc 
and  two  for  incandescent  lights,  there  being 
thirty  arc  lights  used  in  the  town  and 
tv.elve  hundred  incandescent  lights.  His 
sons,  John  C.  and  Henry  E.,  now  attend  to 
the  active  business. 

Mr.  Siegert  has  a  comfortable  home  in 
Dwight,  erected  by  him  in   1871.     In  poll- 


3i8 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


tics  he  is  independent,  and  in  his  social  re- 
lations is  connected  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Mutual  Aid.  He  and  his  family 
hiikl  membership  in  the  Lutheran  church, 
and  he  has  ever  taken  an  active  part  in  its 
\vork.  serving  as  an  officer  of  the  church 
for  many  years.  For  the  success  that  he 
has  achie\-ed  he  deserxes  great  credit,  it 
being  due  entire!)'  tn  his  own  industry,  per- 
severance and  good  management,  and  he  has 
not  only  won  a  comfortable  competence,  but 
has  secured  the  high  regard  of  all  with  whom 
he  has  come  in  contact  by  his  upright,  hon- 
orable life.  He  spent  the  spring  of  1900 
in  visiting  old  friends  and  the  familiar 
scenes  of  his  bovhood  home  in  Germanv. 


EXXO  FLESSXER. 

Enno  Flessner,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
general  mercantile  business  in  the  village  of 
Cullom,  Livingston  county,  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  the  county  since  1888.  He  was  born 
in  Ostfriesland,  province  of  Hanover,  Ger- 
many, February  15,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of 
Joannes  and  Almuth  Flessner,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  the  same  province  and  there 
spent  their  entire  li\es.  They  were  the  par- 
ents (if  ti\e  children,  of  whom  one  died  in 
childhiKid.  Helena  is  the  wife  nf  Jerre 
Gulmers,  and  they  li\e  in  Charlotte  town- 
ship. Li\'ingston  county,  where  he  is  en- 
gaged in  farming.  Gretchen  died  in  the  old 
country.  Enno  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Herman  died  in  Germany.  The  father  was 
reared  to  the  mercantile  business,  which  he 
followed  during  life  and  in  which  he  met 
with  gratifying  success.  He  was  also  the 
owner  of  a  farm,  which  was  operated  by 
hired  help,  he  devoting  his  time  to  his  mer- 
cantile business. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  in 
his  native  coimtry  and  received  a  good  high- 
school  education.  At  a  \ery  early  age  he 
entered  his  father's  store,  and  when  not  in 
school  was  generally  assisting  in  the  store. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  he  went  into  the 
army  and  served  three  years  with  his  regi- 
ment in  Berlin.  Returning  home  at  the 
expiration  of  his  term  of  service,  he  there 
remained  until  1883,  when  he  resoh'ed  on 
emigrating  to  the  new  world. 

Leaving  his  native  land,  Mr.  Flessner 
crossed  the  ocean  and  came  direct  to  Liv- 
igston  county,  Illinois,  to  first  visit  a  sister. 
He  remained  here  for  two  years,  and  then 
went  to  Iroquois  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  for  two  years.  \Miile 
residing  in  that  county,  in  1886,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  ]Miss  Sarah  Ricken, 
a  native  of  Illinois,  born  in  1865.  of  Ger- 
man parents.  Six  children  have  come  to 
bless  their  union  : — John,  George.  Alma, 
Fred.  Charles  and  ^larie.  The  four  first 
named  are  attending  the  public  schools  of 
Cullom. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Flessner  con- 
tinued on  the  farm  in  Irocpiois  county 
until  1887.  when  he  returned  to  Li\ingston 
county  and  located  in  the  village  of  Char- 
lotte, where  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
Mr.  Bruns  erected  a  store  building  and  put 
in  a  general  stock  of  merchandise.  The 
business  was  conducted  one  Aear  by  the  firm 
with  good  success,  when  Mr.  Flessner  s^ild 
out  to  his  partner,  and  in  1888  moved  to 
Cullom,  where  he  rented  a  building  and  put 
in  a  small  stock  of  goods.  As  the  volume 
of  his  trade  increased  he  enlarged  his  stock, 
and  now  carries  a  \ery  complete  line  of 
dry-goods,  groceries,  ladies'  and  gents'  fur- 
nishing goods,  queensware.  and  in  fact 
everything   contained     in    a   general     store 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


3>9 


suited  to  tlie  wants  of  tlie  community.  He 
lias  met  with  gratifying  success  and  iias  a 
trade  of  wliicli  the  more  ])retentious  mer- 
chants of  a  larger  town  might  well  be 
proud,  lie  owns  a  neat,  modern  residence, 
which  he  has  lately  erected,  and  is  acknowl- 
edged as  one  of  the  leading  and  successful 
husiness  men  of  the  place,  one  worthy  of 
the  coiitidence  and  respect  in  whicii  he  is 
held. 

In  politics  ^Ir.  Flessner  is  a  Republican. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  town  board  for 
se\eral  terms,  and  as  a  member  of  the  board 
has  taken  ad\aiiced  \iews  in  everything 
where  the  l;)est  interests  of  the  peo[)'e  were 
at  stake.  He  was  on  the  coniniittee  on  per- 
manent sidewalks  and  advocated  the  polic;' 
of  ha\ing  the  best  suitable  for  tlic  place, 
in  the  spring  of  1900  he  was  elected  r.  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board.  He  is  a  member 
t)f  the  Evangelical  Eutheran  church  of  Cul- 
loni,  and  has  been  one  of  its  trustees,  and 
is  now  serving  as  treasurer  of  the  church. 
Interested  in  the  work  of  the  church,  he  has 
always  contributed  generously  of  his  means 
for  its  support. 


JOEL  WALLACE  WHITMIRE,  M.  D. 

Joel  Wallace  Whitniire,  M.  D..  of  Forrest, 
Illinois,  is  one  of  the  leading  physicians  of 
Livingston  county  and  surgeon  for  both  the 
Wabash  and  Toledo,  Peoria  and  Warsaw 
Railroads.  He  was  born  in  Metamora, 
Woodford  county,  October  25,  185 1,  and 
is  a  son  of  Dr.  James  S.  and  Sidney  (Rob- 
inson )  Whitniire.  The  father  was  born  in 
\'irgiiiia.  in  1821,  and  in  childliood  removed 
to  Ohio  with  his  parents.  The  grandfa- 
ther Whitniire  was  a  tanner  and  currier  by 

17 


trade,  and  on  his  removal  from  Sidney, 
Ohio,  to  \'irginia,  Cass  county,  Illinois,  look 
with  him  a  stock  of  leather,  whicli  he  con- 
verted into  boots  and  shoes  for  the  early 
settlers.  As  a  minister  of  the  New  Light 
church,  he  also  preached  at  that  place  for 
some  time.  Later  he  became  identified 
with  the  Lliristian  church,  and  always  took 
an  active  part  in  church  work.  His  last 
days  were  spent  in  Johnson  county,  Texas. 
Our  subject's  father.  Dr.  James  S.  Whit- 
mire,  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr. 
Kyle,  of  Macomb,  Illinois,  and  later  was 
graduated  at  the  old  Illinois  Medical  Col- 
lege, in  Jacksonville.  In  1846  he  settled  at 
Metamora,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in 
practice  until  185 1,  when  he  took  his  degree 
at  Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago.  He 
returned  to  practice  in  Metamora,  and  later 
took  a  third  course  at  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege, Philadelphia.  During  the  Civil  war 
he  served  as  assistant  surgeon  with  the  Sixth 
Illinois  Regiment  of  cavalry  one  year,  and 
was  then  transferred  to  the  Fifty-sixth  Illi- 
nois Infantry  as  surgeonof  Greene  11  Raum's 
regiment,  w  itli  which  he  remained  until  after 
the  battle  of  \'icksburg,  when  he  took  charge 
of  his  brother's  private  practice,  allowing 
the  latter  to  go  to  Springfield  and  serve  as 
examining  surgeon.  He  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent  physicians  and  surgeons  of 
his  section  of  the  state,  and  was  also  a  prom- 
inent charter  member  of  tlie  Woodford 
County  Medical  Society  and  the  North  Cen- 
tral Medical  Society.  The  State  Medical 
Society  had  only  been  organized  a  short 
time  when  he  joined  it.  and  he  has  served  as 
its  vice-president  a  number  of  times,  and 
was  i)resident  for  the  first  two,  and  an  ex- 
tensive writer  for  medical  journals  through- 
out life.  Socially  he  was  a  member  of  the 
(jrand  .\rniy  of  the  Republic  and  the  Ma- 


320 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


sonic  order.  He  died  in  July,  1897. 
On  the  4th  of  July,  1846,  he  married  ]\Iiss 
Sidney  Robinson,  a  native  of  Morgan  coun- 
tv.  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Joel  Rol)in- 
son,  an  early  settler  of  that  county,  for- 
merly of  Ohio,  where  the  families  had  been 
intimate.  The  Robinsons  were  also  from 
Virginia.  At  his  death  the  father  of  our 
subject  had  three  living  children. 

Dr.  Joel  W.  Whitmire  acquired  his  early 
education  in  the  scliools  of  Metamora  and 
later  attended  the  Soldiers'  College  at  Ful- 
ton, Illinois,  and  then  Eureka  College-  for 
two  years,  finishing  the  junior  year.  He 
commencetl  the  stud_\-  of  medicine  with  his 
father,  and  took  his  first  course  of  lectures 
at  Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago,  in  the 
winter  of  1874-5,  graduating  from  that 
noted  institution  in  tlie  spring  of  1877.  It 
is  a  peculiar  fact  that  the  father  had  two 
brothers  who  read  with  him  and  graduated 
from  the  same  school,  and  also  three  sons 
and  one  nephew.  The  other  sons  were  Dr. 
Clarence  L.,  who  was  engaged  in  practice 
at  Sublette,  Illinois,  and  later  at  W'averly, 
Iowa,  where  he  died;  and  Dr.  Zach- 
ariah  Lincoln,  of  L'rbana,  Illinois,  who  died 
in  1899.  After  his  graduation  our  subject 
was  engaged  in  practice  with  his  father  for 
eight  years,  and  then  came  to  Forrest,  where 
he  has  successfully  followed  his  chosen  pro- 
fession for  fifteen  years,  being  acknowl- 
edged one  of  the  best  and  most  skillful  phy- 
sicians and  surgeons  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  county.  For  some  years  he  has  been 
surgeon  for  the  Wabash  and  Toledo, 
Peoria  and  Warsaw  Railroads,  and  his  duties 
•were  quite  arduous  when  their  shops  were 
located  in  Forrest.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  examining  board  for  pensions,  of  which 
he  is  treasurer;  has  been  a  member  of  the 
board   of  health   sf)me  years,   and   was  the 


first  to  inaugurate  the  strict  quarantine  of 
certain  contagious  diseases.  He  is  exam- 
iner for  all  the  old-line  life  insurance  com- 
panies doing  business  in  Forrest,  and  for 
a  time  was  engaged  in  the  drug  business  at 
that  place.  Fraternally  he  is  an  honored 
member  of  the  \\'oodford  County,  the 
Xorth  Central  and  the  State  Medical  So- 
cieties. 

In  September,  1877,  Dr.  Whitmire  mar- 
ried Miss  Laura  Xorthcott,  of  Christian 
county,  a  relative  of  Lieutenant-Governor 
Xorthcott,  and  to  them  have  been  born  two 
children,  ^lary  ]\Iaude  June  and  Sidney. 
The  family  have  a  beautiful  home  in  the 
west  part  of  town,  and  attend  the  Christian 
church,  of  which  ]\Irs.  Whitmire  is  a  mem- 
ber. The  Doctor  affiliates  with  the  iMa- 
sonic  fraternity,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  He 
joined  the  last  named  fraternity  at  Mata- 
mora  and  was  past  grand  there.  In  politics 
he  is  an  ardent  Republican,  and  has  fre- 
quently been  a  delegate  to  different  con- 
ventions of  his  party,  including  the  state 
conventions,  and  has  served  as  a  member 
of  the  township  board. 


HOX.  MICHAEL  CLEAR Y. 
Hon.  ]\Iichael  Cleary,  who  is  represent- 
in  the  twentieth  district  as  a  member  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  Illinois,  and  who  for 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  has  repre- 
sented his  township  as  a  member  of  the  coun- 
ty board  of  supervisors  of  Livingston  coun- 
ty, was  born  in  Clonmell,  county  Tipperary, 
Ireland.  February  9,  1840,  and  is  a  son  of 
Philip  and  Mary  (Hefferman)  Cleary,  the 
mother  being  a  cousin  of  Colonel  Heffer- 
man, of  Bloomington,  who  ser\ed  on  the 
staff  of  Governor  Altgeld. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


321 


Philip  Cleary  was  a  farmer  in  county 
Tii)i)erary,  Ireland,  on  a  ]ilacc  which  had 
hceii  the  home  of  tlie  famil\-  lor  many  gen- 
erations. Hearing  so  much  of  the  great 
United  States,  and  with  that  laudable  desire 
to  better  provide  for  his  family,  he  emigrated 
with  them  to  tliis  country  in  1840,  landing  at 
Philadelphia  on  the  25th  of  May,  our  sub- 
ject being  then  but  a  few  montlis  old.  From 
Philadelphia  lie  went  direct  to  Youngstown, 
Ohio,  where  he  found  em])loyment.  with 
others,  in  di.eging  the  Hocking  Valley  canal. 
He  remained  at  Youngstown  one  year  and 
then  came  to  Illinois,  locating  at  Spring 
Creek,  now  Spring  \'alley,  Bureau  county, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming.  In  1845  he 
moved  to  Grundy  county,  Illinois,  and  was 
working  on  the  Illinois  canal  when  it  was 
opened  up  the  second  time.  He  continued 
to  work  on  the  canal  until  its  completion, 
in  1848,  when  he  located  near  Ottawa,  La 
Salle  county,  and  again  resumed  farming. 

While  residing  in  Bureau  county  Philip 
Clarey  hauled  his  grain  to  Chicago  with  oxen. 
There  were  there  no  bridges  and  all  the 
streams  had  to  be  forded.  The  grain  was 
development  of  the  home  farm  and  in  due 
the  wagon  the  more  easily  and  carried  across 
the  sltnighs  when  the  oxen  stuck  in  the  mud. 
Clothing  for  the  family  was  all  home-made, 
and  all  were  thankful  for  what  they  could 
get.  The  family  were  among  the  first  Cath- 
olics to  locate  in  Bureau  county,  and  they 
had  to  go  to  Peru  to  attend  religious  services. 
While  residing  in  Ottawa,  in  1861,  thei 
mother  died,  and  in  1868  the  father  came 
to  Livingston  county  and  made  his  home 
with  our  subject  until  his  death,  in  1884. 
He  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  Catholic  relig- 
ion and  gave  liberally  for  the  support  of  the 
Catholic  church. 

When  the  familv  moved  to  Ottawa  our 


subject  was  about  eight  years  old.  From 
that  time  nn  he  was  of  assistance  in  the 
time  was  thoroughly  conversant  with  the 
details  of  farm  work.  He  was  educated  in 
the  schools  of  Ottawa,  but  the  broad  gen- 
eral information  which  he  now  possesses  was 
principally  obtained  in  the  school  of  ex- 
perience. Like  a  dutiful  son,  he  remained 
at  home  and  assisted  his  parents  until  he 
was  twentv-one  years  old,  when  he  began 
life  for  himself,  and  that  his  life  has  been 
a  successful  one  is  fully  attested  by  the 
recortl  here  given. 

On  the  14th  of  .\ugust.  1865.  Mr.  Cleary 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ellen 
Burke,  of  Sandwich,  Illinois,  but  a  native 
of  county  Tipperary,  Ireland,  and  daughter 
of  Jeffrey  Burke,  who  was  also  born  in  coun- 
ty Tipperary.  By  this  union  ten  children 
were  born,  all  of  whom  are  yet  li\ing.  \Vill- 
iam  P.  is  now  a  druggist  in  Odell,  Illinois. 
Hon.  Jnhii  M.  graduatetl  from  the  law  de- 
partment of  the  \\'esleyan  University,  of 
Bloomington.  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B. 
He  is  now  one  of  the  leading  attorneys  of 
Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  legislature  of  that  state.  Katherine, 
Alice,  Ellen  and  Lillie  are  each  graduates  of 
the  best  convent  schools  of  the  country. 
Frank.  .Albert,  Joseph  and  Leo  are  engaged 
in  farming.  All  of  them  have  had  good  ed- 
ucational and  other  advantages. 

Immediately  after  his  marriage  Mr. 
Cleary  rented  a  farm  near  Ottawa,  Illinois, 
and  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock 
raising.  With  limited  capital,  but  with  un- 
bounded courage  and  steadfast  determina- 
tion, he  began  farming,  and  in  three  years 
he  accumulated  means  sufficient  to  purchase 
a  farm  for  himself.  In  1868  he  came  to 
Livingston  county  and  purchased  the  south 
half  of  section    i,   Odell  township,  and  at 


322 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


once  began  its  improvement.  The  land  was 
in  its  virgin  state  and  the  first  thing  neces- 
sary was  the  erection  of  a  house  for  his  fam- 
ily. This  done,  he  set  out  a  hedge  fence, 
broke  the  ground  and  cammenced  tilling  the 
soil.  That  first  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  he  yet  owns,  but  he  has  added  to  his 
possessions  until  he  has  thirteen  hundred 
acres  in  the  vicinity,  all  of  which  it  under 
the  highest  state  of  cultivation.  Being  a 
broad  guaged  man  he  has  ever  been  willing 
to  learn  and  to  adopt  any  theory  or  sugges- 
tion that  seemed  best,  and  which  would  in- 
crease the  value  of  his  farm  and  possessions. 
He  constructed  the  first  ditches  for  drain- 
ing in  his  vicinity,  and  also  laid  the  first 
tile,  hauling  the  same  a  distance  of  fifteen 
miles.  In  1879  he  moved  "out  of  the  old 
house  into  the  new."  At  that  time  he  built 
and  now  occupies  one  of  the  finest  houses  in 
Livingston  county,  and  which,  when  erected, 
was  far  superior  to  any.  The  large  elegant 
parlors,  with  their  furnishings,  would  grace 
a  modern  city  home. 

Mr.  Cleary  has  also  one  of  the  finest 
barns  in  the  state,  which  was  erected  about 
the  same  time  that  his  house  was  built.  It 
is  occupied  by  grain  bins  and  by  his  horses, 
being  used  for  cattle,  while  the  second  story 
is  occupied  by  grain  bins  and  by  his  hoi'Ses, 
and  the  third  floor  for  agricultural  imple- 
ments and  hay.  He  has  bins  for  six  thou- 
sand bushels  of  oats,  and  from  the  bins, 
b)-  means  of  spouts,  the  grain  is  carried 
to  the  basement.  He  has  also  large  cribs  for 
corn,  of  which  a  great  quantity  is  always 
kept  on  hand  for  feeding  purposes. 

While  carrying  on  general  farming  Mr. 
Cleary  has  been  especially  interested  in  the 
importation  and  breeding  of  the  best  grades 
of  cattle  and  hogs.  He  had  the  first  Poland 
China  hogs  in  the  countv,  and  did  much  to 


secure  the  general  introduction  of  this  breed, 
to  the  great  benefit  of  all  farmers.  He  al- 
ways has  upon  his  place  a  large  number  of 
short-horned  cattle,  which  he  feeds  and  pre- 
pares for  the  market.  He  has  been  one  of 
the  most  successful  farmers  in  the  county, 
being  thoroughly  progressive  in  all  things. 
While  others  complained  of  the  times  and 
of  Providence,  he  worked,  and  the  result 
is  plainly  to  be  seen.  In  addition  to  his  Liv- 
ingston county  property  he  owns  a  half- 
section  of  well  improved  land  in  Iowa,  and 
a  full  section  in  South  Dakota. 

In  politics  Mr.  Cleary  has  always  been 
a  Democrat  and  since  he  attained  his  ma- 
jority he  has  always  taken  an  active  interest 
in  political  affairs.  He  has  never  been  able 
to  see  the  necessity  of  leaving  political  af- 
fairs to  the  professional  men  and  to  the  ward 
politician,  but  believes  that  every  man  should 
take  such  interest  in  public  matters  as  will 
elevate  politics  and  make  better  citizens. 
Since  coming  to  Livingston  county  he  has 
had  large  influence  in  moulding  public  opin- 
ion and  in  the  dissemination  of  Democratic 
jirinciples.  He  has  served  on  the  county  cen- 
tral committee  of  his  party  and  has  repeat- 
edly been  a  delegate  to  its  state  conventions. 
In  1892  he  was  one  of  the  Cleveland  electors 
and  had  the  honor  of  being  a  member  of  the 
electoral  college  that  elected  a  president,  an 
honor  that  comes  to  but  few. 

Although  in  a  Republican  township  Mr. 
Cleary,  in  1874,  was  elected  to  represent  it 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  supervisors, 
and  from  that  time  to  the  present  has  been 
continuously  re-elected,  and  is  now  the  old- 
est member  of  the  board  in  point  of  serxice. 
His  influence  on  the  board  has  always  been 
felt  and  for  many  years  he  served  as  its 
president.  When  not  chairman  of  the  gen- 
eral board  he  has  usuallv  serx'ed  as  chairman 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


323 


of  some  of  its  most  important  committees. 
During  his  first  year  the  e<-ection  of  the  pres- 
ent court  house  of  tlie  county  was  com- 
menced, tlie  old  building  having  been  de- 
stroyed by  fire  July  4,  1874.  He  has  been 
chairman  of  the  county  farm  committee,  and 
of  the  public  projierty  committee,  and  in 
every  position  he  has  acted  for  the  best  gond 
of  the  public.  Under  the  new  re\enue  law 
creating  a  l)()ard  of  public  review,  he  was 
chairman  of  that  board  in  1899. 

In  iS8j  Mr.  Cleary  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  legislature  and  was  re-elected  in 

1884  and  in  1886.  During  his  first  term 
he  introduced  into  the  bouse  the  present 
tarni  drainage  law,  which  was  supported  in 
the  senate  by  Hon.   George  Torrance.     In 

1885  he  secured  the  passage  in  the  house  of 
a  bill  to  regulate  charges  in  the  stock  yards, 
which  was  known  as  the  stock  _\-ards  l)ilh 
but  it  was  defeated  in  the  senate,  for  the 
reason  that  that  lxidy  seemed  more  friendly 
to  corporations.  In  1887  he  secured  the  pas- 
sage of  the  game  bill  for  the  protection  of 
wild  fowl,  which  liill  passed  the  senate  and 
became  a  law.  .\fter  an  interval  of  ten 
years  Mr.  Cleary  was  again  nominated  by  his 
l)arty  and  was  elected  to  the  legislature.  In 
the  session  of  1898-99  he  introduced  a  l)ill 
into  the  house  limiting  the  rate  of  interest 
in  the  state  to  five  per  cent.  The  monied  in- 
terests were  too  strong  for  him  and  the  bill 
failed  of  passage.  It  will  be  seen,  however, 
that  when  a  member  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly Mr.  Cleary  was  an  active  one,  and  all 
his  acts  were  in  the  interest  of  the  people. 
His  princi])al  work  has  been  in  the  committee 
room,  but  whether  in  committee  or  on  the 
lloor  of  the  house  he  has  always  exerted 
a  commanding  influence. 

Realizing  the  benefits  of  a  good  educa- 
tion   Mr.   Cicarv  has  alwavs  been  a  friend 


of  the  public  schools,  and  for  many  years 
served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board, 
and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  his  influence  was 
always  for  the  general  grxxl  and  for  im- 
proved methods.  While  Catholic  in  re- 
ligion, he  is  liberal  in  his  views,  and  is  will- 
ing to  grant  to  others  the  same  liberty  he 
asks  for  him.self  in  religious  afifairs,  and  he 
numbers  among  his  strongest  friends  those 
of  the  J'rotestant  religion.  For  the  erection 
of  churches  he  has  ever  been  a  liberal  con- 
tributtjr,  it  mattered  not  what  the  denomina- 
tion represented,  lie  is  a  member  of  St. 
I'aul's  Catholic  church  of  Odell,  and  was 
the  treasin-er  oi  the  committee  of  five  who 
built  and  paid  for  the  church  before  even  a 
priest  hatl  locatetl  there.  He  was  one  of 
the  first  members  of  the  Catholic  church  in 
his  vicinity.  His  wife  and  family  are  also 
members  of  the  same  church. 

For  nearly  a  third  of  a  centurv  Mr. 
Cleary  has  been  a  citizen  of  Livingston 
count}',  and  no  man  within  its  borders  is 
better  known,  or  who  has  more  earnest, 
steadfast  frientls.  With  few  advantages  in 
his  youth,  and  starting  in  life  for  himself 
with  very  limited  means,  he  has  labored 
early  and  late,  in  sunshine  and  in  shade, 
initil  to-day  he  is  numbered  among  the  most 
prosper(nis  residents  of  the  county,  sur- 
rounded by  all  the  comforts  and  many  of  the 
lu.xuries  of  life,  and  more  than  all,  by  a 
contented  and  happy  family,  a  loving  wife; 
who  has  been  a  helpmeet  indeed  to  him,  and 
children  hel])ful  to  him  as  age  creeps  on. 
In  the  years  that  ha\e  pasesd  he  has  not 
selfishly  given  his  entire  time  and  best  ener- 
gies to  the  material  welfare  of  himself  and 
family,  but  has  given  much  time  and  his 
best  thoughts  to  the  general  good  of  the 
community  in  which  he  has  lived.  As  a 
member  of  the  county  board  o^  supervisors, 


324 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


and  legislative  halls,  he  has  made  his  mark, 
and  the  confidence  and  respect  in  which  he 
is  held  by  those  who  knriw  him  best  is  at- 
tested by  his  continual  re-election  to  office. 
A  thorough,  progressive  and  energetic 
farmer,  a  wise  legislator,  a  good,  substan- 
tial citizen  and  a  faithful  friend,  such,  in- 
deed, is  Hon.  jNIichael  Cleary,  of  Living- 
ston county. 


AAROX  JAAIES  BEXXETT. 

Aaron  James  Bennett,  a  representative 
farmer  of  A\'oca  township,  Livingston  coun- 
ty, was  born  in  the  house  now  occupied  by 
him,  February  28,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of 
John  and  Rachel  (Shaw)  Bennett,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  Cape  May,  X^ew  Jerse\', 
and  in  early  life  moved  with  their  respective 
parents  to  Ohio,  but  after  spending  one 
winter  in  that  state  the  families  went  to 
Indiana,  settling  near  Rossville.  It  was 
there  that  the  parents  of  our  subject  were 
united  in  marriage,  and  there  the  father  be- 
gan a  successful  career  as  a  farmer  and  also 
did  teaming  from  Chicago  to  Lafayette,  In- 
diana. In  1852  he  came  to  Livingston 
county,  Illinois,  and  rented  land  in  Avoca 
township  for  three  years.  He  then  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
government  land,  which  is  now  a  part  of  the 
old  homestead  farm.  By  hard  work  and 
untiring  perseverance  he  converted  this  wild 
tract  into  a  fine  farm,  adding  to  its  value 
by  erecting  modern  buildings,  fencing,  til- 
ing and  otherwise  improving  the  same.  He 
also  purchased  other  land  until  he  now  owns 
a  half-section,  which  has  nearly  all  been 
improved  by  himself  or  under  his  direction. 
In   1888  he  purchased  a  comfortable  home 


in  Fairbur}',  where  he  now  resides,  and 
where  his  wife  died  in  1890.  lu  politics 
he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  being  a  well- 
educated  and  popular  man,  has  been  elected 
to  numerous  offices  in  his  township,  serving 
as  collector  some  time,  supervisor  six  years, 
and  trustee  of  the  school  district  a  number  of 
}'ears. 

The  suliject  of  this  sketch  is  the  seventh 
in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren, the  others  being  as  follows :  Sarah, 
who  lives  with  her  father  in  Fairbury;  Ma- 
rian, wife  of  Joshua  Mills,  of  Springfield, 
Ilhnois;  W.  Scott,  also  at  home;  John  E., 
a  resident  of  Thawville,  Illino.s;  George 
H.,  a  resident  of  Bell  Prairie  township; 
Emma,  wife  of  John  Mitten,  an  employe  of 
Walton  Brothers,  of  Fairbury;  and  Alary 
D.,  at  home. 

Aaron  J.  Bennett  attended  the  district 
schools  near  his  boyhood  home,  also  took 
a  course  in  the  public  schools  of  Fairbury, 
and  later  was  a  student  at  Onarga  for  a  few 
months.  He  grew  to  manhood  upon  his 
father's  farm,  assisting  in  its  operation  until 
he  attained  man's  estate,  and  he  now  rents 
the  place,  being  successfully  engaged  in  the 
cultivation  of  two  hundred  acres.  He  is 
also  interested  in  stock  raising,  which  he 
finds  cjuite  profitable. 

In  1888  Mr.  Bennett  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Clara  Davis,  who  was  born 
in  Ohio  in  1868.  Her  parents,  Eben  and 
Dorothy  (Maurice)  Davis,  still  reside  in 
that  state.  Clara  is  the  oldest  of  their  four 
children;  Rose  is  the  wife  of  Fred  Liedolf, 
of  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana;  Edward  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Lima,  Ohio ;  and  Harry  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Fourth  United  States  Infantry, 
and  is  now  with  the  army  in  the  Philippines. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bennett  have  two  children: 
Walter  R.,  born  June  20,  1889;  and  Rachel 


THE    BIOGRArHICAL    RECORD. 


325 


D..  born  July  22,  1890.  are  both  attending 
tlie  district  scliool. 

By  liis  balUit  Mr.  ]jennett  supports  tlic 
men  and  measures  of  the  Repulilican  parly 
and  is  an  active  worker  at  the  polls,  li" iking 
alter  the  \<-)ters  of  his  districe.  Fur  nine 
years  lie  served  as  school  director,  as  schno! 
trustee  two  years,  and  was  then  apponited 
school  treasurer,  which  position  he  now 
liolds.  He  has  never  sought  office,  but  when 
elected  has  served  the  people  faithfully  and 
well.  He  is  upright  and  honorable  in  all 
his  dealings  and  sujjports  church  work,  hieing 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
of  Fairbury,  as  is  his  wife.  Fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Mutual  Aid  Society  df 
F'airburv. 


THOM.\S  J.   O'COXXOK. 

Thomas  J.  O'Connor,  a  well-to-do  and 
successful  farmer  residing  on  section  6, 
Ciermanville  tiiwnship,  Livingston  county, 
is  a  native' of  Illinois,  born  in  La  Salle  coun- 
ty. March  19,  1861,  and  is  a  son  of  Timothy 
and  Margaret  (Murphy)  O'Connor.  The 
father,  a  native  of  Ireland,  came  to  the 
L'nited  States  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  ami 
1 1  veil  for  some  years  in  Xew  York  state 
before  coming  to  Illinois.  He  engaged  in 
farming  near  Ottawa,  La  Salle  county,  un- 
til the  fall  of  1868,  when  he  moved  to  Liv- 
ingstDii  county,  taking  up  his  residence  in 
Charlotte  tuvvnship,  where  he  purchased  a 
farm  of  eighty  acres.  Later  he  added  to  it 
until  he  had  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
and  successfully  engaged  in  its  operation  for 
some  years,  but  is  now  living  a  retired  life 
in  Cliatsworth,  where  he  located  in  the  spring 
of  1892.  He  made  all  of  the  improvements 
I-  on   his  place  and   transformed   the   wild 


land  into  a  highly  productive  farm.  His 
wife  is  still  living,  as  are  also  five  of  their 
six  children,  our  subject  being  the  oldest. 

louring  his  boyhood  and  youth  Thomas 
J.  O'Connor  attended  the  jjublic  schools,  and 
remained  at  home  with  his  parents,  assist- 
ing in  the  work  of  the  farm,  until  they  re- 
moved to  Cliatsworth.  He  served  as  clerk 
of  Charlotte  township  seven  years,  and  al- 
wavs  took  a  deep  and  commendable  interest 
in  imblic  affairs.  In  the  spring  of  1892  he 
removed  ti>  ( lernianville  township  and 
bought  the  farm  nf  one  hundred  and  sixtv 
acres  which  is  now  his  home.  He  has  since 
made  nianv  improvements  mi  the  place,  and 
has  one  of  the  most  desirable  farms  of  its 
size  in  the  township.  He  is  now  serving 
as  town  clerk  of  (iennanville,  ai!d  has  al- 
ready become  prominently  identified  with 
the  interests  of  that  section  of  the  county. 

On  the  26th  of  October,  1887,  in  Chats- 
worth.  Mr.  O'Connor  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Julia  Murphy,  a  daughter 
of  Patrick  .Murphy,  of  La  Salle  county,  who 
is  now  engaged  in  farming  in  Cliatsworth 
township,  hour  children  bless  this  imion, 
who.se  names  and  dates  of  birth  are  as  fol- 
lows:  lunniet,  .\pril  17,  1889:  \era.  De- 
cember 27.  i8(jo:  Lucile,  April  2.  1892; 
and  Julia,  Septemljer  8,  1898.  The  first 
two  were  born  in  Charlotte  township,  the 
others   in   (iermanvilie   township. 


THOMAS  AXDKEWS. 

Thomas  Andrews,  of  Pontiac.  Illinois, 
is  now  living  a  retired  life  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  a  rest  which  he  has  truly  earned 
and  richly  deserves  by  reason  of  his  indus- 
trious  efforts   of    former    years.     Acconi- 


326 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


plislinient  and  progress  ever  imply  labor, 
energy  and  diligence,  and  it  was  these  quali- 
ties which  enabled  our  subject  to  rise  from 
the  ranks  of  the  many  and  stand  among  the 
successful  few.  He  is  one  of  the  highly 
respected  citizens  of  Pontiac,  and  his  long 
residence  in  Livingston  county  and  the 
active  part  he  has  taken  in  its  development 
well  entitle  him  to  representation  in  its  his- 
tory. 

Mr.  Andrews  was  born  in  Stamford, 
Lincolnshire,  England,  October  i6,  1S44,  a 
son  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Plowright) 
Andrews,  natives  of  the  same  place.  In 
1855  the  family  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  and  located  near  Tonica,  La  Salle 
county,  Illinois,  where  the  father  worked 
and  rented  property  for  some  time  until  he 
accumulated  enough  to  purchase  land,  ex- 
periencing all  the  hardships  and  trials  of 
pioneer  life.  On  landing  in  this  state  he 
had  hut  five  dollars  remaining  and  a  wife 
and  six  children  to  support.  They  received 
twenty-five  ilollars  at  Cleveland,  sent  them 
by  Mrs.  Andrews'  sister,  but,  having  lost  the 
address  of  the  man  who  was  to  identify  him, 
Mr.  Andrews  found  considerable  troulile  in 
securing  the  money.  It  was  during  the  panic 
tha  the  located  here,  which  made  it  much 
more  difficult  for  liim  to  secure  a  start,  but 
after  a  few  years  of  hard  work  he  was  al)le 
to  purchase  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  wild  land  from  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road Company  by  having  enough  money  to 
pay  the  interest  on  the  amount,  but  going 
in  debt  for  the  principal.  He  would  shell 
corn  with  a  small  sheller,  and  after  hauling 
it  to  (h'idley  over  very  bad  roads  would 
only  recei\'e  ten  cents  per  ])ushel  for  the 
crop.  Steadily  and  persistently  he  worked 
his  way  upward  to  success,  paying  for  his 
place  and  transforming  it  into  a  fine  farm. 


with  good  and  substantial  buildings  sur- 
rounded by  trees,  while  the  land  was  placed 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  en- 
gaged in  stock  raising  in  connection  with 
farming  and  became  quite  well-to-do,  though 
he  at  first  thought  he  would  feel  independ- 
ent if  he  ever  got  a  good  team  of  his  own. 
He  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading 
men  of  his  community,  and  was  called  upon 
to  serve  as  highway  commissioner,  school 
director  and  fill  other  local  offices  of  honor 
and  trust.  Religiously  he  was  a  Congre- 
gationalist.  He  died  upon  his  farm  Au- 
gust 6,  1883,  leaving  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  our  subject  is  the  oldest. 
He  ga\'e  each  of  his  sons  forty  acres  of 
land,  which  they  have  since  traded  so  that 
it  might  all  belong  to  a  few  of  them.  The 
mother  died  October  30,  1899.  She  would 
h.ave  been  se\enty-fnur  years  of  age  had  she 
li\-ed  until  the  following  February. 

Thomas  Andrews  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  his  native  land,  his 
school  days  being  over  when  he  came  to  this 
country,  for,  being  the  oklest  in  the  family, 
he  was  obliged  ti  help  in  their  support. 
On  account  of  his  }-outh  he  was  discouraged 
from  entering  the  armv  during  the  civil 
war.  He  remained  with  his  parents  until 
past  the  age  of  nineteen  years  and  then  went 
to  Eureka,  Illinois,  where  he  worked  four 
months.  Returning  to  Tonica,  La  Salle 
county,  he  rented  land,  antl  while  there  was 
married.  May  i,  1866,  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Brady,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth 
(Moore)  Brady,  natives  of  Brown  county, 
Ohio,  of  which  her  paternal  grandfather 
was  one  of  the  pioneers.  Her  grandfather, 
Mr)ses  Moore,  spent  his  entire  life  there  as 
a  farmer,  and  there  her  parents  also  died, 
the  mother  when  Mrs.  Andrews  was  only 
two  months  old.  and  the  father  a  few  vears 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


327 


later.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade.  She 
was  raised  by  an  aunt,  with  whom  she  came 
to  Tonica,  Illinois. 

Of  the  seven  children  born  to  Mr.  and 
jNIrs.  Andrews,  three  died  in  infancy.  Those 
living  are  James  H.,  a  business  man  of  Grid- 
ley,  Illinois,  who  married  Minnie  Settle  and 
has  four  children,  Thomas,  Amy  E.,  Henry 
and  an  infant;  Sarah  Ann,  who  married  H. 
U.  Grant,  of  EUettsville.  Indiana,  and  has 
one  child,  Delos  Andrews;  Susan  Elizabeth, 
who  married  Joseph  Solon,  of  Graymont, 
this  county,  and  has  four  children,  Florence, 
Helen,  Duane  and  Evaline;  and  Mary  Eva- 
line,  who  is  teaching  in  the  public  schools 
of  I'ontiac.  The  children  all  received  good 
educations,  the  father  having  left  the  farm 
and  nii)\ed  to  town   f(_>r  that  purpose. 

In  the  fall  of  1S6S  Mr.  Andrews  bought 
eighty  acres  of  land  in  Rock  Creek  town- 
ship, which  he  improved  and  paid  for  in  six 
years,  and  then  sold,  buying  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  east  of  Pontiac  in 
1875.  ^  his  land  was  entirely  unimproved 
and  \ery  wet,  on  which  account  it  was  C(.)n- 
sidered  very  undesirable  property,  but  he 
tiled  it  and  to-day  has  one  of  the  best  farms 
in  Pontiac  township.  lie  erected  thereon 
a  good  residence,  substantial  nutluiildings, 
set  out  shade  trees,  and  made  many  other 
improvements  which  add  greatlv  to  its 
\alue  and  attractive  appearance.  Leaving 
the  farm,  which  he  still  owns,  he  moved  to 
Cayuga,  where  he  was  successfully  en- 
gaged in  merchandising  for  some  years 
and  a  resident  for  eleven  years,  but  since 
1893  has  lived  in  Pontiac,  having  built  a 
pleasant  residence  on  Xorth  Main  street. 
He  has  owned  property  in  Cayuga,  but  sold 
it,  autl  now  has  two  hundred  acres  of  im- 
priived  rich  land  near  Hamlet,  Indiana,  not 
far   from   South   Bend.     In  improving  two 


farms  for  him.self  and  aiding  in  the  de\-elop- 
ment  of  his  father's  place  he  has  materially 
ad\anced  the  interests  of  his  adopted  coun- 
ty and  promoted  its  prosperity.  He  and 
his  wife  are  active  meml)ers  of  the  Methodist 
Epi.scopal  church,  and  are  honored  and 
highl)'  respected  by  their  fellow  citizens  who 
appreciate  their  sterling  wurtli  and  mauv 
excellencies  of  character. 


WILLIAM  E.  HDKE. 

William  E.  Hoke,  a  well-known  real- 
estate  dealer  of  Odell.  Illinois,  was  born  in 
Williamsburg,  I'ennsylvania,  October  2, 
1S56,  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Laura  X.  (Ken- 
ney)  Hoke,  and  a  grandson  of  Jacob  Hoke, 
who  was  of  old  Pennsylvania  stock  and  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  The 
father  was  born  in  McConnellsburg,  Penn- 
sylvania, April  12,  1824,  and  when  a  young 
man  learned  the  trades  of  cabinet-maker  and 
painter  at  Gettysburg.  In  1859  he  brought 
his  family  to  Livingston  county,  Illinois, 
and  purchased  a  farm  four  and  a  halt  miles 
southeast  of  Odell. 

On  that  place  our  subject  grew  to  man- 
hood and  atended  the  common  schocils  of  the 
neighborhood.  Being  injured  at  the  age 
of  fourteen  years  and  unable  to  engage  in 
active  labor,  he  entered  the  Odell  high 
school  two  years  later,  and  later  engaged 
in  teaching  school.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
to  years  he  became  a  stutlent  at  Lincoln 
L'niversity,  Lincoln,  Illinois,  but  his  health 
failed  before  he  had  completed  the  course 
antl  he  was  obliged  to  gi\e  up  study.  He 
tlien  taught  school  until  twenty-four,  when 
he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Kmington. 
during  President  Hayes'  administration,  at 


328 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Avhicli  time  the  town  was  started,  and  he 
completed  tlie  second  building  in  the  place, 
opening  a  hardware  store  there.  He 
also  named  the  town  in  honor  of  the  wife 
of  the  owner  of  the  land  on  which  it  was 
located,  her  name  lieing  Emma.  As  the 
first  postmaster  he  installed  the  office  and 
got  it  in  good  running  order,  but  at  the  end 
of  two  years  his  health  again  failed  and  he 
was  compelled  to  resign  his  office  and  sell 
his  business.  He  had  built  up  a  good  trade 
and  was  doing  a  successful  business.  He 
then  went  to  Pella,  Iowa,  for  Herbert 
Spencer  &  Company,  to  open  a  hardware 
store  for  \'an  Houten  Brothers. 

^\'hi!e  there  Mr.  Hoke  was  married, 
J\Iarch  J3,  1882,  to  ^liss  Sophia  Robinson, 
who  was  born  in  La  Salle  county,  Illinois, 
March  25,  i860,  and  was  there  reared  and 
educated.  Her  father,  James  Robinson, 
of  Peru,  Illinois,  was  also  a  native  of  La 
Salle  county,  a  representative  of  one  of  its 
oldest  families,  and  spent  his  last  days  on  the 
homestead  taken  up  from  the  government. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoke  hail  three  children : 
Laura  M.,  who  was  born  April  13,  1882, 
and  died  at  the  age  of  two  years :  Harry 
Harvey,  born  January  13,  1884:  and  Albert 
E.,  born  October  4,  1885.  The  .sons  are 
still  in  school.  The  name  of  Harvey  is  an 
old  one  in  the  famil}^,  it  being  the  maiden 
name  of  Mrs.  Hoke's  maternal  great-grand- 
mother, who  traced  her  ancestry  back  to 
Lord  Harvey. 

After  eight  months  spent  in  Iowa,  Mr. 
Hoke  returned  to  Livingston  county,  Illi- 
nois, and  rented  his  father's  farm  near  Odell 
for  three  years.  He  met  with  success  in 
his  farming  operations,  but  was  crippled  by 
barbed  wire,  which  resulted  in  blood  poison- 
ing, and  he  lost  all  he  had  in  his  efforts  to 
save  his  life.     In  1888  he  located  in  Odell, 


where  he  has  since  engaged  in  the  real- 
estate  business,  and  has  been  remarkably 
successful  in  that  undertaking.  He  has 
handled  a  large  amount  of  western  property 
in  Iowa  and  ^linnesota.  and  his  patrons,  who 
are  mostly  his  frientls,  have  been  well  satis- 
fied with  their  investments.  He  has  sold 
many  thousand  acres  of  land,  in  one  year 
disposing  of  twenty-one  thousand  acres,  and 
has  secured  good  homes  for  hundreds  of 
people,  whom  he  has  sent  to  those  states. 
Since  buying  a  home  for  himself  in  Odell 
he  has  invested  every  dollar  he  could  get 
in  western  lands,  and  now  has  over  one  thou- 
sand acres  in  two  different  tracts  in  Wright 
and  Hancock  counties,  Iowa.  He  is  a  wide- 
awake, energetic  business  man,  of  progres- 
sive ideas  and  indomitable  enterprise,  and 
his  success  is  certainlv  well  deserved,  for  he 
has  had  many  difficulties  to  overcome.  In 
politics  he  is  a  strong  and  active  Republican, 
and  has  ser\ed  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  though  he  cares  nothing  for  political 
honors.  Religiously  he  supports  the  Con- 
gregational church. 


\\TLLIA:M  H.  TAYLOR. 

William  H.  Taylor,  the  present  well- 
known  and  efficient  highwaycommissionerof 
Dwight  township,  and  a  resident  of  the  town 
of  Dwight,  has  through  his  own  exertions 
attained  an  honorable  position  and  marked 
•prestige  among  the  representative  men  of 
his  community,  and  with  signal  consistency 
it  may  be  said  that  he  is  the  architect  of  his 
own  fortunes,  for  he  started  out  in  life  for 
himself  at  the  age  of  nine  years  and  has 
since  made  his  way  in  the  world  unaided. 

Mr.  Tavlor  was  born  in  Lancastershire, 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


329 


England,  March  9,  1843,  ^  son  of  James  and 
Betty  (Mills)  Taylor,  also  natives  of  Lan- 
castersliire,  where  the  father  followed  the 
blacksmith's  trade  for  many  years.  In  early 
days  during  the  gold  excitement  in  Califor- 
nia, he  came  to  America  and  crossed  the 
])lains  to  the  Pacific  slope,  where  he  spent 
two  years,  meeting  with  fair  success  in  his 
mining  operations.  His  Ijruther-in-law, 
Robert  Mills,  who  went  with  him  to  Cali- 
fornia, died  a  millionaire  in  that  state  a 
couple  of  years  ago.  After  returning  to 
England  from  California  Mr.  Taylor  brought 
his  family  to  the  United  States  and  located 
ill  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
worked  at  his  trade  for  the  PennsyKania 
railroad  many  years.  There  he  .spent  the  re- 
mainder of  bis  life,  dying  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-si.x  years.  His  wife  survived  him  about 
two  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children:  Elizabeth,  William,  John,  Rachel, 
Ellen,  James.  Charles  and  Delia,  all  of  whom 
reached  mature  years  and  all  are  still  living 
with  the  exception  of  James.  Our  subject 
is  the  only  one  living  in  the  west,  the  others 
being  still  residents  of  Allegheny  county, 
Pennsylvania. 

William  H.  Taylor  was  a  mere  lad  on 
the  emigration  of  the  family  to  America. 
He  attended  school  at  Pittsburg,  but  at  the 
age  of  nine  years  he  commenced  earning  his 
own  livelihood,  and  ever  afterward  supported 
himself.  In  early  manhood  he  went  to  In- 
diana, and  worked  on  a  farm  in  De  Kalb 
county  for  a  few  years.  From  there  he  went 
to  Chicago,  where  he  found  employment  in 
the  stock  yards  about  two  years,  after  which 
he  returned  to  his  old  home  in  Pennsylvania 
and  remained  there  about  a  year,  when  he 
again  went  to  Chicago  and  worked  in  the 
stock  yards  a  year.  In  1866  he  came  to 
Livingston  county,  Illinois,  in  the  employ  of 


a  Mr.  McPherson,  for  whom  he  had  worked 
in  Chicago,  it  being  jiis  intention  to  remain 
only  thirty  days,  but  he  has  now  l)een  here 
o\er  thirty-three  years.  He  continued  to 
\\(irk  for  Mr.  McPherson  four  years. 

On  the  loth  of  December,  1868,  Mv.  Tay- 
lor married  Miss  Lydia  H'.  Grub,  a  native  of 
I'.lair  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  a  daughter 
of  l)a\i(l  Grub,  who  never  came  west.  To 
our  sul)ject  and  his  wife  were  born  four  chil- 
dren, namely:  ^\'illiam  J.,  the  eldest,  who  is 
engaged  in  farming  in  Dwight  township, 
married,  first,  Maggie  Jenkins,who  died  leav- 
ing one  child.  Rebecca,  and  for  his  second 
wife  he  married  Catherine  Del)by  ]\Iorris. 
Charles  and  .\nnic  are  both  at  lii;me.  The 
youngest,  a  daughter,  died  in  infancy. 

.A.fter  his  marriage  Mr.  Taylor  rented  his 
present  farm  in  Dwight  township  for  several 
years,  and  in  1873  purchased  twenty  acres, 
to  which  he  later  added  until  he  now  owns 
eighty  acres,  all  now  within  the  corporate 
limits  of  the  town  of  Dwight.  Formerly 
he  gave  considerable  attention  to  the  raising 
of  stock,  making  a  specialty  of  thoroughbred 
animals,  and  for  a  number  of  years  he  dealt 
in  stock,  selling  ])rincipally  to  the  local  ship- 
pers. 

Keligiousl}-  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taxlor  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  ])olitically  he  is  identified  with  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
\illage  board  during  the  Dwight  boom,  and 
for  the  past  sixteen  years  has  most  efficientlv 
and  satisfactorily  served  as  road  commis- 
sioner of  Dwight  township.  With  one  ex- 
ception he  has  Imilt  all  the  bridges  in  the 
township,  and  has  made  many  other  improve- 
ments along  that  line.  He  is  public-spirited 
and  progressive,  and  takes  an  active  part  in 
all  enterprises  calculated  to  prove  of  public 
benefit. 


330 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


THOMAS  HUGHES. 

Tliomas  Hughes,  now  living  a  retired  life 
in  Dwight,  Illinois,  is  a  man  whose  success- 
ful struggle  with  adverse  circumstances 
shows  what  can  he  done  by  industry  and 
economy,  especially  if  a  sensible  wife  sec- 
onds his  efforts  to  secure  a  home  and  compe- 
tence. Born  of  poor  parents,  he  was  obliged 
to  make  his  way  in  life  without  any  of  the 
aids  which  are  usually  considered  essential 
to  success. 

Air.  Hughes  was  born  in  county  ]Mayo, 
Ireland,  in  1841,  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary 
(Dowd)  Hughes,  who  spent  their  entire 
lives  in  that  county,  the  father  being  em- 
ployed as  a  herder  on  a  large  estate.  Our 
subject  left  home  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years 
and  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  uncle, 
James  Hays,  who  was  mate  on  a  sailing  ves- 
■  sel.  He  landed  in  New  York  and  from  there 
went  to  Long  Island,  where  he  found  em- 
ployment with  a  farmer  and  market  gardener 
near  Flushing.  His  employer  was  a  Mr. 
Bayton,  a  Pennsylvanian  by  birth,  and  with 
him  Mr.  Hughes  remained  until  he  attained 
his  majority,  receiving  little  more  than  his 
board  and  clothes  for  his  seven  years'  labor. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  went  to  Xew 
York  City,  where  he  worked  as  a  laborer 
for  two  years,  and  in  1864  he  came  to  Chi- 
cago, where  the  following  two  years  were 
passed,  during  which  time  he  assisted  in  lay- 
ing the  pipes  for  the  city  water  works.  He 
next  found  employment  at  the  docks  unload- 
ing vessels,  and  followed  that  occupation  for 
five  years. 

On  the  25th  of  December,  1868,  in  Chi- 
cago, Mr.  Hughes  married  Miss  Margaret 
Higgins,  a  daughter  of  Francis  and  Mary 
(  Brady)  Higgins.  To  them  have  been  born 
seven  children,  namelv  :  Francis,  now  an  elec- 


trician of  Seattle,  Washington;  John  H.,  who 
married  Julia  Dunn  and  lives  on  the  home 
farm  in  this  county;  Nellie  M.,  a  successful 
and  popular  teacher  of  Livingston  and 
Grundy  counties ;  Emma,  who  is  clerking  in 
the  store  of  Gordon  Brothers  of  Dwight; 
Julia,  a  graduate  of  the  Dwight  high  school, 
and  now  a  successful  teacher;  and  two  who 
died  in  infancy. 

In  the  fall  of  1869,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hughes 
came  to  Dwight,  where  her  father  had  lo- 
cated some  four  years  previous.  Here,  in 
partnership  with  his  brother-in-law,  our  sub- 
ject engaged  in  farming  for  two  years,  and 
then  rented  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  from  F.  O.  Caldwell  in  Round  Grove 
township,  operating  that  place  nine  years. 
In  1 87 1  he  made  his  first  purchase  of  land, 
consisting  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  23,  Round 
Grove  township,  which  was  ail  raw  land,  en- 
tirely unimproved.  Here  he  erected  an 
humble  home,  sixteen  by  twenty-four  feet, 
with  a  kitchen  twenty  by  fourteen  foet.  He 
planted  fifty  acres  of  flax  and  broke  all  but 
six  acres  of  his  land  the  first  year.  During 
the  ten  years  he  resided  thereon  he  placed 
the  land  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation, 
and  in  connection  with  general  farming  en- 
gaged in  stock  raising,  feeding  usually  from 
one  to  two  hundred  head  of  hogs.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1889,  he  bought  a  tract  of  thirty-six 
acres  of  land  just  east  of  Dwight,  and  located 
there  in  order  that  his  children  mieht  have 
better  educational  advantages.  He  lived  there 
two  years,  cultivating  his  little  farm,  and  in 
1889  bought  one  acre  of  land  in  the  village, 
upon  which  he  erected  his  present  beautiful 
home  at  a  cost  of  five  thousand  dollars.  It 
is  one  of  the  most  elegant  residences  in  the 
citv.  He  has  added  to  his  landed  possessions 
from  time  to  time  and  now  has  three  bun- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


331 


dred  and  sixty  acres  of  valued  and  well-im- 
proved land.  He  Ts  one-  of  the  successful 
citizens  of  the  county  and  deserves  much 
creflit  for  what  he  has  accomplished.  Look- 
ing hack  tlirough  the  vista  of  the  past  we  see 
a  friendless  boy  who  came  to  the  New  World 
in  search  of  home  and  fortune,  at  present  we 
see  his  ambitious  dream  realized,  and  ct)uld 
the  \eil  of  the  future  1>©  lifted  we  wnuld 
tliiubtlcss  see  an  honored  old  age  crowned 
with  respect  and  veneration  which  is  ac- 
cortled  a  well-si)ent  life.  In  pnlitics  ho  is 
independent,  and  in  religious  belief  is  a 
Catholic. 


WILLI A.\l   L.  (Jl'lX.X. 

William  L.  Uuinn  is  one  of  the  prosper- 
ous citizens  of  Strawn,  who  has  laid  aside 
all  business  cares  and  is  now  living  a  retired 
life.  Success  has  attended  his  well-directed 
effiorts  and  he  is  ot-day  in  possession  of  a 
comfortable  competence  which  enables  him 
to  spend  his  declining  years  in  ease  and  re- 
tirement from  active  labor. 

Mr.  Quinn  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1842, 
and  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Unity  (Lyncli) 
Quinn.  also  natives  of  that  country,  born  in 
county  Tyrone.  The  father,  who  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  died  there  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety- four  years.  The 
mother  had  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-four 
years,  and  for  his  second  wife  he  married 
Jane  Campljell,  who  is  still  living  in  Ireland 
at  the  age  of  sevent)'-five.  By  the  first  union 
there  were  three  children,  of  whom  our  sub- 
ject is  the  second  in  order  of  birth  and  the 
only  survivor.  James  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four  years,  and  one  unnamed  died  in 
infancy.  Of  the  twelve  children  born  of  the 
second  marriage,  seven  came  to  the  United 


States,  three  locating  in  Living.ston  county, 
Illinois,  tho  otjiers  in  i.os  Angeles,  Califor- 
nia. Michael  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  1X69, 
and  after  six  years  spent  in  Ottawa,  Illinois, 
took  up  his  residence  in  Livingston  county, 
w  here  he  at  first  operated  one  of  our  subject's 
farms  and  thon  purchased  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  on  sections  5  and  6.  Ger- 
nian\ille  townshii).  He  is  an  industrious  and 
prosperous  farmer,  and  the  father  of  six  chil- 
dren. Alexandor  came  to  America  in  1874, 
and  also  settled  in  Ottawa,  Illinois,  where 
he  worked  for  E.  V.  Griggs  one  year.  Hj 
then  settled  on  a  farm  on  sections  7  and  8, 
Germanville  township,  owned  by  our  sub- 
ject, and  there  he  continues  to  make  his 
home.  He  owns  eightv  acres  of  land  on  sec- 
tion 8.  He  is  married  and  has  six  children, 
four  sons  and  two  daughters. 

The  subject  of  this  review  was  reared 
and  educated  in  his  native  land,  and  in  i860, 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  came  to  .Amer- 
ica. For  twenty-three  years  he  was  in  the 
employof  Andrew  Lynch,  a  general  merchant 
of  Ottawa,  Illinois,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time,  in  1883,  came  to  Strawn,  He  worked 
on  the  farm  with  his  brother  Michael  for  one 
year,  but  since  that  time  has  lived  a  retired 
life  in  the  village.  In  1874,  while  still  a  res- 
ident of  Ottawa,  he  purchased  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land  on  sections  5  and  6, 
Germanville  township,  which  at  that  time 
was  all  raw  land  and  which  was  operated  by 
his  brothers.  He  made  all  of  the  improve- 
ments upon  the  place,  including  the  erection 
of  a  commodious  and  pleasant  residence  in 
1879,  which  at  that  time  was  one  of  the  best 
in  the  county,  and  he  also  built  a  large  barn 
and  laid  over  fifty  thousand  tiles.  In  due 
time  the  land  was  all  placed  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  In  1880  Mr.  Quinn 
bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 


332 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


on  sections  7  and  8,  the  same  township,  and 
also  improved  that  place  with  the  assistance 
of  his  brothers.  Besides  this  property  he 
has  sixty-three  acres  on  section  7,  German- 
ville  township,  purchased  by  him  in  1893, 
and  now  leased  to  a  tenant,  and  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  fine  pasture  land  at  Em- 
poria, Lyon  county,  Kansas,  purchased  in 
1 88 1.  The  same  year  he  bought  a  house  in 
Strawn,  which  he  has  re^nodeled  and  made 
one  of  the  best  in  the  village.  It  is  a  beau- 
tiful place,  surrounded  by  a  large  lawn,  and 
neat  and  tastefully  furnished.  For  about 
nine  months  Mr.  Ouinn  clerked  in  the  hard- 
■\vare  and  grocery  store  of  Joseph  Kuntz,  in 
Strawn,  but  with  that  exception  has  lived 
retired  during  his  residence  here. 

In  Chicago,  Illinois,  February  20,  1884, 
Mr.  Ouinn  married  Miss  Bridget  Conlin,  a 
native  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  this  country 
in  1865.  Her  mother  died  in  Ireland,  after 
which  her  father  emigrated  to  America  and 
spent  his  last  days  in  retirement  from  active 
labor  in  La  Salle,  Illinois,  where  he  died  at 
the  age  of  eighty  years  in  1879.  He  had 
followed  farming  in  his  native  land. 

Although  Mr.  Ouinn  has  been  a  resident 
of  Livingston  county  only  seventeen  years, 
he  has  by  the  improvements  of  his  property 
here  been  identified  with  its  development  for 
many  years.  As  a  Democrat  he  takes  an 
active  interest  in  political  affairs,  and  gives 
his  support  to  those  enterprises  which  tend 
to  advance  the  interest  of  his  adopted  coun- 
try. He  has  served  as  trustee  of  the  village 
of  Strawn  for  fourteen  years,  and  village 
treasurer  nine  years,  and  his  official  duties 
were  always  most  faithfully  and  conscien- 
tiously discharged.  Religiously  both  he  and 
his  wife  are  devout  members  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  church,  and  are  highly  respecte-d 
and  esteemed  bv  all  who  know  them. 


WALSH  BROTHERS. 

\\'alsh  Brothers,  consisting  of  L.  F.  and 
T.  AI.  Walsh,  are  the  leading  merchants  of 
Campus,  Illinois,  carrying  a  large  and  well 
selected  stock  of  general  merchandise,  furni- 
ture, hardware,  agricultural  implements,  car- 
riages, wagons,  coal,  lumber,  lime,  cement, 
and  all  kinds  of  building  materials.  They 
also  do  a  large  undertaking  business,  keep- 
ing a  hearse  and  full  equipments  for  the 
same.  In  size  and  quality  of  stock  and  char- 
actor  of  the  building,  their  department  store 
would  grace  a  much  larger  town,  it  being 
something  not  often  found  in  a  place  the  size 
of  Campus,  though  Campus  cannot  be 
judged  by  the  average  Illinois  village  of 
three  hundred  population,  possessing  as  it 
does  a  standpipe  and  good  water  works;  a 
church  and  Sisters'  school,  both  fine  brick 
structures ;  and  numerous  elegant  residences. 
The  people  are  enterprising  and  progressive 
and  give  to  the  place  an  air  of  thrift. 
Walsh  Brothers  have  an  elegant  and  com- 
modious two-story  brick  beuilding,  fifty  by 
eighty  feet,  with  a  basement,  which  was 
erected  by  them  in  1897  to  take  the  place  of 
the  old  frame  building  recently  destroyed  by 
fire.  Forming  a  partnership,  they  pur- 
chased the  business  of  J.  J.  Foltz  &  Son,  in 
1 89 1,  and  continued  business  at  the  old  stand 
until  it  was  reduced  to  ashes.  Besides  their 
store  building  they  have  another  large  build- 
ing in  which  seasoned  lumber  is  kept.  They 
do  an  extensive  business  as  contractors  and 
builders,  and  have  erected  many  of  the 
buildings  in  Campus  and  vicinity,  including 
nearly  all  those  in  the  new  mining  town  of 
Cardiff,  where  in  the  spring  of  1900  they  put 
up  a  large  store,  which  will  be  conducted  as 
a  branch  store  of  the  one  at  Campus,  and  be 
in  charge  of  J.  H.  Walsh,  another  brother. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


333 


Thomas  J\I.  \\'alsli,  the  junior  member 
of  the  firm  of  Walsh  Brothers,  is  a  native  of 
tliis  county,  born  in  Broughton  township, , 
February  15,  1866,  and  is  a  son  of  Patrick 
and  Ann  (Smith)  Walsh,  both  natives  of 
Ireland.  The  father  emigrated  to  America 
in  1849,  'i'ltl  six  years  later  took  up  his  res- 
idence in  Livingston  county,  Illinois,  being 
one  of  its  early  settlers  and  successful  farm- 
ers. He  is  now  living  a  retired  life  in  Cam- 
pus. In  his  family  are  nine  children,  name- 
ly: John  P.,  a  resident  of  Chicago;  L.  F., 
the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Walsh 
Brothers;  Kate  E.,  at  home;  Thomas  M., 
the  junior  member  of  the  firm ;  Mathew,  who 
is  in  the  employ  of  his  brothers;  James  H., 
who  has  charge  of  the  branch  store  in  Car- 
diff; Mary  A.,  wife  of  William  Mortison  of 
Chicago;  George  C,  who  is  with  his  broth- 
ers, and  Blandina,  bookkeeper  for  her 
brothers. 

On  the  home  farm  Thomas  M.  Walsh 
grew  to  manhood,  his  early  education  being 
obtained  in  the  common  schools  and  the  high 
sdiool  of  Dwight.  Subsetpiently  he  took  a 
literary  course  at  St.  Viature's  College,  and 
a  commercial  course  at  Dixon  College,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1890.  The  fol- 
lowing year  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
his  brother  L.  F.,  as  previously  stated,  and 
has  since  successfully  engaged  in  active  busi- 
ness at  Campus.  Fraternally  he  affiliates 
with  Campus  Camp,  No.  2619,  M.  W^  A., 
and  politically  is  identified  with  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  has  served  as  postmaster  of 
Campus  since  1897;  has  filled  the  office  of 
justice  of  the  peace  since  1892,  and  has  been 
a  member  of  the  board  of  education  for  tho 
past  six  years.  As  a  business  man  he  is 
wide-awake,  progressive  and  energetic,  and 
carries  forward  to  successful  completion 
whatever  he  undertakes,  while  as  a  citizen  he 


has  promptly  and  faithfully  discharged  every 
duty  that  has  devolved  upon  him.  On  the 
9th  of  February,  1892,  he  married  Miss  Mag- 
gie Steger,  who  was  born  and  reared  in 
Round  (Jroxe  township,  this  county,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Christian  and  Louise  Steger.  By  this 
union  were  born  three  children,  namely : 
Francis  Herbert,  Clyde  A.,  and  Philomean, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  seven  years. 

]-.  !•".  Walsh,  the  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Walsh  Brothers,  is  also  an  enterpris- 
ing business  man  of  known  reliability.  He 
was  born  March  18,  i860,  was  reared  on  the 
home  farm  and  attended  in  the  local  schools, 
completing  his  education,  however,  by  a 
general  course  at  the  Northern  Indiana  Nor- 
mal School  at  Valjiaraiso,  Indiana.  He  was 
married,  November  2-,  1896,  to  Miss  Lena 
Flynn,  a  daughter  of  Patrick  Fl\nn,  and  to 
them  have  been  burn  three  chiklrcn,  \'iola, 
Leo  and  Bernice. 


JAMES  P.  GOURLEY. 

James  P.  Gourley,  a  representative 
farmer  and  highly  esteeme-d  citizen  of  Esmen 
township,  residing  on  section  17,  was  born 
in  Harrison  county.  West  Virginia,  October 
8,  i860.  His  father,  Alfred  Gourley,  was 
born  and  reared  in  the  Old  Dominion,  and 
when  a  young  man  went  to  West  \'irginia, 
locating  in  Harrison  county,  where  he  mar- 
ried Rebecca  Jane  Farris,  a  native  of  that 
state.  There  the  father  continued  to  carry 
on  farming  for  some  years,  but  in  1865 
moved  to  Livingston  county,  Illinois,  where 
two  of  his  brothers  had  previously  located. 
He  first  came  to  the  county  in  1855.  but  soon 
returned  to  \\'est  \"irginia  and  did  not  locate 
permanently  here  luitil  ten  years  later,  when 


334 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


he  purcliased  land  in  Amity  township.  He 
prospered  in  his  new  home,  being  a  thorough 
farmer  and  good  business  man.  and  became 
the  possessor  of  a  vahiable  farm  of  four  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres.  Upon  that  place  he 
continued  to  make  his  home  throughout  life, 
dying  there  May  30,  1898.  His  wife  sur- 
vives him,  and  continues  to  reside  on  the  old 
homestead  with  her  son  Charley. 

In  Amity  township  James  P.  Gourley 
grew  to  manhood,  and  was  educated  in  the 
country  schools  near  his  home.  He  as- 
sisted his  father  in  the  operations  of  the  farm 
until  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  then  worked 
on  the  farm  of  a  cousin  for  two  years.  On 
the  24th  of  December,  1882,  in  Livingston 
county,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Ida  Buren,  who  was  born  and  reared  in 
Grundy  county,  Illinois,  and  they  have  be- 
come the  parents  of  seven  children,  namely : 
Ray,  Fay,  Clarence,  Earl,  Flavins,  Florence 
and  Edith.  All  are  living  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Fay,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eight 
years,  and  the  sons  aid  their  father  in  carry- 
ing on  the  farm. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Gourley  located 
on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  but  after 
operating  it  for  four  years  he  moved  to  the 
Buren  farm  in  Grundy  county,  in  1886,  and 
lived  there  for  the  same  length  of  time.  In 
1 89 1  he  returned  to  the  farm  in  Esmen  town- 
ship, Livingston  county,  on  which  he  now  re- 
sides. Here  he  owns  sixty  acres,  and  also 
operates  an  adjoining  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acre  tract  belonging  to  the  Gourley  heirs, 
and  eighty  acres  more  near  by.  He  also 
rents  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  pasture 
land.  He  owns  a  valuable  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  in  St.  Joseph  county, 
Indiana,  and  in  connection  with  his  brother 
Charles  has  a  piece  of  three  hundred  acres  in 
LaPorte  county,  that  state.     In  connection 


with  farming  he  is  engaged  in  stock  raising, 
his  specialty  being  hogs,  but  he  also  keeps  a 
good  grade  of  cattle,  including  some  full- 
blooded  registered  Durhams.  He  is  ac- 
counted one  of  the  most  successful  farmers 
and  stock  men  in  his  part  of  the  county,  and 
is  numbered  among  its  most  reliable  and  pro- 
gressive business  men. 

In  politics  'Mr.  Gourley  is  independent 
and  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Grover 
Cleveland,  the  Democratic  nominee,  his  last 
for  William  McKinley,  the  Republican  can- 
didate. Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Cornell  Camp  of  Modern  Woodmen,  and  he 
is  held  in  high  regard  by  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact  either  in  business  or  social 
life. 


ARTHUR  MARSHALL. 

Arthur  Marshall,  a  prominent  and  rep- 
resentative farmer  of  Livingston  county,  was 
born  near  Sandy  Hill,  Washington  county. 
New  York,  March  16,  1834.  and  died  in 
Dwight,  May  30,  1899.  As  his  parents  died 
when  he  \\'as  quite  small,  he  remembered 
nothing  of  his  mother  and  but  little  of  his 
father.  His  early  life  was  spent  in  western 
New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  and  in  1857 
he  came  to  Illinois,  locating  first  in  Bureau 
county,  but  in  March  of  the  following  year 
he  drove  across  the  country  to  Livingston 
county,  where  he  continued  to  make  his.home 
until  his  death.  He  purchased  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Union  township, 
to  the  cultivation  and  improvement  of  which 
he  devoted  his  energies  until  1898,  and  in 
his  farming  operations  was  quite  successful. 
He  was  a  lover  of  good  stock,  especially 
horses,  and  he  fed  cattle  and  hogs  exten- 
sively. In  politics  he  was  a  strong  Repub- 
lican, verv  radical  in  his  views,  but  would 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


335 


never  accept  any  public  office  whato/er.  say- 
ing that  lie  would  not  be  president  if  lie  was 
capable  and  the  position  was  offered  him. 
Until  late  in  life  he  was  a  nieniljcr  nt  tlio 
Presbyterian  church,  but  in  1895,  with  his 
wife,  he  united  with  the  Congregational 
church  of  Dwight.  As  in  other  affairs  he 
never  would  accept  office,  though  ho  took  an 
active  interest  in  church  and  Supnday  school 
work  and  was  an  efficient  and  and  able  leader 
in  the  Sunday  school,  lie  was  noted  for  his 
kind  and  obliging  disposition  anil  was  alw  ays 
willing  to  assist  those  in  neo;l  even  at  an  in- 
convenience to  himself.  Surely  the  life  rec- 
ord of  such  a  man  is  wurtli)-  of  perpetuation 
anil  will  be  read  with  interest  by  his  many 
frienils  and  aciiuaintances  throughout  the 
County. 

Mr.  Marshall  was  three  times  marrieil, 
first  on  the  24th  of  January,  1861,  to  Miss 
Mary  Thompson,  a  nati\e  of  Guernsey 
count}'.  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Mitchell  and 
lane  riiompsdu.  At  an  early  age  she  and 
her  threo  brothers  were  left  motherless. 
She  came  to  Livingston  county  to  keep  house 
fur  Iwi)  of  them,  William  and  Hugh,  and 
the  other,  Jefferson,  located  here  later.  The 
first  two  were  soldiers  of  the  civil  war,  and 
after  their  return  from  the  war  lived  in 
Union  township,  this  county,  but  Hugh  is 
now  a  resident  of  Pontiac,  while  Jefferson 
resides  in  Miles  City,  Montana.  Mr.  Mar- 
shall made  the  acquaintance  of  his  wife  while- 
she  was  keeping  house  for  her  brothers,  but 
she  removeil  to  her  father's  hoiiie  to  be  mar- 
ried, and  came  as  a  bride  to  this  county  the 
second  time.  She  died  June  12,  i86g,  leav- 
ing three  children:  (i)  William  E.,  born 
October  8,  1861,  died  June  5,  1895.  (2) 
Mary  J.,  born  January  23.  1864,  is  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  Dwight  schools,  and  for  some  time 
was  a  teachor  of  Livingston  countv.     She 


had  charge  of  an  Indian  agency  school  in  the 
west  for  a  time,  and  was  also  connected  with 
the  Haskell  Institute  in  Lawrence,  Kansas, 
but  is  now  teaching  in  Glendive,  ]\Iontana. 
(3)  .\nna  L.,  burn  October  14.  1866,  is  the 
wift..  of  James  W.  McKinzic,  of  Glendive, 
Montana. 

Mr.  Marshall  was  again  married,  March 
7, 187 1,  his  second  union  being  with  Margaret 
Ci.  George,  who  was  born  in  Belmont  county, 
Oliiii.  April  9,  1831,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
.\nn  (Cross)  George,  the  former  a  native 
of  Ireland,  the  latter  uf  Maryland.  Being 
loft  an  orphan,  her  father  came  to  America 
at  the  age  of  nine  years  and  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Ohio.  He  owned  and  operated  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
Dwight  township,  this  coijnty,  where  he 
made  his  home  until  1864,  and  then  moved 
to  Dwight,  where  his  death  occurred  in  1872. 
He  was  a  liljeral  supjjorter  and  active  worker 
in  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he 
ser\ed  as  elder  for  many  years.  In  bis  fam- 
ily were  twoKe  children,  ten  of  whom  grew 
to  maturity,  and  four  are  still  living,  namely; 
Sarah  A.,  wiilow  of  Benjamin  Ogg,  and  a 
resident  of  Parker,  Alissouri;  James  C,  a 
retired  farmer  of  Washington,  Kansas;  Liz- 
zie M.,  the  third  wife  of  our  subject,  and 
Rebecca,  widow  of  Henry  McDonald,  of  Al- 
gona.  low  a.  Those  deceased  are  as  follows : 
Wm.  C,  born  October  29,  1826,  died  No- 
vember 29,  1826;  Mary,  born  May  17,  1842, 
died  the  same  day ;  Leathy,  born  October  5, 
1835,  married  Jesse  Cowgill,  and  died  May 
2^,  1862,  leaving  two  children,  John  Mc- 
Daniel  and  Margaret  A. ;  Priscilla,  born  Oc- 
tober 12,  1829,  married  John  Cowgill,  of 
tiuernsey,  Ohio,  where  she  die-d  in  1868, 
leaving  si.x  children ;  John  C,  born  October 
19,  1833,  served  three  years  in  the  Union 
army  during  the  civil   war,  and   made  his 


336 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


home  in  Dwight  township,  this  county,  where 
he  died  September  17,  1899;  Louisa,  born 
June  15,  1837,  died  unmarried  at  the  age 
of  twenty-nine  years  and  thirteen  days ;  and 
Benjamin  Cross,  born  May  22,  1839,  married 
Olhe  Burr,  and  died  in  Nevada,  lUinois,  in 
1866,  leaving  two  children,  John  and  Mary. 
The  father  of  these  children  was  born  De- 
cember 25,  1796,  and  died  August  12,  1877, 
while  the  mother  was  born  May  25,  1804, 
and  died  May  25,  1885.  Mrs.  Margaret  C. 
Marshall,  the  second  wife  of  our  subject,  died 
January  10,  1887,  leaving  one  daughter, 
Minnie  2\I.,  now  the  wife  of  George  Crandell, 
residing  on  the  old  homestead  in  Union  town- 
ship, I  hey  had  three  children,  but  Olive, 
born  February  25,  1895,  died  April  27,  1897. 
Those  living  are  Mary  M  and  John  M. 

On  the  29th  of  October,  1888,  Mr.  Mav- 
shall  married  Lizzie  ^I,  Brown,  a  sister  of 
his  second  wife,  who  was  an  invalid  for  sev- 
eral years  prior  to  her  death,  and  Lizzie  had 
made  her  home  with  them  for  two  years. 
She  was  Ixirn  October  2t,,  1844,  and  was 
first  married  ^Nlay  7,  1868,  to  Edgar  D. 
Brown,  by  whom  she  had  four  children, 
namely:  Edgar  C,  a  resident  of  Schoolcraft, 
Michigan;  Frank,  a  soldier  in  Porto  Rico; 
and  Eleanora  M.,  who  is  attending  school  in 
Peoria,  Illinois.  By  her  second  marriage, 
Mrs.  Marshall  has  one  child,  George  A,,  born 
December  14,  1889,  She  has  [made  her 
home  in  Dwight  since  1898,  and  is  highly 
respected  and  esteemed  by  all  who  know  her. 


PETER  G,  XELLIS. 

Peter  G.  Nellis,  who  for  many  years  was 
auditor  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad, 
but  is  now  practically  living  a  retired  life  in 


Pontiac,.  Illinois,  is  a  man  whose  worth  and 
ability  have  gained  him  success,  honor  and 
public  confidence.  He  enjo\s  the  well- 
earned  distinction  of  being  what  the  world 
calls  a  "self-made  man,"  and  an  analyzation 
of  his  character  re\-eals  the  fact  that  enter- 
prise, well-directed  eft'ort  and  honorable 
dealing  have  been  the  essential  features  of 
his  prosperity. 

Mr.  Xellis  was  born  in  Fort  Plain,  Xew 
York,  April  11,  1825,  a  son  of  Gerritt  and 
^Madeline  (Ehle)  Nellis.  both  natives  of 
Palatine  Bridge,  New  York,  His  paternal 
great-grandfather  was  a  bishop  of  the  Lu- 
theran church,  and  a  resident  of  Schenec- 
tady, New  York.  The  maternal  grantl- 
father,  Peter  Ehle,  was  descended  from 
German  stock  and  was  a  farmer  by  C)ccupa- 
tion.  When  a  x'oung  man  the  father  of  our 
subject  moved  to  Fort  Plain,  of  which  place 
he  became  a  well-known  and  prominent 
farmer.  In  religious  belief  both  he  and  his 
wife  were  Lutherans,  He  died  at  Fovt 
Plain,  while  his  wife,  who  was  born  in  1800. 
died  December  22.  1889. 

Of  the  three  children  liorn  to  this  worthy 
couple  our  subject  is  the  oldest.  He  at- 
tended the  common  schools  of  his  native 
town  and  completed  his  education  by  an 
academic  course.  He  remained  on  the  home 
farm  until  he  attained  his  majority  and  about 
1848  came  west  by  boat  from  Buft'alo  to 
Detroit,  by  rail  to  Kalamazoo,  then  the  west- 
ern terminus  of  the  Michigan  Central  Rail- 
road, and  from  there  crossed  the  lake  to 
Chicago,  After  spending  a  short  time  in 
that  city,  he  made  a  prospecting  tour  through 
northern  Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  and  finally 
located  in  Lockport,  Illinois,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  merchandising,  being  one  of  the 
first  merchants  of  that  place,  which  at  that 
time  was  a  competitor  of  Joliet, 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


337 


Mr.  Xellis  spent  two  years  in  Lnckix^rt, 
and  tbo'e  l:e  was  n:arriecl,  Feliruary  ji.  1850, 
to  Miss  Louise  Jennison.  wlio  was  lioni  anil 
reared  in  Dundee.  Scotland,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Captain  Robert  and  Susan  (Clarke) 
Jennison.  the  former  a  nativo  of  Weymouth. 
England,  the  latter  of  Dundee.  Scotland, 
here  the  family  made  their  home  until 
coming  to  the  United  States  in  1846.  at 
which  time  the  father  was  a  retired  officer 
of  the  Royal  navy.  They  located  in  Chi- 
cago, but  later  removed  to  Lockport.  where 
Captain  Jennison  owned  a  section  of  land. 
though  he  never  acti\ely  engaged  in  its 
operation.  He  spent  his  last  days  in  Os- 
wego. Illinois,  where  his  wife  also  ilied. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Xellis  have  thri..;  children : 
Gerritt  John,  a  resident  of  Chicago:  Rufus 
L..  of  Denver;  and  Mrs.  Loui.se  Slocum,  of 
I'ontiac. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Xellis  disposed  of 
I'lis  business  in  Lockport  and  accepted  the  po- 
sition of  paymaster  for  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad,  then  being  built  at  Cairo.  The 
rails  were  brought  from  England,  and  from 
Xew  Orleans  were  towo:l  up  the  Mississippi 
river  on  flatlioats.  He  handled  large  sums 
of  money  for  the  road  at  a  time  when  banks 
and  checks  were  fow  and  robbers  plenty. 
He  remained  with  the  company  during  the 
entire  construction  of  the  road,  General  Mc- 
Clellan  being  chief  engineer  and  later  vice- 
president.  After  its  completion  Mr.  Xellis 
served  as  the  first  agent  at  Vandalia.  and 
later  was  trans f«;rred  to  LaSalle,  being  three 
years  at  each  place.  He  was  next  ajjpointed 
traveling  auditor  for  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
Railroad  with  home  and  headtjuarters  at 
Chicago,  receiving  his  appointment  when 
Roswell  B.  Mason  was  president  and  general 
manager  of  the  road,  and  J.  C.  McMullen 
general  superintendent.     He  remained  with 


the  company  thirty-five  years,  traveling  the 
whole  e.xtent  of  the  road,  which  in  extent  of 
time  is  un])aralleled  by  any  case  in  railroad 
h;story.  Me  was  also  considered  one  of  the 
finest  accountants  in  the  United  States,  and 
most  accountably  filled  the  jjosition  of  auditor 
until  the  retirement  of  T.  B.  Blackstone.  the 
pre.sident,  in  1900,  though  he  is  still  with  the 
road  in  a  local  way.  For  years  he  has  made 
his  home  in  Pontiac.  where,  in  1890.  he 
erected  the  present  residence  where  he  now 
lives.  He  is  widely  and  favorably  known 
throughout  the  state  and  has  a  host  of  warm 
friends  in  his  adopted  city. 


•DEXJ.\.MIX  BARICKM.\X. 

Benjamin  Barickman,  who  resides  on 
section  30.  Xewton  township,  is  numbered 
among  the  pioneers  of  1832,  the  date  of  his 
arrival  being  at  the  time  of  the  celebrated 
Black  Hawk  war.  He  was  a  lad  of  eight 
years  at  the  time,  and  has  a  vivid  recollec- 
tion of  the  stirring  events  of  that  day.  He 
is  a  native  of  Atlanis  county,  Ohio,  born  De- 
cember n,  1824,  and  is  the  son  of  Daniel 
and  Mary  ( Pitchenger )  Barickman.  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Maryland,  where  they 
were  united  in  marriage,  and  which  was 
their  home  until  their  removal  to  Ohio  in 
an  early  day.  They  made  their  home  in 
Adams  county,  that  state,  until  1832.  when 
they  came  to  Illinois,  making  the  journey 
in  a  large  "prairie  schooner"  drawn  by  oxen. 
On  their  arrival  they  located  on  what  is  now 
section  30,  Xewton  township,  the  farm  yet 
being  in  the  jxissession  of  our  subject. 

Securing  his  location,  Daniel  Barickman 
set  about  the  erection  of  his  house,  the  typi- 
cal   log  ca1)in   so  well   remembered   bv   the 


338 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


older  resivlonts  of  the  county.  At  that  time 
there  were  but  few  persons  residing  in  what 
is  now  Livingston  county,  but  prairie  wolves, 
deer  and  other  wild  game  were  in  abundance. 
Our  subject  has  counted  as  many  as  fifty 
deer  in  one  drove  in  the  early  day,  and  it  was 
many  years  before  they  were  all  extinct  in 
this  section  of  the  country.  Prairie  chick- 
ens were  so  numerous  they  at  tmies  destroyed 
tlie  growing  corn. 

Daniel  Barickman  was  a  son  of  Daniel 
Barickman,  a  native  of  Germany,  wIki  came 
to  this  country  with  his  wife  early  in  their 
married  life,  locating  in  Maryland,  which  re- 
mained their  home  during  the  romainder  of 
their  lives.  Daniel  and  Mavy  Barickman 
were  the  parents  of  nine  children.  Bartley, 
James,  Prudence,  Daniel,  Harriot,  Benja- 
min, Jacob,  Mary  Ann  and  Upton.  Of 
these,  four  are  yot  living.  Prudence,  the 
widow  of  Wesley  Bishop,  is  living  in  Wel)- 
ster  Citv,  Iowa.  Daniel  is  living  a  retired 
life  in  the  city  of  Streator,  LaSalle  county. 
Harriet  is  the  wife  of  Preston  Bishop  and 
they  make  their  home  in  Towanda,  Illinois. 
The  death  of  the  father  occurred  when  he 
was  seventy-four  years  old,  and  the  mother 
when  she  was  seventy-one  years  old.  In 
politics,  he  was  originally  a  Whig,  but  later 
a  Republican,  and  in  political  affairs  he 
always  manifested  a  commendable  interest. 

The  first  purchase  of  land  by  Daniel 
Barickman  was  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  on  which  he  erected  his  cabin  and  at 
once  commenced  to  improve.  Xot  a  fur- 
row had  I)eon  turned,  and  there  was  no  sign 
of  civilization.  Indian  wigwams  were  to  be 
seen  in  the  timber,  and  there  was  nothing 
but  the  Indian  trail  and  the  path  made  bv 
the  deer  as  they  came  out  of  the  timber. 
Commencing  the  impro\ement  of  the  place, 
he  soon  had  (|uite  a  large  tract  under  culti- 


vation, and  in  due  time  he  added  to  his 
original  purchase  and  became  a  well-to-do 
farmer.  He  continued  to  reside  on  his 
original   farm  until  his  death. 

The  primary  education  of  our  subject 
began  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
state,  and  soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  fam- 
ily in  Livingston  county  his  father  employed 
a  man  named  Button  to  teach  school  in  an 
out-house  on  his  place,  and  to  that  school 
he  went,  and  later  in  a  log  school  house 
erected  aljout  two  miles  from  their  home. 
There  were  yet  no  roads  located  and  the 
children  went  through  the  timber  to  the 
school.  In  winter  time  it  was  \'ery  hard  to 
make  their  way  through  the  snow,  which 
sometimes  was  very  deep.  An  education, 
however,  obtained  under  such  circumstan- 
ces is  apt  to  be  appreciated. 

The  early  life  of  our  subject  was  one  of 
hardship.  The  farm  must  be  improved, 
and  e\ery  member  of  the  family  must  do 
liis  part.  With  his  parents  he  remained, 
assisting  in  the  development  of  the  place 
until  he  was  about  twenty-two  years  of  age, 
when  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  iMiss 
iMary  A.  Latham,  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
and  daughter  of  Lyman  S.  Latham,  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  the  county,  who  came 
from  the  Xntmeg  state  about  1845.  locating 
in  what  is  now  Reading  township.  By  this 
union  eight  children  were  born,  of  whom 
three — Augusta,  Franklin  and  Benjamin — 
died  in  childhood.  The  living  are :  Daniel, 
a  farmer  of  Xewtown  township;  Prudence, 
wife  of  Joseph  Coe,  living  in  Chicago;  Car- 
rie, wife  of  Cephas  Coe,  living  in  Reading 
township :  Charles  M.,  county  judge  of  Liv- 
ingston county,  residing  in  Pontiac;  and 
Willis  H.,  who  is  married  and  living  on  and 
operating  the  home  farm. 

After  his  marriage  i\Ir.  Barickman  con- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


339 


tiiuied  to  reside  on  tlie  home  place,  which  he 
managed  for  his  father  for  some  years,  and 
of  whicii  he  later  hecame  the  owner.  To  the 
original  farm  he  added  eighty  acres,  whicli 
he  lias  since  deeded  to  one  of  his  sons.  As  a 
farmer  he  ranked  among  the  best  in  the  conn- 
ty,  and  was  fairly  successfnl.  He  continued 
to  actively  engage  in  the  management  of  tlie 
farm  until  1898.  since  which  time  he  has 
been  living  a  retired  life. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Barickman  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  for  the  greater  part  of  the  time  he 
served  his  church  as  a  member  of  the  official 
board.  He  has  always  taken  an  active  in- 
terest in  church  work,  and  is  a  strong  be- 
liever in  the  teachings  of  the  lowly  Xaza- 
rene.  In  politics  he  was  originally  a  Whig, 
with  which  party  he  was  identified  until  its 
dissolution,  since  which  time  he  has  been  an 
ardent  Republican.  He  was  never  an  office- 
seeker,  but  believed  in  every  man  doing  his 
duty,  politically,  in  the  advocacy  of  the  prin- 
ciples and  the  proper  support  of  his  party. 

For  sixty-eight  years  Mr.  Barickman 
has  been  a  citizen  of  Livingston  county.  As 
already  stated,  when  he  came  here  the  coun- 
try was  almost  an  unbroken  wilderness. 
Wolves,  deer  and  wild  game  of  all  kinds 
was  in  abundance.  One  could  scarcely 
look  out  from  the  door  without  seeing  wolves 
or  deer.  His  brother  was  a  great  hunter. 
and  was  considered  the  best  shot  on  the  river. 
Our  subject  was  a  hunter  of  no  mean  ability, 
and  has  in  his  time  killed  many  deer  in  the 
vicinity  of  his  home.  He  remembers  on 
one  occasion  that  a  party  of  hunters  were  out 
with  their  hounds  on  a  deer  hunt,  and  one  of 
the  number  shot  a  buck,  which  plunged  into 
the  river.  The  dogs  were  sent  in  after  him, 
but  the  deer,  fighting  for  his  life,  almost 
drowned  the  dogs  before  an  end  was  put  to 


his  e.xistence.  Many  anecdotes  and  incidents 
of  pioneer  life  are  related  by  Mr.  Barick- 
man, to  the  wonder  and  amusement  of  the 
younger  generation.  But  in  the  almost 
three-score  years  and  ten  that  he  has  lived  in 
this  county  he  has  witnessed  many  changes 
indeed.  He  has  seen  the  old  plow,  with  its 
wooden  mold-board,  give  place  to  the  mod- 
ern implement  of  steel,  the  sickle  and  the 
tlail  superseded  by  the  reaper  and  the  steam 
thresher;  the  log  cabin  replaced  by  the 
stately  farm  house  with  all  the  comforts  of 
the  nineteenth  century.  He  has  seen  the 
coming  of  the  'railroad,  the  telegraph  and 
the  telephone.  He  has  seen  town  and  cities 
spring  up,  and  churches  and  school  houses 
find  a  place  on  almost  every  hillside,  and  in 
every  hamlet.  Aladdin,  with  his  lamp, 
could  never  unfcild  greater  wonders  than  he 
has  witnessed  since  becoming  a  citizen  of 
Livingston,  one  of  the  best  and  most  pros- 
perous of  the  counties  in  Illinois.  In  the  im- 
provements that  have  here  been  made  he  has 
borne  his  part,  and  he  has  a  right  to  the 
years  of  rest  which  it  is  hoped  that  he  may 
be  able  to  enjoy. 


JOSEPH  O.  ALBRECHT. 

Josei)h  O.  Albrecht,  one  of  the  foremost 
men  of  Waldo  township,  Livingston  county, 
is  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  in  Princeton.  Bu- 
reau county,  December  IQ.  1859,  and  is  a 
sr)n  of  John  and  .\nnie  ((lacho)  Albrecht, 
natives  of  Germany.  In  1838.  at  the  age  of 
four  years,  John  Albrecht  was  brought  to 
this  country  by  his  parents,  who  settled  in 
Bureau  county,  Illinois.  In  the  early  days 
of  Chicago,  the  grandfather,  Jacob  Albrecht, 
hauled  his  wheat  to  that  citv  from  Bureau 


340 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


county  in  a  wagon  which  he  hewed  out  of 
logs.  Throughout  Hfe  he  followed  farming, 
and  at  one  time  also  owned  and  operated  a 
brewery  at  Princeton.  He  died  in  1877. 
In  his  family  were  eight  children,  five  sons 
and  three  daughters,  of  whom  two,  Christo- 
pher and  J(.)hn  Albrecht,  are  prosperous 
farmers  li\ing  at  Tiskilwa,  Bureau  county. 

The  father  of  our  subject  followed  farm- 
ing in  Bureau  county  until  1865,  when  he 
came  to  Livingston  county  and  bought  the 
west  half  of  section  3,  Waldo  township,  for 
which  he  paid  ten  dollars  per  acre.  Here 
he  prospered,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
owned  seventeen  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land  besides  several  business  blocks  in 
Flanagan.  He  died  February  12,  1900,  at  the 
the  age  of  sixty-six  years,  two  months 
and  twent\--two  days.  He  was  well 
known  and  highly  respected,  and  had 
many  friends  throughout  this  section 
of  the  state.  O  n  the  8th  of  March, 
1859,  he  married  Anna  Gacho,  and 
to  them  were  born  the  following  children : 
Joseph  O.,  our  subject;  August,  who  was 
born  June  16,  1861,  and  died  February  16, 
1892;  John,  who  was  born  Mav  12,  1863, 
and  died  February  21,  1885;  Christopher, 
v.ho  was  born  December  24,  1865,  antl  died 
October  20.  1890;  Jacob,  who  was  born 
February  20,  1869,  and  died  April  16, 
1889;  and  Benjamin,  who  was  born  Novem- 
ber 23,  1 87 1,  and  now  resides  in  W'aklo 
township,  Livingston  county.  The  mother 
of  these  children  departed  this  life  Decem- 
ber 2^.  1873,  and  on  the  22d  of  November, 
1874,  the  father  married  Barbara  Nafciger, 
also  a  native  of  Germanv.  by  wlmm  he  had 
eight  children,  whose  names  and  dates  of 
l)irth  are  as  follows :  Magdaline,  Septem- 
lier  18,  187;;  Peter,  February  17,  1877: 
Annie,  March  5,  1879;  Samuel,  August  'i. 


1883;  Lydia,  \\\y  5,  1886:  William,  Septem- 
ber 12,  1888;  and  Daniel,  February  16,  1894. 
The  oldest  daughter  is  now  the  wife  of  Peter 
Good,  of  Waldo  township. 

The  early  education  of  Joseph  O.  Al- 
brecht was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  near 
his  bo}-h(i(id  home,  and  under  the  aljle  direc- 
tion of  his  father  he  soon  acquired  an  ex- 
cellent knowledge  of  e\'ery  department  of 
farm  w(.>rk.  He  has  made  agriculture  his 
life  occupation,  and  now  owns  and  operates 
a  quarter-section  of  land  on  section  9,  Waldo 
township,  and  also  has  eighty-two  acres  on 
section  2,  besides  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  Iowa.  He  is  a  wide-awake,  pvo- 
gressi\e  farmer,  of  good  business  abilitv  and 
sound  iudpment,  and  is  meeting  with  re- 
markalile  success  in  life. 

On  the  loth  of  February,  1884,  Mr.  Al- 
brecht was  united  in  marriage  with  ISIiss 
Lizzie,  daughter  of  Christopher  and  Mary 
(IngokD  Ringenberg.  of  Tiskilwa,  Bureau 
county,  and  they  now  have  one  child,  John 
W.,  born  December  i,  1885.  Mr.  Albrecht 
has  held  several  local  offices  and  takes  a  keen 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  township  and 
countv. 


JAMES   E.    GRAHAM. 

James  E.  Graham,  who  is  now  living  a 
retired  life  in  the  village  of  Long  Point,  and 
is  efficiently  serving  as  assessor  of  his  town- 
ship, has  made  his  home  in  Livingston 
county  for  over  a  third  of  a  century,  having 
come  here  from  near  \\'enona.  La  Salle 
county,  in  1865.  He  was  born  at  Port 
William,  Clinton  county,  Ohio,  in  1842,  a 
son  of  Thomas  B.  and  Elizabeth  (Ellis) 
Graham,  also  natives  of  Ohio.  The  father 
was  of  Scotch  ancestrv,  the  mother  of  Ger- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


341 


man  and  English  tiescent.  W'lien  a  t-oung 
man  Tliomas  B.  Graham  learned  the  trade 
of  a  millwright  and  cabinet-maker,  which  he 
I'ollowed  throughout  life,  dying  in  Ohio  in 
1884.  He  left  four  children  who  reached 
years  of  maturity,  namely :  Lydia,  who 
married  Thomas  Greer  and  died  in  Ohio 
about  1855:  John  W".,  an  attorney  and  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  of  Harrisonville,  Cass 
county,  Missouri;  Asa  A.,  an  attorney  and 
real  estate  dealer  of  Topeka,  Kansas;  and 
James  E.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  After 
the  death  i>f  the  father,  the  mother  married 
Absalom  Kinsey,  by  whom  she  had  five  chil- 
dren, but  only  two  are  now  living:  Isaac 
\\'..  a  farmer  of  Long  Point  township,  Liv- 
ingston county;  antl  Malinda.  wife  of  James 
Merrill,  in  the  emplo\-  of  the  L'nion  Tea 
Company  at  Champaign.  In  1S54  the  fam- 
ily moved  to  Marshall  county,  Illinois,  and  a 
year  later  to  La  Salle  county,  where  Mr. 
Kinsey  followed  farming,  but  both  he  and 
his  wife  spent  their  last  days  in  Long  Point 
township,  Livingston  county.  She  was 
born  June  11,  1813,  and  died  July  19,  1894. 
James  E.  Graham  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  La  Salle  county,  and  remained 
with  his  mother  until  he  entered  the  L'nion 
army  during  the  ci\il  war,  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  }ears.  He  enlisted  as  a  private 
July  I,  .1861,  in  Company  C,  Forty-fourth 
Illinois  \'olunteer  Infantry,  and  remained 
with  his  regiment  all  through  the  war,  tak- 
ing part  in  the  battles  of  Pea  Ridge,  P'erry- 
ville,  Stone  River,  Chickamauga  and  Mis- 
sionary Riilge,  and  in  all  the  engagements 
of  the  Atlanta  campaign.  Although  he  had 
many  narrow  escapes,  he  was  never  wound- 
ed, and  was  ne\er  in  the  hospital  but  for  a 
single  night.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he 
was  honorably  discharged  as  commissary 
sergeant  September  26,  1865. 


After  being  mustered  out  ]\Ir.  Graham 
located  in  W'enona,  Illinois,  and  in  1866 
came  to  Long  Point  township,  Livingston 
county,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home 
with  the  exception  of  one  year.  On  the 
29th  of  November,  1868,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Emma  Long,  who 
was  born  near  Danville,  \'ermilion  county, 
Illinois,  Xoxember  30,  1843,  ^  daughter  of 
Reuben  and  Phema  (Lucas)  Long,  natives 
of  Ohio.  Mr.  Long  was  born  June  18,  1813, 
and  died  September  29,  1885.  He  was  of 
Irish  and  German  and  his  wife  of  German 
and  English  extraction.  She  was  born  July 
5,  1816,  and  is  still  living  on  the  home  place 
near  Cornell.  She  became  a  resident  of 
\'ermilion  county  in  183 1,  her  husband  in 
1839,  and  in  1852  they  removed  to  Living- 
ston county,  being  among  the  early  .settlers 
of  Amity  townshii).  Both  held  membership 
in  the  Christian  church,  and  has  always  af- 
filiated with  the  Democratic  party.  In  their 
family  were  eleven  children,  eight  of  whom 
are  still  living:  Emma,  wife  of  otn-  sub- 
ject; Clarissa,  who  is  the  widow  of  Ellis 
Kinsey  and  lives  near  Flanagan,  Illinois; 
Orlean,  who  lives  near  Cornell,  in  Amity 
townshi]);  Joseph,  who  lives  near  Long 
Point;  )(ihn  {twin  of  Joseph),  who  is  a 
carpenter  and  lives  with  his  mother  near 
Cornell;  Charlotte,  who  is  a  widow  and  also 
lives  with  her  mother;  Lucretia,  wife  of  Les- 
lie Lawrence,  living  near  Flanagan;  and 
Samantha,  wife  of  Charles  Talbott,  of  Amity 
townshij).  To  Mr.  and  ]Mrs.  Graham  were 
born  three  children,  of  whom  one  died  in 
infancy.  Leon,  born  .August  30.  1872,  was 
educated  at  Eureka  College,  and  is  engaged 
in  school  teaching.  He  married  Laura 
l-'ilby,  and  has  one  son,  W'i-lbur.  .\rvilla 
Mae,  born  October  7,  1876,  is  the  wife  of 
Louis  Stilson,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Han- 


342 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


cock  county,  Iowa,  and  tliey  liave  two  chil- 
dren. Gladys  and  Milliuni. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Graham  took  up 
his  residence  upon  a  farm  in  Long  Point 
townsliip,  and  successfully  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  until  his  removal  to  the  village 
of  Long  Point  in  March,  1898,  since  which 
time  he  has  practically  lived  a  retired  life. 
He  pnrcliased  a  pleasant  home,  and  also 
eighteen  li)ts  within  the  corporation  limits. 
In  politics  he  is  a  pronounced  Republican, 
and  has  served  the  people  faithfully  and 
well  as  cr)nstal)le:  school  director  for  sev- 
eral years,  and  assessor  for  the  past  five 
years.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  Post.  No.  784,  of  which  he 
is  chaplain,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are 
active  members  of  the  Christian  church  of 
Long  Point,  of  which  he  is  an  elder. 


GEORGE   W'HITHAM. 

George  W'hitham  is  a  prominent  busi- 
ness man  of  Cornell,  where  he  is  now  suc- 
cessfullv  carrying  on  operations  as  a  dealer 
in  hardware,  agricultural  implements  and 
grain.  In  all  nf  his  undertakings  he  has 
steadilv  i)n)si)ered,  his  excellent  success  l)e- 
ing  but  the  logical  result  of  liis  careful  and 
correct  business  methods. 

Mr.  Whitham  is  a  native  of  Washington 
county,  Pennsylvania,  born  near  Wheeling. 
West  \'irginia,  Januarv  30,  1834.  His 
father.  Alexander  B.  Whitham.  was  born  in 
Brown  county.  Ohio,  and  when  a  young  man 
went  to  Washington  county.  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  married  Martha  J.  Davis.  In  early 
life  he  folowed  the  shoemaker's  trade,  but 
later  devoted  his  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits.   On  first  coming  to  Illinois,  in  Feb- 


ruary. 1857,  he  settled  in  Marshall  county, 
and  did  not  locate  in  Livingston  county  un- 
til 1876.  Here  he  spent  his  last  days  on  a 
farm  and  died  October  .22,   1886. 

Our  subject  grew  to  manhood  in  Mar- 
shall county  and  was  educated  in  the  Lacon 
high  school.  After  the  remo\al  of  the 
family  to  Livingston  county,  he  aided  his 
father  with  the  farm  work,  and  continued  to 
engage  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  Esmen 
township,  until  coming  to  Cornell  in  1893. 
when  he  purchased  an  established  hardware 
and  implement  business,  which  he  has  since 
carried  on  with  marked  success.  Since  1895 
lie  has  also  tlealt  in  grain  and  now  ships 
large  quantities  from  Cornell.  He  is  one  of 
the  most  active,  enterprising  and  progressive 
business  men  in  his  section  of  the  county. 

On  the  1st  of  October,  1879.  in  Esmen 
townsh'p.  Mr.  Whitham  married  Miss  Emma 
A.  Rhodes,  who  was  born  near  Lake  Geneva, 
iri  Walworth  county,  Wisconsin,  her  father, 
Leiand  AI,  Rhodes,  being  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  that  county,  and  a  native  of  New 
York.  He  lironght  his  family  to  Li\-ingston 
county,  this  state  in  1876.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Whitham  have  five  children,  namely:  Mil- 
ton A..  Charles  E..  Mina  May.  Gracie  and 
Carrie.  Mrs.  Whitham  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  church  and  takes  an  active  part  in 
the  work  of  the  church  and  Sabbath  school. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Whitham  is  a  member  of 
the  Modern  Woodman  Camp  at  the  same 
place,  and  has  serveil  as  clerk  a  number  of 
years.  In  his  political  affiliations  he  has  been 
a  life-long  Democrat,  and  has  taken  quite 
an.  active  and  prominent  part  in  local  politics. 
He  has  filled  the  otifice  of  assessor,  collector, 
township  clerk  and  president  of  the  village 
board.  In  1895  he  was  elected  supervisor 
and  has  served  as  such  for  six  consecutive 
years,   .\lthough  he  has  not  met  with  strong 


GEORGE  WHITHAM. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


345 


opposition  lie  was  re-elected  by  an  increased 
majority  at  each  election.  Me  lias  most 
ably  and  satisfactorily  represented  his  town- 
ship on  the  board,  has  lieen  appointed  a  mem- 
ber of  a  nnmber  of  important  committees, 
and  is  now  chairman  of  the  one  on  rules. 
His  pul)lic  and  private  life  are  alike  above 
re])roach,  and  he  well  deserves  the  success 
that  has  come  to  hir.i. 


EUGEXE  A.  \'AHEV. 

luig'cne  A.  \'ahey.  a  piipular  conductor 
on  the  Wabash  Railroad  and  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Forrest,  Illinois,  was  born  in  Mt. 
Carmel,  Pennsylvania.  August  31,  1851.  and 
is  a  son  of  Eugene  and  Julia  (  Cosgrove)  \'a- 
hey.  The  father  was  alsi  >  a  native  of  that 
state  and  a  contractor  on  railroad  work, 
doing  an  extensive  business.  He  helped  in 
the  construction  of  the  Erie  Railroad,  Dela- 
ware, Lackawanna  &  Western,  and  Lehigh 
Valley  Railroads,  but  during  the  last  twenty 
years  of  his  life  lived  retired  from  active 
business.  He  made  his  home  in  Pittston, 
] Pennsylvania,  during  the  greater  part  of  his 
life,  and  died  there  January  10,  1892,  while 
his  wife  passed  away  September  15,  1882. 
Both  were  meinbers  of  St.  Paul's  Catholic 
church  of  that  place,  and  in  politics  the  fa- 
ther was  a  Democrat. 

Our  subject  was  educated  in  the  common 
and  high  schools  of  Pittston,  and  for  two 
years  was  engaged  in  the  grocery  business 
at  that  place.  Selling  out  his  interest,  he 
became  connected  with  railroad  work,  in 
1873,  as  brakeman  on  the  Wyoming  divis- 
ion of  the  Lehigh  \'alley  Railroad,  with 
which  he  was  connected  three  years.  He 
then  went  to  Jersey  City,  Xew  Jersey,  and 


entered  the  employ  r)f  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  Company,  and  remained  with  them 
until  March  15,  1882,  making  up  passenger 
trains  in  the  yards  at  that  place.  Coming 
west,  Mr.  Vahey  entered  the  service  of  the 
^^'abash  Railroad  on  the  27th  of  that  month, 
as  switchman  at  Forrest,  Illinois,  and  six 
months  later  was  appointed  yardmaster,  at 
a  time  when  all  freight  stopped  here.  He 
served  in  that  capacity  until  September, 
1888,  when  he  went  upon  the  road  as  con- 
ductor, running  at  first  from  Forrest  to 
Chicago.  Later  he  w;is  assigned  to  the 
Streator  run,  which  is  one  of  the  best  on  the 
road,  as  he  gets  home  every  night.  In  point 
of  service  he  and  Mr.  Stewart  are  the  oldest 
emi)loves  of  the  Wabash  Railroad  living  in 
Forrest,  and  have  the  entire  confidence  and 
respect  of  the  comiiany. 

On  the  25th  of  November,  1875,  Mr. 
\'aliey  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mary  J.  Garri.son.  of  Paterson,  Xew  Jer- 
sey, a  native  of  that  place  and  a  daughter 
of  David  and  Mary  A.  (Garrettson)  Garri- 
son. The  father,  who  was  a  carpenter  and 
a  son  of  Henry  Garrison,  spent  his  entire  life 
in  that  city,  and  Mrs.  Vahey's  maternal 
grandfather,  Henry  Garrettson,  was  also  an 
old  resident  of  Paterson.  Our  subject  and 
his  wife  have  two  children  :  Marguerite,  and 
Charles  E.,  a  teacher  at  Reading,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Vahey  owns  a  nice  home  and  other 
])ro])ertv  in  Forrest.  He  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful in  business  affairs,  and  was  one  of 
the  promoters,  incorporators  and  member 
of  the  first  board  of  directors  of  the  Forrest 
Building  &  Loan  Association.  Originally 
he  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  in  1896 
voted  for  McKinley,  and  still  affiliates  with 
the  Republican  party.  He  served  as  city 
clerk  one  term,  and  as  alderman  of  Forrest 
two  vears.     I-"raternally  he  is  a  prominent 


346 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


and  influential  memlier  of  W'aljasli  Division, 
No.  260,  O.  R.  C,  of  wliich  he  has  been  sec- 
retary- and  treasurer,  and  was  a  representa- 
tive to  the  conventions  held  in  Atlanta  in 
1895  and  Detroit  in  1899.  He  has  always 
taken  a  leading  part  in  the  affairs  of  his  di- 
vision. Mr.  Vahey  is  also  connected  with 
Forrest  Lodge,  No.  614,  F.  &  A.  M.,  the 
Chapter  and  Commandery  at  Fairbury ;  and 
Olive  Branch  Lodge,  No.  154,  K.  P.,  of 
which  he  has  been  chancellor  commander 
and  deputy  grand  chancellor  of  his  district, 
instituting  new  lodges,  including"  the  one  at 
Long  Point,  and  installing  the  new  officers 
at  each  election.  In  all  the  relations  of  life 
he  has  been  found  true  to  every  trust  re- 
posed in  him,  and  is  justly  regarded  as  one 
of  the  valued  citizens  of  Forrest.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Vahc}'  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  at  Forrest. 


THOMAS  K.  BARTON. 

For  a  quarter  of  a  century  Thomas  K. 
Barton  has  dwelt  in  Livingston  county,  and 
during  this  period  has  become  well-to-do 
and  prominent.  His  life  has  been  exempla- 
ry and  worthy  of  emulation,  and  unbounded 
confidence  in  his  integrity  and  high  stand- 
ard of  honor  is  felt  b}'  the  friends  and  neigh- 
bors who  ha\-e  long  enjoyed  his  acquaint- 
ance. 

A  native  of  Juniata  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia. Mr.  Barton  is  a  descendant  of  sterling- 
German  pioneers  of  that  state.  His  pater- 
nal grandfather,  Ephraim  Barton,  was  born 
in  Germany,  and  at  an  early  day  in  this 
country's  history  cast  in  his  lot  with  our 
people.  He  participated  in  some  of  the  In- 
dian wars,  and  also  fought  in  the  war  of 


181  J.  David  B..  one  of  his  sons,  and  fa- 
ther of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Juniata 
county  about  1818,  and  departed  this  life  in 
1863.  at  his  old  home  in  the  Keystone  state. 
His  wife,  Sarah,  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Knox,  also  of  Pennsylvania,  and  of  Irish 
extraction. 

The  birth  of  Thomas  K.  Barton  oc- 
curred December  15.  1844,  and  for  twenty- 
two  years  he  resided  on  his  father's  farm  in 
Juniata  county.  In  1866  he  determined  to 
seek  his  fortune  in  the  west,  and,  coming 
to  Illinois,  he  found  employment  with  farm- 
ers in  La  Salle  county.  At  the  end  of  a 
year  he  leased  a  farm,  and  soon  afterwards 
returned  to  the  old  home,  with  the  purpose 
of  escorting  his  mother  and  younger  brothers 
and  sisters  to  the  new  home  he  had  loyally 
provided  for  them,  as  the  father  had  passed 
to  his  reward.  Mary,  the  eldest  sister,  be- 
came the  wife  of  George  Vanata,  and  died 
in  1897.  Nancy,  the  next  in  order  of  birth, 
wedded  Joshua  Frazer  and  lives  in  Ne- 
braska. Samuel  Barton  is  a  citizen  of  \'er- 
milion  comity,  Illinois,  and  Susan,  the 
youngest  of  the  family,  is  deceased. 

For  five  years  subsequent  to  his  return  to 
this  state  Thomas  K.  Barton  and  the  other 
members  of  the  family  dwelt  together,  the 
circle  being  unbroken.  His  home  was  upon 
a  farm  in  La  Salle  county,  and  he  continued 
to  lease  the  place  until  1875,  when  he  re- 
mo\ed  to  another  homestead,  this  being  lo- 
cated in  Long  Point  township,  Livingston 
Cdunty.  In  1883  he  bought  eighty  acres  in 
section  30,  Amity  township — his  present 
home,  and  here  he  found  a  great  task  be- 
fore him,  for  the  improvements  were  very 
poor,  a  log  cabin  and  a  few  acres  of  broken 
prairie  constituting  them.  With  character- 
istic energy  he  commenced  the  work  of  mak- 
inp-  this  a  model  farm,  draining  low  lands 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


347 


liy  means  of  tiling,  building  fences,  a  large, 
convenient  house  and  good  barns  and  other 
necessary  buildings.  He  also  expended 
some  time  and  means  in  planting  fruit  and 
shade  trees,  and  at  length  he  bought  forty 
acres  of  adjoining  property,  thus  increas- 
ing his  possessions  to  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres. 

In  all  of  his  cares  and  joys.  Mr.  Barton 
has  been  cheered  and  aided  by  his  devoted 
wife,  formerly  Miss  Sarah  E.  Smith.  They 
were  married  in  La  Salle  county,  February 
14.  1872,  and  have  been  numbered  among 
the  upright,  worthy  inhabitants  of  this  state 
since  they  reached  maturity.  Mrs.  Bar- 
ton was  born  in  Juniata  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  was  reared  and  educated  there.  Of 
the  five  children  born  to  our  subject  and 
wife  four  are  living,  their  little  Jesse  having 
died  when  young.  The  eldest.  Frank  D.,  is 
married  and  resides  in  Cornell,  where  he  is 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits.  Laura, 
who  received  an  excellent  education,  com- 
pleting her  studies  in  the  Dixon  (Illinois) 
College,  is  one  of  the  successful  teachers  of 
this  county.  Leroy,  an  enterprising  young 
man.  is  at  home,  assisting  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  farm.  Frederick  Carl,  the 
youngest,  also  is  with  his  parents. 

The  first  presidential  ballot  of  our  sub- 
ect  was  cast  for  Lincoln  in  1864.  In  na- 
tional affairs,  he  supports  Democratic  nom- 
inees, while  in  local  elections  he  is  inde- 
pendent of  party  lines.  For  fifteen  years 
he  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  Iward, 
thus  evincing  the  genuine  interest  which  he 
feels  in  the  vital  matter  of  educating  the 
young.  He  had  the  honor  of  being  presi- 
dent of  the  board  during  the  greater  share 
of  that  period,  and  to  his  heartfelt  concern 
in  the  subject  much  of  the  prosijerity  of  our 
school  system  may  be  attributed.     With  his 


estimable  wife  he  holds  membership  in  the 
Methodist  Protestant  church.  Fraternally 
he  is  identified  with  the  Cornell  Lodge  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  is  a 
trustee  of  the  lodge  building. 


CilBSOX  B.  BROWXSOX. 

(iibson  B.  Brownson.  the  present  super- 
visor of  Indian  Grove  township,  in  which 
the  city  of  Fairburg  is  located,  was  for 
many  years  one  of  the  leading  contractors 
and  builders  of  that  place,  and  many  notable 
examples  of  his  skill  are  to  be  seen  in  this 
section  of  the  county,  but  he  is  now  living 
a  retired  life.  Thoroughly  reliable  in  all 
things,  the  (|uality  of  his  work  is  a  convinc- 
ing test  of  his  own  personal  worth  and  the 
same  admirable  trait  is  shown  in  his  con- 
scientious discharge  of  the  duties  of  different 
]K)sitions  of  trust  and  resixinsibility  to  which 
he  has  been  chosen  in  jjolitical  life. 

Mr.  Brownson  was  born  in  Bradford 
county.' Pennsylvania.  July  30,  1832.  a  son 
of  Elisha  Brownson,  whose  birth  occurred 
in  Massachusetts,  May  27,  1791.  The  pa- 
ternal grandfather.  Isaac  Brownson.  was  also 
a  native  of  the  old  Bay  state  and  a  soldier 
of  the  Revolutionary  war.  being  with  Wash- 
ington wlien  he  crossed  the  Delaware  at 
Trenton.  When  Elisha  was  eight  years  old 
the  family  mo\ed  to  Sus(|uehanna  county. 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  grew  to  manhood, 
and  was  married.  Octol:)er  20.  1823.  to  Mary 
Titus,  who  was  born  December  27,.  1803. 
.\fter  his  marriage  he  moved  to  Bradford 
county.  Pennsylvania,  where  he  cleared  a 
heavily  timbered  tract  of  land  and  trans- 
formed it  into  a  good  farm.  There  the 
grandfather   lived    retired    until    his   death. 


348 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


which  occurred  when  our  sul^ject  was  Ijut 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  In  1856  the  father 
brought  liis  family  to  IlHnois  and  took  up 
his  residence  in  Livingston  county,  where 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  hfe,  dying- 
June  22.  1874.  During  the  war  of  181 2, 
he  tried  to  enhst,  but  on  account  of  his  health 
was  not  accepted.  In  politics  he  was  an 
old-line  \\'hig.  a  stanch  Abolitionist,  and 
later  a  Republican.  His  wife  died  Novem- 
ber 20.  1869. 

Our  subject  had  but  a  limited  opportun- 
ity to  acquire  an  educatidU.  not  being  able 
to  attend  school  more  than  one  year  during 
his  boyhood,  but  in  later  years  he  devoted 
considerable  time  to  reading  and  study,  and 
in  this  way  obtained  a  good  practical  edu- 
cation. During  his  youth  he  served  a  three 
years'  apprenticeship  to  the  carjienter's  trade 
in  New  \  ork.  only  a  short  distance  from  his 
liome.  and  received  one  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  for  his  three  years'  work,  out  of 
which  he  had  to  clothe  himself.  In  1854 
he  came  west  1  m  a  prospecting  tour  and 
passed  through  this  county  before  the  rail- 
road was  built,  and  not  a  house  marked  the 
present  site  of  Fairbury,  while  Pontiac  was 
a  mere  hamlet.  Being  homesick  he  did  not 
remain  here  long,  but  spent  two  years  trav- 
ing  over  the  west.  Being  a  good  carpenter, 
he  could  alwa}-s  find  employment,  and  spent 
one  summer  working  at  his  trade  in  Miss- 
issippi. In  this  way  he  saw  much  of  the 
country.  In  December,  1856,  he  located  in 
this  county,  which  has  since  been  his  home. 
One  year  was  spent  in  Avoca,  which  was 
then  ciuite  a  thriving  little  village,  while 
Fairbury  was  unknown,  and  he  was  one  of 
the  few  to  vote  on  the  township  organization. 
On  leaving  Avoca  he  took  up  his  residence 
on  a  farm  and  in  connection  with  its  opera- 
tion worked  at  his  trade  in  Fairburv,  assist- 


ing in  the  erection  of  one  of  the  first  houses 
of  that  jjlace. 

In  September,  1861,  Mr.  Brcwnson 
joined  the  boys  in  blue,  becoming  a  member 
of  Company  K,  Third  Illinois  Cavalry, 
which  was  sent  to  Springfield  to  organize 
and  from  there  to  Missouri,  being  with 
Fremont  when  he  made  his  raid  on  Spring- 
field, that  state.  Our  subject  was  with  his 
company  until  they  reached  Helena,  Arkan- 
sas, and  was  then  sent  to  the  hospital.  On 
his  recnxery  he  joined  the ^lississippi Marine 
Brigade,  which  was  located  on  the  river, 
being  in  the  cavalry  department  going  up 
and  down  that  stream  with  horses  on  boats, 
and  whenever  they  discovered  any  scouts 
landed  and  chased  them.  Mr.  Brownson 
was  mustered  out  at  Vicksburg,  August  2Cj. 
1864,  with  the  rank  of  sergeant. 

After  his  return  north  he  worked  for  a 
time  at  his  trade  in  St.  Louis,  and  then  re- 
turned to  Fairbury,  which  had  continued  to 
be  his  home.  In  partnership  with  liis  brother, 
he  did  an  extensix'e  business  as  a  contractor 
and  builder  and  gave  employment  to  four- 
teen or  fifteen  men  at  one  time.  He  erected 
many  of  the  residences,  business  blocks  and 
other  houses  of  Fairbury,  also  built  the 
Catholic  church — the  first  in  the  place:  the 
Presbyterian  church  which  is  still  standing; 
and  other  churches  throughout  the  county. 
Not  a  man  li\ing  here  has  had  as  much  to 
do  with  the  construction  of  buildings  as 
has  practically  lived  retired.  His  own 
our  subject,  but  for  the  past  year  or  two  he 
pleasant  residence  was  erected  the  year  of 
his  marriage. 

On  the  I  ith  of  March,  1868,  Mr.  Brown- 
son  married  Miss  Susan  Ormsby,  of  Brad- 
ford county,  Pennsylvania,  a  daughter  of 
Levi  Ormsby,  and  to  them  have  been  born 
two  children,  both  of  whom  were  provided 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


349 


witli  «(o(xl  educational  advantages,  .\lice. 
the  older,  attended  school  in  Dixon,  and 
prior  to  her  marriage  engaged  in  leaching  in 
Fairhury.  She  is  now  the  wife  of  John  D. 
Watkins,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  they  have 
line  son,  John.  Nellie  I.  was  educated  at 
the  W'esleyan  University,  at  Blooniington. 
and  is  now  a  successful  teacher  in  the  public 
schools  in  Fairhury.  The  family  attend  the 
Presbyterian  church. 

By  his  ballot  Mr.  Brownson  has  always 
supported  the  Republican  party,  and  in  i<SOS 
ser\e<l  as  assessor  of  Pleasant  Ridge  town- 
ship. For  nine  years  he  was  an  active  and 
efficient  member  of  the  school  board  of  Fair- 
bury,  during  which  time  the  first  brick 
school  house  was  erected  there,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  board  of  village  trustees  when 
the  water  works  was  put  in.  In  Xovember, 
1895.  he  was  appointed  to  fill  a  vacancy  as 
supervisor,  and  at  the  ne.xt  election  was 
elected  to  that  office.  He  has  since  been  re- 
elected and  is  still  filling  that  office  in  a 
most  creditable  and  satisfactory  manner. 
He  has  taken  an  important  part  in  the  work 
of  the  Ixiard.  and  has  proved  a  most  com- 
petent and  trustworthy  official,  his  duties 
having  always  been  most  faithfully  dis- 
charged. Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of 
Aaron  Weider  Post,  G.  A.  R. :  Tarbolton 
Lodge,  Xo.  351,  F.  &  A.  :M.,  and  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Mutual  Aid,  in  all  of 
v.liich  he  has  held  office. 


WILLIAM   ROBERT   :\IORRlS. 

William  Robert  Morris,  a  jjrogressive 
member  of  the  agricultural  class  of  Living- 
ston county,  is  one  of  the  most  successful 
young  farmers  of  Amity  township.       His 


entire  life  has  been  spent  in  this  immediate 
1(  cality,  and  here,  where  he  is  so  well  known, 
ht  l^ears  a  reputation  for  uprightness  and 
justice  and  a  conscientious  regard  for  the 
rights  of  others  and  his  duty  as  a  citizen  and 
head  of  a  household. 

William  R.  Morris,  more  familiar  known 
as  Robert  Morris,  comes  from  an  old  and 
honored  \'irginia  family,  and  his  grand- 
father. Henry  Morris,  possessed  that  spirit 
which  has  filled  the  hearts  of  all  of  the  sturdy 
brave  pioneers  who  laid  the  foundations  of 
future  civilization  and  prosperity.  Henry 
Morris  first  removed  from  the  Old  Dominion 
to  the  wilderness  of  Ohio,  subsequently  lo- 
cated in  Indiana  and  as  early  as  1837.  when 
this  country  was  new  and  sparsely  settled, 
cauie  ,  to  Livingston  county.  Choosing  a 
tract  of  land  in  Amity  township,  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life  here,  his  death  oc- 
curring in  1841.  His  homestead,  which  he 
had  partially  cleared  and  prepared  for  culti- 
vation, is  the  identical  one  now  in  the  pos- 
session  of  our  subject. 

C.  F.  Morris,  father  of  William  Robert 
Morris,  was  I)orn  in  Tippecanoe  county,  In- 
diana. December  12.  1828,  and  from  his 
tenth  year  until  his  death,  February  10, 
1900,  he  dwelt  in  Amity  townshi]) — one  of 
her  most  esteemed  citizens.  His  death  is 
felt  to  be  a  public  loss  in  this  community, 
where  so  long  and  faithfully  he  used  his  in- 
fluence for  its  i^ermanent  welfare.  In  early 
manhood  he  wedded  Susanna,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Springer,  who  was  an  early  settler  in 
this  locality,  also.  The  ycjung  couple  com- 
menced keeping  house  in  this  township,  and 
in  the  course  of  time  came  to  live  on  the  old 
Morris  homestead,  in  section  17,  having 
bought  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs.  Un- 
der his  management  the  place  was  wonder- 
fully improved,  and  a  well-lKiilt  house  and 


35° 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


barns  added  mucli  to  tlie  value  and  desir- 
ability of  the  farm.  Mr.  Morris  was  en- 
gaged in  the  actual  work  of  the  farm  until 
about  fifteen  years  ago,  and  in  1892  he  re- 
moved to  Cornell,  where  he  had  purchased  a 
pleasant  residence.  His  long  and  useful  life 
closed  in  peacefulness,  and.  surrounded  by 
his  loving  relatixxs  and  numerous  sincere 
friends  he  breached  his  last  and  passed  to  his 
reward.  His  mortal  remains  were  tenderly 
laid  away  in  the  old  Morris  cemetery,  on 
the  homestead,  with  which  the  name  has  been 
associated  for  more  than  three-score  years. 
His  first  wife,  the  mother  of  our  subject, 
died  in  1874,  and  he  afterward  married 
again.  Joseph  C,  his  eldest  son  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Kansas  City,  and  Gene\-a,  the  only 
daughter,  is  the  wife  of  William  Gregory, 
a  farmer  of  this  township. 

The  birth  of  William  Robert  Morris  oc- 
curred on  the  old  homestead,  May  20,  1868, 
and  here  his  boyhood  days  were  passed  in 
tlie  usual  quiet  pursuits  of  country  lads. 
After  completing  the  curriculum  of  the  com- 
mcjn  schools,  he  further  qualified  himself  for 
life's  duties  b}-  attending  c(_)llege  at  Dixon, 
Illinois,  where  he  was  a  student  for  two 
years.  He  then  returned  home  and  assidu- 
ously de\-oted  himself  to  the  cultivation  of 
the  farm,  deciding  t'j  make  agriculture  his 
chief  business  in  the  future.  Since  1890 
he  has  had  entire  charge  of  the  old  farm, 
and  now  manages  about  four  hundred  acres 
of  well  cultivated  and  highly  desirable  land. 
He  is  practical  and  in  sympathy  with  the 
progressive  spirit  of  the  age,  and  it  is  safe 
to  predict  for  him  wealth  and  prominence, 
though  these  things  are  not  his  chief  aspira- 
tions. 

On  the  27th  of  2^Iay,,  1887,  Ih.  Morr.s 
married  Ella  G.  Blake,  daughter  of  Daniel 
Blake,  of  Cornell,  her  native  place.     Se\'en 


children  bless  the  union  of  this  sterling 
couple,  namely:  Fred,  Lena,  Robert  B., 
Gertrude.  Chester  Warner,  Daniel  B.  and 
Marv  Geneva. 

In  his  political  faith  'Sir.  Alorris  is  a 
Democrat.  For  himself  he  has  ne\er  as- 
pired to  public  otifice,  as  he  finds  his  time 
fully  occupied  in  attending  to  his  manifold 
business  affairs.  Yielding  to  duty  and  the 
desires  of  iiis  neighbors,  he  has  officiated  as 
district  clerk  and  on  the  board  of  education, 
giving  his  influence  to  all  measures  calcu- 
lated to  benefit  the  community  permanently 
in  his  opinion. 


HEXRY  J.  SAXTELMAN. 

Henry  J.  Santelman,  one  of  the  leading 
agriculturists  of  Newton  township,  whose 
home  is  on  section  14,  has  been  a  resident  of 
Livingston  county  since  1884.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  Illinois,  born  in  La  Salle  county,  De- 
cember 21,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and 
Sophia  (Freeman)  Santelman,  natives  of 
Germany,  who  came  to  this  country  in  early 
life  and  were  married  in  La  Salle  county. 
B}-  trade  the  father  was  a  glazier,  but  here 
he  devoted  his  attention  to  farming,  and 
although  he  had  no  capital  with  which  to  be- 
gin life,  he  worked  hard  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  which  occurred  March  12,  1898, 
he  owned  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
valuable  land,  acquired  through  his  own 
well-directed  efforts.  He  was  seventy-three 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death.  In 
politics  he  was  always  a  Republican,  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  were,  members  of  the 
German  Evangelical  church.  She  is  still 
living  at  the  age  of  sixty  years,  and  makes 
her  home  in  Sunbury  township,  Livingston 
countv.        In  their   familv  were  nine  chil- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


351 


dren,  namely :  Charles,  who  owns  and  op- 
erates a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
in  Sunbury  township;  Amelia,  wife  of  Will- 
iam Russow,  who  has  a  farm  of  two  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  in  Xewtnwn  township; 
Henry  J.,  our  subject;  Mary,  wife  of  Chris- 
tian Cates,  of  La  Salle  county;  Eretlerick,  a 
resident  of  Sunbury  township;  William,  wlm 
lives  on  the  home  place  in  La  Salle  county ; 
Edward,  who  works  for  his  brother  Charles; 
Albert,  who  is  with  his  mother:  and  Joseph, 
will  I  is  with  his  brother  Charles. 

The  subject  of  this  re\  iew  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  La 
Salle  Count}',  and  remained  at  home  until 
attaining- his  majority.  On  janu;u-y  i,  1SS5, 
he  married  .Miss  Sophia  Heckman,  who  was 
born  in  (iermany,  December  3.  i8(),v  and 
when  se\  cnteen  years  of  age  came  to  Amer- 
ica with  her  mother  and  the  other  children 
of  the  family,  the  father  haxing  ilied  pre- 
viously. She  has  one  brother,  John,  who 
owns  and  operates  a  farm  in  Rock  comity, 
Minnesota,  and  a  sister,  Mary,  wife  of 
Charles  Santelman.  The  mother  is  still  liv- 
ing with  her  cliiklren  at  the  age  of  se\enty- 
lliree  years.  ?klr.  aiul  Mrs.  Santelman  have 
six  children:  Hilda,  born  September  27, 
1885;  Ella,  September  17,  1889;  Walter, 
December  7,  1891 ;  Laura,  September  7, 
1894;  Fred,  January  J3,  1897;  and  Roy, 
l-ebruary  12,  1900. 

On  starting  out  in  life  for  himself  Mr. 
Santelman's  father  gave  him  hve  hundred 
dollars,  a  team  and  some  farming  inii)le- 
ments.  For  nine  years  he  successlullv  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Sunlniry  township,  ;md 
on  selling  his  property  there  bought  his 
present  farm  of  one  hundred  and  ninety 
acres  in  Xewtown  township,  for  which  he 
paid  fifty-eight  dollars  per  acre.  This  he 
has  tiled  and   further   improveil,  ami  as  a 


thorough  and  practical  farmer  he  is  meeting 
with  well-deserved  success.  He  possesses 
many  of  the  admirable  characteristics  of  his 
( ierman  ancestors,  being  industrious,  ener- 
getic and  persevering,  and  is  highly  re- 
spected by  all  who  know  him.  As  a  Repub- 
lican he  takes  (juite  an  active  interest  in  po- 
litical affairs,  but  has  ne\er  cared  for  office, 
though  he  is  ser\ing  as  school  director  in 
his  district.  Religiously  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Evangelical  church,  as  is  also  his  wife. 


IIA.M.MO.M)   A.    l'l':.\RSO.\. 

Ilamniond  A,  I'earsoii,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Nebraska  township,  and  a  worthy 
rei)reseiitative  of  one  of  the  honored  pioneer 
families  oi  Li\iiigston  county,  was  born 
here,  October  5,  1857,  a  son  (>i  Abel  and 
Mary  .\.  {  liloodworih  )  I'earson,  both  na- 
tives of  Engiand,  the  former  born  at  'i'ydd, 
St.  Mary's.  Lincolnshire,  .\ugust  24.  1826, 
the  latter  at  Tidd,  St.  Ciles,  January  15, 
1823.  Jt  was  in  1849  that  the  father  crossed 
the  broad  Atlantic,  and  after  spending  one 
season  in  Rochester,  New  York,  came  to 
Illinois,  settling  at  Walnut  Grove,  now  Eu- 
reka, Woodford  county,  in  May,  1856,  he 
located  on  the  west  half  of  the  northeast 
(|uarter  of  section  21,  Nebraska  township, 
Livingston  county,  for  which  he  ])aid 
se\-ent_\--five  cents  per  acre,  and  the  grant  for 
which  he  received  from  President  Buchanan, 
.\pril  15,  1857.  ( )n  the  12th  of  February, 
J870,  he  bought  the  east  half  of  the  north- 
west (|uarter  from  Jo.seph  H.  Stitt,  at  thirty- 
fi\e  dollars  per  acre,  and  the  west  half  of  the 
northwest  cpiarter  from  Thomas  Ward,  Jan- 
uary 24,  1876.  There  he  successfully  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  1889,  when  he  moved 


35^ 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


to  Flanagan  and  laid  aside  all  business  cares, 
living  retired  until  his  ileatli.  which  occurred 
December  31,  1S93. 

On  the  26th  of  October,  1S51,  Abel  Pear- 
son married  Alary  A.  Bloodworth,  the  cere- 
mony being  performed  by  William  Martin, 
justice  of  the  peace,  at  Metamora,  Illinois. 
She  came  to  this  country  in  that  year,  and 
died  April  9,  1826.  In  their  family  were  the 
following  children:  Susan  A.,  born  Sep- 
tember 18.  1852,  was  married  December  24, 
1872,  to  Thomas  Bennett,  of  Nebraska  town- 
ship, Livingston  county:  Abraham  W.,  born 
January  i,  1854,  died  the  following  Octo- 
ber: Mahala,  born  March  4,  1855,  was  mar- 
ried February  16.  1875.  to  F.  H.  Martin,  a 
native  of  Li\ingstiin  countx'.  but  n<i\v  of 
Goldfield,  Iowa;  Alatilda  J.,  born  May  3, 
1856.  was  married  September  16,  1885,  to 
George  Woodworth,  of  Nebraska  township; 
Hammond  A.,  our  subject,  is  next  in  order 
of  birth;  Clark,  born  November  7,  1859.  died 
September  20,  1880;  and  Abel,  born  May  3, 
1 86 1,  died  October  6,  1862. 

During  his  boyhood  and  youth  Ham- 
mond A.  Pearson  attended  the  district 
schools,  and  on  the  home  f&rm  acquired  an 
excellent  knowledge  of  all  the  duties  which 
fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agriculturist.  Since 
starting  out  in  life  for  himself  he  has  devoted 
his  time  and  energies  to  farming,  and  has 
met  with  good  success  in  his  chosen  occu- 
pation. He  was  married,  January  18,  1883, 
to  Miss  Fannie  Wadsworth,  a  daughter  of 
William  Wadsworth,  of  El  Paso,  Woodford 
county,  who  was  residing  in  McLean  county 
at  the  time  of  their  marriage.  They  have 
two  children  :  Ernest  B.,  born  May  6,  1886; 
and  Myrta  Maud  Lucile,  born  August  10, 
1892. 

Mr.  Pearsn  is  president  of  the  Nebraska 
Alutual   Insurance  Company,   and   has   effi- 


ciently serveil  as  school  director  in  his  dis- 
trict fiir  ten  years.  He  and  his  familv  are 
all  members  of  the  Christian  church,  and  are 
held  in  high  regard  bv  all  who  know  them. 


ELIJAH   DEFENBAUGH. 

Elijah  Defenbaugh.  deceased,  was  for 
many  years  a  well-known  and  honored  citi- 
zens of  Reading  township,  Livingston  coun- 
t}',  Illinois.  He  was  Ijorn  in  Ross  county. 
Ohio.  Alarch  9,  1828,  a  son  of  Daniel  and 
Nancy  ( .\rmstrong)  Defenbaugh,  natives  of 
Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  the  latter  be- 
ing of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  The  Defen- 
baugh family  is  of  Holland  extraction,  and 
was  founded  in  the  United  States  at  a  very 
early  day.  Our  subject's  grandfather, 
George  Defenbaugh,  moved  from  Pennsyl- 
vania to  Ohio,  when  the  latter  state  was  al- 
most an  unbroken  wilderness,  and  in  the 
midst  of  the  forest  lie  made  for  himself  a 
home.  There  the  father,  Daniel  Defenbaugh, 
spent  his  entire  life  as  a  millwright.  He 
died  and  was  buried  in  Ross  county.  In 
his  family  were  ten  children,  namely :  James, 
George,  Elijah,  Thomas  and  Caroline,  all 
now  deceased ;  Isaac,  Allen,  Martin,  Mar- 
garet, and  Angeline,  now  living. 

In  the  county  of  his  nativity,  Elijah  Def- 
enbaugh grew  to  manhood,  receiving  a  com- 
mon-school education,  and  in  early  life  work- 
ing as  a  farm  laborer  for  eight  or  ten  dollars 
per  month.  On  October  5,  1851,  he  married 
his  cousin.  Miss  Catherine  Defenbaugh,  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Catherine -(Good- 
man) Defenbaugh,  also  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania. The  father  was  the  oldest  son 
of  George  Defenliaugh  previously  referred 
to.     He  was  killetl  bv  a  fall  which  broke  his 


ELIJAH  DEFENBAUGH. 


MRS.  CATHERINE  DEFENBAUGH. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


357 


hack.  By  trade  lie  was  a  tanner.  Xeither 
lu-  nor  liis  wife  ever  came  west  to  live. 
Tlieir  children  were  John,  Daniel.  F'eter. 
Elizal)eth.  Henry,  Catherine.  Adam.  Dnma. 
l-'sther,  Joseph,  .\mos  and  Maria,  six  of 
whom  are  still  living.  Of  the  ten  children 
horn  to  our  subject  and  his  wife  the  oldest 
died  in  infancy;  .\mmon  and  Alfred  are 
l)oth  at  home  with  their  mother;  Harvev  is 
runninjj  an  elevator  in  Reading.  Illinois; 
Lucretia  is  the  wife  of  Gideon  Slaughter- 
hack,  of  Indiana;  Milton  is  a  resident  of 
Reading  tnwnship,  Livingston  county.  Illi- 
nois; Ei)hraim  dietl  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years;  I>)ra  died  at  the  age  of  three  years: 
( ieorge  died  at  the  age  of  one  month ;  and 
I.t)na  did  at  the  age  of  four  years. 

Soon  after  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Defenbaugh  came  to  Livingston  county,  Illi- 
nois, and  entered  eighty  acres  of  land  in 
Reading  township,  for  which  he  paid  one 
dollar  antl  a  (|uarter  i)er  acre.  At  that  time 
it  was  all  wild  prairie  land,  deer  and  wolves 
were  still  to  be  seen  in  this  region,  and  the 
early  settlers  would  get  U]j  parties  to  go  out 
and  kill  the  latter  to  keep  them  from  destroy-- 
ing  their  stock.  From  time  to  time  Mr. 
Defenbaugh  added  to  his  landed  possessions 
until  he  had  over  twelve  hundred  acres  of 
land,  and  throughout  his  active  business  life 
was  successfully  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising.  On  coming  to  this 
state  he  had  only  three  hundred  dollars  in 
money,  a  team  and  wagon;  but  being  indus- 
trious, energetic  and  progressive,  as  well 
as  a  man  of  good  business  and  executive 
ability,  he  prospered  in  his  undertakings  and 
ac(iuired  a  handsome  competence.  He  and 
his  wife  experienced  many  of  the  hardships 
and  privations  incident  to  frontier  life.  It 
took  them  four  weeks  to  drive  across  the 
country  to  their  new  home  in  Illinois,  there 


being  no  railroads  at  that  time,  and  from 
their  dotirway  they  could  look  for  miles  over 
what  seemed  t<J  be  boundless  prairie  with 
no  habitations.  Mr.  Defenbaugh  hel])etl  to 
haul  ties  for  the  first  railroad  built  through 
h.is  section,  and  his  wife  spiui  woo!  and  made 
clothes  for  her  family.  He  died  December 
19.  1886,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  Defenbaugh 
cemetery,  Reading  township.  In  his  polit- 
ical views  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  never 
cared  for  official  honors,  though  he  served 
as  school  director  in  his  district.  His  aid 
was  never  withheld  from  any  enterprise 
which  he  beliexed  calculated  to  pnn-e  of 
public  benefit,  and  in  his  death  the  com- 
munity realized  that  it  had  lost  one  of  its 
most  valuable  and  useful  citizens. 


SIMOX  JAMISOX. 

Simon  Jamison  has  been  a  resident  of 
Livingston  county  since  the  fall  of  1868, 
and  was  for  many  years  acti\ely  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits,  but  is  now  living  a 
retired  life  in  the  village  of  Cornell.  He 
was  born  in  Ross  county,  Ohio,  May  31, 
1837,  a  son  of  William  and  Sarah  C.  (Ad- 
ams) Jamison,  the  former  a  native  of  Wash- 
ington county,  Pennsylvania,  the  latter  of 
Ross  county,  Ohio.  His  paternal  grand- 
father was  AX'illiam  Jamison,  Sr.,  who  was  of 
Irish  parentage  and  died  in  Ohio  in  1821. 
The  father  was  born  about  1813,  and  was 
only  six  years  old  when  the  family  removed 
to  the  Buckeye  state,  his  early  life  being  spent 
in  Ross  county,  where  he  and  his  six  brothers 
cleared  and  improved  a  farm.  Later  he 
li\ed  in  Fayette  county,  Ohio,  and  spent 
his  last  days  upon  a  farm  in  Mercer  countv, 
that  state,  where  he  died  in  18S2.     His  wife 


358 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


survived  him  a  number  of  years,  dying  in 
December,  1894. 

Simon  Jamison  grew  to  manhood  upon 
a  farm  in  Fayette  county,  Ohio,  and  at- 
tended the  pubHc  schools  to  some  extent, 
but  at  the  age  of  fourteen  commenced  earn- 
ing his  own  HveHhood  by  working  by  the 
month  as  a  farm  hand,  and  later  was  em- 
ployed as  engineer  in  a  grist-mill  at  Jasper 
for  six  years.  In  Fayette  county  he  mar- 
ried, January  6,  1859,  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Cline,  a  native  of  that  county  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  George  Cline,  who  was  born  in  Cul- 
peper  county,  Virginia,  in  1809,  but  was 
reared  in  Clinton  county,  Ohio.  In  Fayette 
county,  that  state,  Mr.  Chne  married  Cather- 
ine Figins,  who  was  born  in  that  county 
March  7,  1813,  and  belonged  to  one  of  the 
early  families  of  Ohio.  He  followed  farm- 
ing in  Fayette  county  until  his  death,  which 
parted  this  life  Janurry  29,  1894,  both  being 
laid  to  rest  in  Bush  cemetery,  where  a  sub- 
stantial monument'  has  been  erected  to  their 
memory.  Mrs.  Jamison's  paternal  grand- 
father, Philip  Cline,  was  also  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia. Our  subject  and  his  wife  are  the 
parents  of  three  children,  namely :  .  Edward 
A.,  a  business  man  of  Pontiac  and  Cornell, 
married  and  has  one  son,  Clarence,  who  lives 
with  his  grandparents;  Cary  A.,  a  farmer  of 
Amity  township,  is  married  and  has  three 
children,  Stella,  Harold  and  Ross ;  and  Cath- 
erine is  the  wife  of  Professor  Clarence  E. 
De  Butts,  superintendent  of  the  Fairbury 
schools,  and  they  have  two  children,  Cary 
and  Dean. 

Mr.  Jamison  engaged  in  farming  on 
rented  land  in  Fayette  county,  Ohio,  until 
1868,  and  then  came  to  Livingston  county, 
Illinois,  locating  on  a  rented  farm  in  Amity 
township,  which  he  purchased  afterward, 
after  living;  there  for  four  vears.     It  con- 


sists of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land, 
and  to  its  further  improvement  and  culti- 
\"ation  he  devoted  his  time  and  attention  for 
many  years.  He  erected  a  good  residence, 
barn,  granary,  cribs  and  sheds,  set  out  an 
orchard,  and  otherwise  improved  the  place 
until  it  is  now  a  valuable  farm.  In  1888 
he  rented  it  and  moved  to  Cornell,  where  he 
has  built  a  large,  neat  residence,  one  of  the 
nicest  in  the  village.  He  was  in  the  store 
of  his  son  for  about  six  years  after  coming 
to  this  place,  but  is  now  practically  living 
retired,  though  he  oversees  the  management 
of  his  place.  His  success  in  life  is  due  en- 
tirely to  his  own  well-directed  efforts,  for  he 
came  to  this  state  empty-handed  and  has 
made  what  he  has  by  industry,  perseverance 
and  good  management. 

Air.  Jamison  cast  his  first  presiilential 
vote  for  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  the  Little 
Giant,  and  has  since  been  an  ardent  Demo- 
crat, and  has  been  a  delegate  to  the  county 
conventions  of  his  part.  He  served  fifteen 
yeiws  as  highway  commissioner  and  nine 
as  township  trustee  with  credit  to  himself 
and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  all  con- 
cerned. His  estimable  wife  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Cornell, 
and  both  are  held  in  high  regard  by  all  who 
know  them. 


IRA  AI.  KXIGHT. 

Ira  AI.  Knight,  a  well-known  farmer  of 
section  13,  Germanville  township,  Living- 
ston county,  is  a  native  of  Illinofs,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  \\'ill  county,  August 
23,  1861.  His  father,  Alarshall  B.  Knight, 
was  l)(irn  in  Susi,|uehanna  county,  Pennsyl- 
\ania,  April  5,  1S31,  and  was  a  son  of 
Amasa  and  Lovina  Knight,  natives  of  \'er- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


359 


ir.(;nt,  who  in  1845  'jrougflit  their  family  to 
Illinois,  locating  first  near  Ottawa,  where 
they  engaged  in  farming,  .\masa  Kniglu 
(lied  in  1S50.  when  well  adxanced  in  life. 
and  his  wife,  who  survi\ed  him  some  years, 
died  of  smallpo.x  in  Bureau  county,  this  state. 
Marsliall  B.  Knight  grew  to  manhood  upon 
his  fatlier's  farm,  and  after  the  latter's  death 
(.operated  the  place  for  some  vears.  In  1851 
he  married  Miss  Althere  C.  Tillot.son  and 
they  made  tlieir  home  in  La  Salle  cunty 
for  a  time.  Suhsequently  he  was  thus  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Will  cuuntx'  fur  about 
ten  years,  and  then  nrnved  X><  the  northern 
part  of  Kurd  county,  where  he  followed  the 
same  occupation  five  years.  Selling  his 
farm  of  one  himdred  and  sixty  acres,  in 
1874,  he  came  to  Livingston  county,  and 
purchased  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
on  section  13.  Germanville  township,  to 
the  improvement  and  cultivation  of  which 
he  devoted  his  energies  until  his  death. 
which  occurred  December  4,  1895.  He  was 
a  public-spirited  and  enterprising  man.  who 
advocated  all  measures  tending  to  the  ad- 
vancement and  improvement  of  the  locality, 
and  was  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  served  as  school  director  two 
of  three  terms,  but  never  cared  for  political 
preferment.  His  widow,  who  still  survives 
him.  continues  to  reside  on  the  old  home- 
stead on  section  13,  Germanville  township. 
To  them  were  bom  nine  children,  namely: 
Mary,  wife  of  Fred  D.  Pettis,  of  Nebraska; 
Almeda,  wife  of  Charles  Rudd,  a  carj^enter 
of  Joliet.  Illinois ;  George,  twin  brother  of 
Almeda,  who  died  at  the  age  of  one  year  and 
a  half;  Warren,  who  resides  i>n  the  home 
place:  Ira  M.,  our  .subject:  Elmer,  wlm  mar- 
ried Ella  Xagle  and  lives  on  section  13.  Gev- 
manville  township;  Ellen,  twin  sister  of 
Elmer  and  wife  of  William  Marsh,  a  well 


driller  of  Buckingham,  Illinois;  Alice,  who 
first  married  M.  J.  Davis,  and  second  Hil- 
dred  Cami)bell,  veterinary  .surgeon  and  post- 
master uf  Roberts.  Illinois;  Eva.  wife  of 
Tiiadeus  Hedger  of  the  .same  place. 

Ira  M.  Knight  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Fonl  and  Livingston  counties, 
and  remained  under  the  parental  roof  until 
twenty-eight  years  of  age,  when  he  located 
u\K>n  his  ])resent  farm  of  eighty  acres  on 
section  13.  Germanville  township,  given  him 
by  his  fatiier.  He  has  since  made  many 
improvements  u])on  the  place,  and  it  is  now- 
one  of  the  most  highly  cultivated  tracts  of 
l;;nd  in  that  locality.  The  Knight  family 
have  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
development  of  the  county,  and  have  been 
instrumental  in  transforming  the  wild  prairie 
into  one  of  the  richest  agricultural  districts 
of  the  state. 

On  the  13th  of  X"o\ember,  1889,  in 
Brenton  township.  Ford  county,  Mr. 
Knight  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Hannah  Holmes,  one  of  a  family  of  nine 
children,  all  li\ing.  whose  parents  are  Chris- 
tian ;ui(l  Maria  (Hanson)  Holmes,  promi- 
nent agriculturists  of  that  county.  Our  sub- 
ject and  his  wife  have  two  children:  Al- 
there C.  born  on  the  home  place  in  Livings- 
ton county  April  4.  1890,  and  Gladys  M., 
born  January  12.  1899. 

Christian  Holmes  was  born  in  Denmark 
February  19,  1842.  He  was  educated  in  his 
native  land  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-five 
years  emigrated  to  America.  He  was  a 
carpenter  by  trade,  having  served  his  ap- 
prenticeship in  the  land  of  his  birth.  \\'hen 
he  came  to  this  country  he  first  located  in 
Xashville,  Washington  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  worked  at  his  trade  a  few  years, 
when  he  removed  to  Normal,  Illinois,  where 
he  also  wi'rked  at  his  trade  until  he  was  ob- 


36o 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


liged  to  discontinue  it  on  account  of  failing 
liealth,  in  1875.  At  this  tmie  he  conchuled 
to  engage  in  the  more  liealthful  pursuit  of 
tilling  the  soil.  He  accordingly  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  land  in  Brenton  townshii), 
Ford  county,  Illinois,  where  he  immediately 
moved  with  his  family  and  still  resides  on 
this  farm  of  his  first  purchase.  He  also 
has  purchased  one  hundred  and  ninety-two 
acres  more  since  that  time,  which  is  under 
a  fine  state  of  cultivation  and  which  ranks 
Mr.  Holmes  among  the  extensive  land  own- 
ers of  that  prosperous  community.  He  was 
married,  at  Chicago,  Illinois,  in  April.  1869. 
to  Miss  Maria  Hansen,  who  was  also  a  na- 
tive of  Denmark.  She  came  to  this  country 
in  1869  and  they  were  married  upon  her 
arrival  here.  They  reared  a  family  of  nine 
children,  seven  of  whom  are  living,  viz. : 
Hannah  C. ;  Mrs.  I.  M.  Knight ;  Louis,  who 
resides  near  Pii>er  City.  Illinois;  George, 
same  place ;  Minnie,  at  home  :  John,  at  home : 
Freddie,  at  home ;  Willie,  at  home.  ^Ir. 
Holmes  has  never  aspired  to  political  office, 
but  has  served  his  township  on  several  oc- 
casions as  school  director.  He  is  a  stanch 
Republican,  and  the  family  are  adherents 
to  the  Presbyterian  faith. 


HENRY  M.  CORNELL. 

Henry  ]\I.  Cornell,  one  of  the  honoretl 
pioneers  of  Livingston  county  and  a  veteran 
of  the  Civil  war,  is  now  living  a  retired  life 
in  the  village  of  Cornell,  quietly  enjoying 
the  income  which  he  accumulated  in  former 
years.  He  has  made  his  home  in  this  coun- 
ty since  the  spring  of  1840  and  can  relate 
mau}^  interesting  incidents  of  the  days  when 
this   region   was   all    wild   and   unimpmved. 


He  has  seen  towns  and  villages  spring  up 
and  all  the  cnmforts  of  civilized  life  intro- 
duced, and  in  the  work  of  advancement  and 
progress  he  has  ever  borne  an  important 
part. 

Mr.  Cornell  was  born  in  Newport, 
Rhode  Island,  September  4.  1836,  and  be- 
longs to  a  family  of  English  origin  founded 
ir.  this  country  by  three  brothers,  one  of 
wlmm  settled  in  Canada,  the  second  in  New 
Ynrk  and  the  third  in  Rhode  Island.  All 
were  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
to  which  faith  the  ancestors  of  our  subject 
have  adhered  for  many  generations.  His 
grandfather.  Walter  Cornell,  was  a  life-long 
resident  of  Rhode  Island.  The  father.  Wal- 
ter Cornell,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Newport,  that 
state,  April  3,  181 1,  -and  there  married 
Sarah  C.  Eldred.  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
and  a  daughter  of  John  Eldred,  who  be- 
longed to  an  old  New  England  family.  The 
original  Eldred  homestead  is  still  in  pos- 
session of  the  family  and  adjoins  the  birth- 
place of  Comriiodore  Perry.  In  early  life 
the  father  of  our  subject  was  interested  in 
the  manufacture  of  cotton  goods  and  was 
superintendent  of  factories.  He  came  west 
in  1838  and  first  located  in  Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin,  but  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year 
came  to  Illinois  to  take  charge  of  a  stationary- 
engine  used  in  digging  the  canal.  In  1837 
he  entered  two  hundred  acres  of  government 
land  in  Amity  township,  Livingston,  which 
he  commenced  to  improve,  and  in  1840  re- 
turned to  Rhode  Island  and  brought  his  fam- 
ily ti)  the  home  he  had  prepared  for  them, 
the  journey  lieing  made  by  way  of  the  great 
lakes.  In  connection  with  farming  he  en- 
gaged in  raising  stock,  fattening  cattle  and 
hogs,  which  he  drove  to  the  Chicago  mar- 
kets. He  was  one  of  the  best  educated 
and    well   informed   men   of  the  countv,   as 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


36r 


well  as  one  of  its  most  prominent  and  in- 
fluential citizens,  and  was  honored  with  im- 
portant official  ix)sitions,  serving  as  super- 
visor, superintendent  of  schools  and  county 
treasurer  three  years.  He  died  in  1895. 
highly  respected  hy  all  who  know  him. 
Of  his  family  two  sons  are  still  living: 
Henry  M..  our  subject,  and  Walter  B..  a 
resident  of  Great  Bend.   Kansas. 

Henry  M.  Cornell  was  only  four  years 
old  when  the  family  settled  in  Livingston 
county,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  upon  a 
farm.  His  educational  advantages  were 
rather  limited,  as  the  schools  of  this  region 
at  that  day  were  much  inferior  to  those  of 
the  present  time.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he 
started  out  in  life  for  himself  as  a  farmer. 
I)Ut  later  renteil  his  farm  and  traveled  .some. 
In  1861,  at  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  H,  Eleventh  Illinois 
Cavalry,  which  was  assigned  to  the  .\rmy 
of  the  Tennessee,  and  his  first  battle  was  that 
of  Shiloh,  followed  by  the  siege  of  Corinth. 
He  was  in  five  important  battles  and  a  num- 
ber of  skirmishes,  being  under  fire  twenty- 
eight  times.  He  was  taken  prisoner  by  For- 
est at  Lexington,  Tennessee,  but  was  soon 
paroled,  when  he  came  north  and  was  put 
in  charge  of  paroled  men  until  exchanged. 
He  was  put  on  detached  dutv  as  pro- 
vost marshal  at  Grand  Junction.  Missis- 
sippi, for  a  time,  and  was  promoted  from 
orderly  sergeant  to  first  lieutenant.  He 
lost  no  time  except  when  granted  a  short 
furlough,  but  was  at  length  forced  to  resign 
and  was  mustered  out  on  account  of  disabil- 
ity, being  taken  home  on  a  bed.  When  he 
had  sufficiently  recovered  he  resumed  farm- 
ing, but  sold  his  farm  a  few  years  later  and 
moved  to  the  southern  ])art  uf  the  state. 
In  T871,  however,  he  returned  ti>  Li\ingsti)n 
county,  and  purchased  his  1  ild  place  in  .\mity 


township,  which  he  has  since  greatly  im- 
proved. 1  le  laid  out  that  i)art  of  the  village 
of  Cornell  north  of  Main  street  and  which 
was  named  for  the  family,  and  has  since  de- 
voted considerable  attention  to  the  real  es- 
tate business,  but  is  now  living  retired. 

On  the  1st  of  January.  1861.  in  Livings- 
ton county.  Mr.  Cornell  married  Miss  Mary 
S.  Coe,  a  daughter  of  William  Coe.  She 
was  born  in  Covington,  Indiana,  but  was 
principally  reared  in  Illinois,  and  died  in 
this  county  January  3,  1890,  leaving  nine 
children,  two  sons  and  seven  (laughters, 
namelv:  Dick  H.,  who  has  successfully 
engaged  in  teaching  school  and  served  as  a 
soldier  of  the  Spani.sh-American  war,  being 
with  the  army  in  Porto  Rico;  Walter,  who 
is  now  among  the  Indians  in  northwestern 
Minnesota:  S.  Lillian,  who  is  a  graduate  of 
Eureka  College,  and  was  formerly  engaged 
in  teaching  school,  but  is  now  a  resident  of 
Great  Bend,  Kansas;  Lora  L.,  who  taught 
school  five  years,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  C. 
W.  Hadley.  of  Cuba,  Missouri ;  Mattie  E., 
who  also  taught  five  years,  and  is  now  the 
wife  of  Stephen  Dunbar,  of  Cornell;  Ber- 
tha E..  who  followed  the  same  profession 
five  years,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  Irwin 
Finley.  who  was  deputy  sheriff  of  Livings- 
ton county  four  years  and  is  now  a  resident 
of  Estherville,  Iowa ;  Toe  D..  a  teacher  re- 
siding at  home;  Lulu,  also  a  teacher:  and 
Ada.  at  home. 

Politically  Mr.  Cornell  has  been  a  life- 
long Republican,  and  has  been  a  delegate 
to  a  num1)er  of  county  conventions,  but  has 
never  sought  office,  though  he  served  one 
term  as  supervisor.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  Cornell  Post.  G.  A.  R..  and  is 
a  Rnyal  .\rch  Mason,  who  served  three 
years  as  master  of  the  blue  lodge  at  Cor- 
nell.    As  a  liberal-minded  and  progressive 


362 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


citizen  he  has  aided  materially  in  the  de- 
velopment of  his  adopted  county,  has  given 
his  support  to  all  enterprises  calculated  to 
prove  of  public  benefit,  and  is  justly  entitled 
to  prominent  mention  among  her  most  hon- 
ored and  useful  citizens. 


CHRISTOPHER    C.    LEONARD. 

Christopher  C.  Leonard,  an  honored  vet- 
eran of  the  Ci\-il  war,  and  a  successful  agri- 
culturist of  Newtown  township,  has  been 
identified  with  the  interests  of  Livingston 
county  for  almost  half  a  century,  having  lo- 
cated here  in  1852.  He  was  born  in  Brad- 
ford county,  Pennsylvania,  April  26,  1836, 
and  is  a  son  of  Edmnud  D.  and  Elizabeth 
H.  (Remington)  Leonard,  natives  of  Mas- 
sachusotts  and  New  York,  respectively.  In 
early  life  the  father  followed  different  occu- 
pations, but  after  coming  to  Illinois,  in  1852, 
he  devoted  his  attention  to  farming  exclu- 
sively. He  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  government  land  in  Newton  town- 
ship, Livingston  county,  which  was  wild 
]M-airie  land,  entirely  unimproved,  and  he 
and  (lur  subject  at  once  began  to  break  it 
and  continuod  to  work  together  for  some 
time.  The  family  enilured  many  hardships 
and  prix-ations  incident  to  ])ioneer  life,  and 
at  first  had  to  haul  all  their  produce  to  Ot- 
tawa, which  was  the  nearest  market  place. 
The  two  olde-st  sons  worked  out  at  twelve 
dollars  per  month  and  ])aid  for  the  land, 
while  the  father  and  our  subject  devoted 
their  energies  towards  its  improvement. 
The  father  died  in  i860,  but  the  mother, 
who  was  born  January  24,  1808,  is  still  liv- 
ing. To  them  were  born  nine  children,  of 
wlmm   one  died   in   infancv;   Franklin,   the 


oldest  son,  died  in  the  service  of  his  country 
during  the  civil  war,  being  a  member  of 
Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry;  Mrs. 
Harriet  Jacobs  died  in  Ford  county,  Illinois; 
and  Mrs.  Mary  Ide  in  Aconda,  Livingston 
county.  Those  living  are  Myra,  wife  of 
Andrexv  Stewart,  of  Kempton,  Ford  coun- 
ty; Roscoe,  who  owns  a  part  of  the  old  home 
farm  in  Newton  township;  Christopher  C, 
our  subject;  Sarah,  wife  of  Andrew  Hoob- 
ler,  of  Streator;  and  Isabelle,  wife  of  John 
L.  Cusick,  of  Newton  township. 

Christopher  C.  Leonard  began  his  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  his  native  state, 
and  after  coming  to  Illinois,  at  the  age  of 
ten  years,  attended  school  in  Li\ingston 
county  for  a  time.  He  remained  under  the 
parental  roof  until  he  was  marrie-d,  in  1858, 
to  Miss  Mary  Mason,  who  was  born  in 
Michigan,  in  August,  1838,  a  daughter  of 
Enoch  and  Elizabeth  Mason.  Her  family 
came  to  Livingston  county  in  1852  and  set- 
tled on  the  farm  in  Newton  township  now 
occupied  by  our  subject,  where  her  parents 
died.  She  has  one  brother,  George,  a 
farmer  in  Iowa. 

For  a  year  and  a  half  after  his  marriage 
]\Ir.  Leonard  engaged  in  farming  in  Amity 
township,  Livingston  county,  and  then  re- 
turned to  Newton  township.  After  the 
civil  war  broke  out  he  laid  aside  all  per- 
sonal interests,  and  enlisted,  in  August, 
1862,  in  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and 
Twentv-ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
with  which  he  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  being  all  through  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign and  taking  part  in  many  battles.  He 
entered  the  service  as  a  private,  and  when 
discharged.  June  17.  1865.  held  the  rank  of 
corporal.  After  his  return  home  Mr.  Leonard 
operated  his  mother's  farm  until  the  death 


THE    LIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


363 


of  his  wife's  parents,  wlieii  lie  purchased 
tlie  interest  of  tlie  heirs  in  the  farm  whicli 
he  now  occupies.  It  consists  of  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-two  acres  of  rich  and  arahle 
land  on  section  34.  Xewtown  township,  upon 
whicli  he  has  iiiatle  all  of  the  improvements, 
and  he  also  owns  forty  acres  in  Amity  town- 
ship. In  1898  he  purchased  a  general  store 
in  Manville,  which  he  now  operates  in  part- 
nership with  his  son.  This  property  has  all 
been  accpiired  through  his  own  well-directed 
and  energetic  efforts,  for  he  started  out  in 
life  for  himself  with  no  capital  save  a  pair 
of  willing  hands  and  a  determination  to 
succeed. 

Of  the  nine  chiklren  burn  h>  .Mr.  aiul 
Mrs.  Leonard,  one  died  in  infanc}'.  The 
others  are  as  follows :  ( i )  Edwin,  a 
farmer  of  Xewton  township,  married  Effie 
Hoenshell.  and  they  liavo  three  children, 
Lloyd,  David  C.  and  Lela.  (2)  Olivia  is 
with  her  parents.  (3)  Emily  is  the  wife 
of  John  W'eidman,  a  farmer  of  Mc Henry 
county,  Illinois,  and  they  have  six  children, 
Ervie,  Arthur,  Lawrence,  Bertha.  Mary  and 
Roy.  (4)  Clora  is  the  wife  of  Alvin  Gil- 
man,  of  Xewtown  township,  and  they  have 
three  children,  Mary,  Alma  and  Lula  13. 
(5)  Ira.  a  resident  of  Amity  township, 
married  Lizzie  Oilman,  and  they  have  two 
children.  Alma  and  Ralph.  (6)  Andrew, 
also  of  Amity  township,  married  Ada 
Walker,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Flor- 
ence. (7)  Frank  is  at  home  with  his  i)ar- 
ents,  (8)  Fred  married  Ine  I.  Davis,  and 
is  now  a  partner  of  his  father's  store  in 
Manville. 

Since  casting  his  tirst  presidential  vote 
for  John  C.  Fremont.  Mr.  Leonard  has 
been  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Republican 
party,  anrl  has  taken  quite  an  active  and 
prominent    part   in    local     politics,     holding 


some  offices  for  several  years.  He  has 
served  as  road  commissioner  six  years, 
school  director,  ten  years;  collector,  three 
years,  and  assessor,  two  years,  being  elected 
to  the  last  named  office  for  1901.  In  1890 
he  was  appointed  census  enumerator,  and 
has  been  a  delegate  to  the  county  conven- 
tions of  his  party.  He  is  an  honored  mem- 
ber of  the  Grand  Army  Post,  Xo.  769,  at 
Cornell,  in  which  he  has  held  all  the  offices, 
and  is  an  active  member  of  the  Mehtodist 
Ejiiscopal  church,  to  which  his  estimable 
wife  also  belongs.  His  useful  and  well- 
spent  life  has  gained  for  him  not  only  a 
comfortable  competence,  but  also  the  re- 
spect and  confidence  of  all  with  whom  he 
has  come  in  contact  either  in  liusincss  or 
social  life. 


G.  E.  ROIIRKR. 

G.  E.  Rohrer,  a  popular  and  successful 
photographer  of  Flanagan,  was  born  in 
Rutland,  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  Septem- 
ber 20,  1866,  and  is  a  son  of  Emanuel  and 
Harriet  (  Koontz)  Rohrer,  natives  of  Mary- 
land, who  came  to  this  state  in  1844, 
and  first  located  in  Chicago,  which  at 
that  time  was  a  mere  village.  Six  years 
later  they  moved  to  Champaign,  where  the 
father  died  X'ovember  22,  1869.  Since 
then  the  family  have  made  their  hcjiue  in 
Rutland.  The  children  are  as  follows : 
John,  a  harness-maker  of  Rutland;  Henri- 
etta, wife  of  G.  B.  Horner,  of  Lincoln,  Illi- 
nois :  Aaron,  a  machinist  of  Rutland ;  Will- 
iam, a  grocer  of  that  place;  Elizabeth,  wife 
of  L.  W.  Kelly,  of  Rutland:  Silas,  foreman 
of  the  Kansas  City  Transfer  Company; 
Charles,  a  l)arber  of  Rutland ;  and  G.  E. 
our  subject. 


364 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


In  his  native  town  G.  E.  Rohrer  grew 
to  manhood  and  is  indelited  to  its  pnblic 
schools  for  liis  edncational  adventages.  At 
the  age  of  seventeen  lie  commenced  working 
at  the  bar1)cr"s  trade  there,  and  on  coming 
to  Flanagan  in  1885,  opened  a  barber  simp. 
which  he  snccessfnlly  conducted  until  Alarch, 
1899,  when  he  sold  out.  In  connection 
with  the  barber  business  he  had  lieen  en- 
gaged in  photography  for  ten  years,  and 
since  disposing  of  the  former  he  has  de- 
voted his  entire  time  and  attention  to  the 
latter.  He  is  well  known  for  the  excellency 
of  his  wiirk  and  receives  a  very  extensixe 
patronage. 

On  the  28th  of  May,  1880,  Mr.  Rohrer 
married  Miss  Carrie  W'illoughby,  of  Rut- 
land, will  I  presides  with  gracious  dignity 
over  their  home.  As  a  public-spirited  and 
progressive  citizen,  he  takes  considerable 
interest  in  the  welfare  and  progress  of  his 
tow-n,  and  has  ser\-ed  several  years  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Flana- 
gan. Politically  he  is  identified  with  the 
Re.pul)lican  party. 


WILLIAM   H.  ROTH. 

\\'illiam  H.  Roth,  owner  and  proprietor 
of  the  leading  machine  and  repair  shop  of 
Pontiac,  was  born  in  Lacon,  Illinois,  Sep- 
tember 3,  i860.  His  father,  Henry  Roth, 
was  born  in  1822,  near  Cologne,  Germany, 
where  he  was  reareil  and  educated,  and  for 
some  time  he  was  a  soldier  in  the  German 
army  taking  an  active  ])art  in  the  war  of 
1848.  In  1852,  on  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  enlistment,  he  came  to  the  United. 
States  and  located  in  La  Salle  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  worked  on  a  farm,  having 


become  thoroughly  familiar  with  agricultural 
pursuits  in  his  native  land.  While  in  La 
Salle  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Weber, 
w  ho  was  also  born  in  Cologne,  Germany,  in 
1 83 1.  After  his  marriage  he  settled  near 
Lacon,  where  he  operated  a  rented  farm  two 
years,  and  then,  having  been  able  to  save 
some  money,  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of 
raw  prairie  land,  which  he  at  once  com- 
menced to  impro\-e  and  cultivate.  He  has 
since  added  to  his  farm  and  now  has  a 
c|uarter-section  of  land  in  Bennington  town- 
ship, Marshall  county,  all  tiled  and  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation,  it  being  one  of  the 
best  kept  farms  in  the  township.  There 
the  father  still  resides  and  continues  to  en- 
gage in  acti\"e  farming.  He  came  to  this 
countrv  with  no  capital  and  the  first  year 
worked  for  twelve  dollars  per  month,  but 
his  ability  and  fixed  purpose  have  brought 
him  independence,  and  he  is  now  one  of  the 
successful  and  highly  respected  men  of  his 
locality.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  church  at  Minonk,  were  among 
the  first  to  unite  with  the  same,  have  con- 
tributed liberally  to  its  support  and  helped 
to  build  the  church  edifice.  The  father  also 
h.elped  l.uiild  the  first  school  house  in  his  dis- 
trict. In  his  family  are  se\-en  children  who 
are  still  living. 

During  his  boyhood  William  H.  Roth 
received  a  good  practical  education  in  the 
common  schools,  and  being  an  inveterate 
reader  he  has  stored  up  a  large  fund  of  use- 
ful information  and  has  acquired  a  fine  li- 
brary. He  assisted  his  father  in  the  opera- 
tion of  the  farm  until  twenty-four  years  of 
age,  and  after  working  for  others  one  year, 
he  traveled  through  the  west  or.  a  sort  of 
inspection  tour.  On  his  return  to  Marshall 
county,  Illinois,  he  v/orkcd  on  a  farm  in 
Bennington  township  four  }-ears,  and  then 


WILLIAM  H.  ROTH. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


367 


came  to  Union  townsliip.  Living'ston  county, 
wliere  lie  was  .similarly  employed. 

On  Thanksgiving  day,  November  27. 
i88i,Mr. Roth  married  Miss  Catherine  Hor- 
bach,  a  daughter  of  John  Horbach,  who 
who  was  born  nea'r  Cologne  Germany,  and 
they  have  became  the  parents  of  fuur  chil- 
dren, namely:  Margaiet.  William,  Mary 
and  Bercha. 

For  four  years  after  his  marriage,  Mr. 
Roth  engap'ed  in  farming  near  Emington. 
and  then  came  to  Pontiac,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed as  engineer  at  the  tile  factory  two 
years,  having  previnusly  become  familiar 
with  the  duties  of  that  position.  Liking  the 
work  he  decided  to  follow  the  Uiachinist's 
trade  and  opened  a  shop  of  his  own,  buying 
his  present  property  at  N'o.  417  West 
Howard  street.  He  now  has  the  principle 
machine  shop  in  Pontiac  antl  has  met  with 
marked  success  in  this  venture,  being  em- 
inently fitted  for  that  line  of  work.  Besides 
his  business  property  Mr.  Roth  now  owns  a 
good  house  and  two  lots  in  the  west  part 
of  the  town.  His  success  in  life  is  due  en- 
tirely to  his  own  well-directed  efforts  and 
good  business  ability.  He  and  his  family  are 
members  of  St.  Mary's  Catholic  church,  and 
he  also  belongs  to  the  Modern  Wcjodmen 
of  America  and  the  Toilers  FraternitN'. 


THOM.XS  (;.  RVKkSOX. 

Thomas  G.  Ryerson  has  witnessed  al- 
most the  entire  development  of  Livingston 
county,  and  has  contributed  his  full  share 
to  this  grand  work.  By  concentrated  effort 
and  indefatigable  energy  he  has  wrought 
out  success,  and  now,  in  his  declining  years, 
is  reaping  the  just  rewards  of  his  long  years 


of  toil.  Commencing  life,  a  stranger  in  a 
strange  land,  without  a  dollar,  and,  indeed, 
in  doht  for  the  ci>st  of  his  voyage  across 
the  Atlantic,  he  certainly  has  displayed  a 
fortitude  and  application  to  business' amount- 
ing to  heroism. 

The  career  of  Mr.  Ryerson  po.ssesses 
much  that  is  worthy  of  emulation  by  his 
posterity,  and  his  many  friends  will  take 
pleasure,  in  tracing  this  record.  Born  in 
Stavanger,  Norway,  Se])tember  8.  1834.  he 
grew  to  manhood  there,  and  obtained  a  fair 
education  in  his  mother  tongue.  In  com- 
pany with  an  older  brother.  (_)le  Rverson. 
he  oniigrated  to  America  in  1835.  and.  at 
the  end  of  a  ^'oyage  that  consumed  si.K 
weeks  and  six  days,  they  arrived  at  their 
destination — Ouebec.  Coming  to  Chicago 
by  wa}-  of  the  great  lakes,  our  subject  then 
proceeded  to  Ottawa,  where  he  witnessed 
the  celebrations  attendant  on  the  fourth  of 
July.  He  was  stricken  with  the  typhoid 
fever,  and  during  that  summer  was  in  very 
poor  health  in  consequence.  As  soon  as 
he  was  able  to  work  tho  Itrave  youth  ob- 
tained a  position  on  a  farm,  and  for  sev- 
eral years  thereafter  worked   for  others. 

On  the  14th  of  .\ugust,  1S62.  Mr.  Ryer- 
son enlisted  in  the  defen.so  of  his  adopted 
country,  becoming  a  member  of  Company 
F,  One  Hundred  and  Fourth  Illinois  In- 
fantry, which  was  placeil  in  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee.  At  the  first  sc-vere  engage- 
ment in  which  our  suljject  was  engagetl  he 
was  wounded  l)y  a  shell  in  the  right  hip, 
and  being  so  disabled,  was  sent  to  the  hos- 
pital at  Cjallatin,  Tennessee.  Subsequently 
he  was  transferred  to  the  hospital  in  Nash- 
ville, and  thence  to  one  in  Chicago.  When 
he  was  convalescent  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged from  the  army  and  returned  to  La 
Salle  county  in  April.  1863. 


368 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


When  lie  had  recovered  a  measure  of 
his  usual  health,  Mr.  Ryerson  resumed  agri- 
cultural labors,  and  in  1865  came  to  Living- 
ston county.  Here  he  bought  eighty  acres 
in  -\mitv  township,  only  thirty  acres  of 
w  liich  property  had  been  liroken  and  placed 
under  the  plow.  A  small  cabin  served  as 
a  home  for  a  period,  but  in  time  this  was 
supplanted  by  a  large,  pleasant  house,  which 
was  built  under  the  owner's  supervision. 
He  also  built  barns,  sheds  and  fences,  and 
planted  an  orchard  and  fine  shade  trees. 
As  he  could  afford  it,  he  invested  his  surplus 
funds  in  more  land,  and  to-day  is  the  owner 
of  four  hundred  and  seventy  acres.  Most 
of  this  is  productive  and  valuable-  land, 
yielding  a  generous  return  for  the  labor  ex- 
pended upon  it. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Ryerson  and  Liz- 
zie Larson,  a  native  of  Norway,  took  place 
in  La  Salle  county  in  1863.  Ihe  wife  was 
a  child  of,  yorhaps,  twelve  years,  when  she 
came  to  the  United  States,  and,  with  her 
husband,  she  has  been  a  faithful  member 
(if  the  Lutheran  church  since  youth.  To 
her  helpfulness  and  brave  spirit  during  the 
years  of  their  struggle  for  a  home  and  com- 
petence, Air.  Ryerson  attributes  much  of 
his  success  in  life.  Tw(_)  of  their  children 
died  in  infancy,  but  nine  survive.  Louis 
is  married  and  is  a  prosperous  farmer  in  this 
district.  Anna  Belle  is  the  wife  of  Rasmus 
Aarvig.  of  Pontiac.  Theodore  is  the  agent 
and  telegraph  operator  for  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral Railroad  Company  at  Cullom,  Illinois. 
The  younger  children  who  are  at  home  are 
namel  as  follows:  Oliver,  Adolph.  Mil- 
dred. David,  Clara  and  Mabel. 

Mr.  Ryerson  is  especially  desirous  of 
giving  his  children  good  educations,  know- 
ing that  thereby  they  will  be  fitted  for  the 
battle  of  life.     He  is  deeply  interested  in 


the  maintenance  of  schools  of  a  high  stand- 
ard, and  for  three  terms  has  officiated  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board,  doing  all  within 
his  power  to  increase  the  efficiency  of  our 
educational  system.  In  political  creed  he 
is  a  true-blue  Republican,  and  since  casting 
his  first  presidential  ballot  for  Lincoln,  in 
1S64,  he  has  ardently  supported  the  party 
of  his  choice. 


ADAM  F.  MORRISON. 

Lixingston  county  attributes  its  wonder- 
ful growth  and  tlourishing  state  to  the  fine, 
enterprising  citizens  classed  among  its  agri- 
culturists, and  in  Amity  township  the  sub- 
ject of  this  article  is  one  of  the  foremost. 
He  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  his  birth  having 
taken  place  in  La  Salle  county.  May  27, 
1858. 

His  father.  Adam  Morrison,  one  of  the 
honored  pioneers  of  the  county  mentioned, 
was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  in  1827, 
and  when  he  was  in  his  eighteenth  year  he 
sailed  for  America,  his  future  home.  He 
accompanied  his  father,  ^ames  Morrison, 
who  likewise  was  a  native  of  the  land  of  the 
thistle  and  heather,  and  their  first  location 
in  this  country  was  at  Fall  River.  Massa- 
chusetts. In  1844  they  removed  to  the 
west,  and  thenceforth  were  identified  with 
this  prairie  state.  Adam  Morrison,  who 
for  the  past  four  years  has  been  living  re- 
tired at  his  home  in  Streator,  was  actively 
engaged  in  farming  in  La  Salle  county  for 
manv  years.  He  made  a  success  of  the 
business  and  accumulated  considerable  ex- 
cellent land,  about  three  hundred  acres  being 
comprised  in  two  or  three  farms  situated 
near  Streator.  His  wife.  Fanny,  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  Dickenson,  was  born  in  Man- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


369 


cliester,  Eneland.  and  with  the  ]iarental 
family  came  tn  tlie  new  world  fifty-nine 
years  ago,  and.  like  the  .M<irrisiins.  first  set- 
tk'l  in  the  pretty  town  of  Eall  Ri\er.  Mas- 
sachusetts. 

Adam  F.  Morrison,  whose  entire  life 
has  heen  spent  in  Illinois,  became  familiar 
with  the  varied  ditties  hi  a  farmer  when  h." 
was  a  mero  child,  and  it  was  n<jt  until  he 
had  fully  arrived  at  mature  years  that  he 
left  home  and  started  upon  his  iiulependent 
career.  The  most  important  step  in  his 
life,  perhaps,  was  his  marriage.  Jul}-  23, 
1880,  to  Miss  Mary  Welch,  whose  birth 
had  occurred  in  Marshall  county,  Illinois. 
The  young  couple  commenced  keeping  house 
upon  one  of  the  farms  belonging  to  the 
senior  Morrison,  but  by  industry  and  econ- 
omy they  managed  to  make  a  good  start  to- 
ward financial  success  within  three  or  four 
years. 

In  1884  Mr.  Morrison  purchased  a 
homestead  of  some  eighty  acres,  situated  in 
Livingston  county.  From  time  to  time,  as 
his  means  afforded,  he  bought  additional 
land,  until  his  farm  comprises  two  hundred 
and  five  acres.  By  judicious  expenditiu'e 
of  money  he  has  greatly  increased  the  value 
of  his  land,  and  by  tiling,  fencing  and  rota- 
tion of  crops,  he  has  proved  his  enterprise 
and  wisdom.  For  a  period  the  family  i;sed 
an  old  house  and  barn.  biU  now  all  is  differ- 
ent, and  a  commodious  new  house  and  aaiiis 
antl  granaries  bespeak  the  thrift  of  the  pro- 
prietor. An  orchard,  in  which  a  great  va- 
riety of  fruits  m.'iy  be  f<iund.  and  an  abund- 
ance of  well-trimmed  shade  trees  about  the 
farm,  atld  much  to  the  beauty  and  desira- 
bilitv  of  the  i)lace. 

In  all  of  his  efforts  to  gain  a  livo'.ihood 
and  pleasant  home.  Mr.  Morrison  has  found 
a  true  helpmeet  in  his  wife.   She  is  a  daugh- 


ter of  Xoah  Welch,  a  native  of  Kentuckv, 
and  from  his  foiuneenth  year  a  resident  of 
Po;insvl\-ania,  Missouri  ;uid  Illinois,  his  ar- 
rival in  this  state  occurring  in  the  earlv  part 
of  the  C\y\]  war.  His  wife,  Jane,  was  a 
daughter  of  Jareil  Ely,  and  both  were  Penn- 
sylvanians  b\-  birth.  'I  hey  were  married 
near  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  whero  the  Welch 
family  were  then  living.  The  four  chil- 
dren born  to  oiu'  suliject  and  wife  are  Will- 
iam M..  Lee  X..  Frank  and  Helen,  all  of 
whom  are  iirouiising  students  in  the  l(jcal 
school.  Mr.  M(_irrison  is  a  Democrat,  but 
be  ne\er  has  been  an  aspirant  lo  puljlic 
honors,  lie  commands  the  respect  of  this 
community,  and  his  friends  are  legion 
throughout  the  northern  part  of  this  county, 
and  wherever  he  is  known.  The  family  at- 
tend the  Methodist  Episcopal  cluuxdi. 


DEXXIS  GLIXXEX. 

Dennis  (ilinnen,  one  of  the  old  settlers 
and  much  respected  citizens  of  .\voca  town- 
ship and  a  resident  of  Livingston  county 
for  over  half  a  century,  was  born  in  comity 
W'estmeath,  Ireland,  May  9,  1833,  a  son 
of  Tames  and  Mary  (Dunn)  Glinnen,  who 
emigrated  to  America  in  1838  to  luake  a 
home  for  themselves  and  children.  In  Ire- 
land the  father  worked  as  a  laborer  an<l 
farmer,  and  on  first  coming  to  this  coinitry 
found  emplo_\moit  in  an  iron  foundry  in 
Sussex  count}'.  •  M;u  viand,  where  he  re- 
maineil  a  number  of  years.  In  Xovember, 
1844.  he  came  to  Illinois,  and  six  years  later 
purchased  a  claim  and  also  some  govern- 
mont  land  in  Livingston  county,  owning  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  in  1858,  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  land  in  Avoca  township. 


370 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


He  was  a  self-made  man,  wlio  started  out 
in  life  as  a  poor  laborer,  and  Ijy  hard  work 
and  good  management,  as  well  as  honest 
dealings,  not  only  won  a  comfortable  com- 
petence, but  also  commanded  the  respect  of 
all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  Of  his 
seven  children  three  died  young,  and  four 
are  still  living,  namely :  Dennis,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  Mary,  wife  of  John 
Monahan,  who  li\es  north  of  Chatsworth. 
in  Charlotte  township;  Christopher,  a  resi- 
dent of  Avoca  township;  and  Matthew,  who 
owns  and  occupies  the  old  home  farm. 

During  his  boyhood  Dennis  Glinnen 
received  a  very  limited  education,  which 
was  mostly  acquired  in  the  home  schools. 
but  schools  wero  scarce  in  those  days  and 
boys  had  no  such  opportunities  as  are  now 
offered.  After  the  death  of  his  father  he 
assumed  control  of  the  farm  work,  being 
the  oldest  son,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
carried  it  im  vory  successfully.  At  length 
the  property  was  di\ided  among  the  heirs 
and  the  homestead  fell  to  the  youngest  son, 
with  whom  our  subject  lives.  They  have 
made  extensive  improxements  upon  the 
place,  erecting  barns  and  feeding  sheds  for 
the  accommodation  of  their  stock,  and  have 
fully  tiled  the  land  and  placed  it  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation.  They  make  a 
specialty  of  the  raising  of  cattle  and  hogs. 
Our  sul)ject  is  the  owner  of  eleven  hundreil 
acres  of  land  in  the  belt  of  the  most  fertile 
land  in  the  township,  uptju  which  he  super- 
intends the  raising  and  feeding  of  stock, 
\vhich  enterprise  he  has  carried  on  most 
successfully  for  some  years.  Since  1885 
he  has  lived  retired  from  active  labor  and 
now  rents  a  part  of  his  land,  though  he  still 
has  general  supervision  of  the  same  and 
attends  to  all  repairs. 

Religiously   Mr.    Glinnen     is    a   devout 


member  of  the  Catholic  church  and  a  liberal 
su])porter  of  the  same.  On  national  issues 
he  is  a  Democrat,  but  at  local  elections  votes 
for  the  men  whom  he  considers  best  quali- 
fied to  fill  the  offices  regardless  of  party 
lines.  He  has  served  as  school  director  in 
his  district  for  twenty  years,  and  also  filled 
the  oflice  of  road  commissioner  in  a  most 
creditable  and  satisactory  manner.  Though 
c|uiet  and  unassuming,  he  makes  many 
friends,  and  is  held  in  high  regard  by  all 
with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 


HEXRY  GRIESER. 

Henry  Grieser,  one  of  the  industrious, 
enterprising  and  successful  citizens  of  ^^'aldo 
township,  who  has  done  his  part  toward 
making  Livingston  county  one  of  the  fore- 
most agricultural  counties  of  the  state,  was 
born  in  German}-.  May  12,  1848,  a  son  of 
Christian  and  Catherine  Grieser.  He  lost 
his  mother  when  only  two  years  old,  and 
his  father  died  two  years  later.  He  was 
thus  left  an  orphan  at  the  early  age  of  four 
years.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in  his 
native  land,  and  e^migrated  to  America  in 
1868,  locating  in  W'oodford  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  made  his  home  for  four  years. 
In  1872  he  came  to  Livingston  county  and 
located  in  Waldo  townhsip.  with  whose 
farming  interests  he  has  since  been  promi- 
nently identified.  Throughout  his  active 
business  life  he  lias  engaged  n  agricultural 
pursuits,  and  his  labors  have  met  with  well- 
deserxed  success. 

In  1873  Mr.  Grieser  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Elizabeth  Smith,  of  Lowa, 
a  daughter  of  John  P.  Smith,  who  now  re- 
sides in  Waldo  township,  and  is  one  of  the 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


371 


prominent  farmers  of  that  section  of  Living- 
ston county  and  to  them  have  l)een  born 
four  children,  namel\' :  julm,  Henry.  Au- 
gustus and  Cliristian.  In  his  political  views 
Mr.  Grieser  is  decidedly  a  Democrat,  and 
takes  a  commendable  interest  in  the  success 
of  his  oarty.  He  is  one  of  Waldo  town- 
ship's most  reliable  citizens,  and  is  a  man 
highly  repectetl  and  esteemed  wherever 
known. 


FRANK  R.   STEWART. 

One  of  the  oldest  employees  in  years  of 
continuous  service  on  the  lines  with  which 
he  is  connected  is  Frank  R.  Stewart,  who 
is  agent  for  the  Wabash  and  the  Toledo, 
Peoria  &  Warsaw  Railroads  at  Forrest. 
Long  connection  with  the  extensive  corpora- 
tions which  contr(jl  the  lines  of  transporta- 
tion in  our  country  indicates  marked  faith- 
fulness, ability  and  fidelity  on  the  part  of 
employes,  and  therefore  Mr.  Stewart's  ex- 
tended connection  with  railroad  interests  is 
a  high  testimonial  of  his  ability.  He  has  the 
trust  and  confidence  of  the  company  and  is 
a  most  popular  agent,  owing  to  his  uniform 
courtesy,  obliging  manner  and  his  fitlelity  to 
duty. 

A  native  of  Dixon,  Illinois,  he  was  born 
on  the  i6th  of  March,  1856,  a  son  of  Lewis 
Henry  and  Sarah  E.  (Appier)  Stewart. 
His  father  was  a  native  of  Uniontown,  Car- 
roll county,  Maryland,  born  August  28, 
183 1.  The  grandfather  was  also  born  there 
and  the  great-grandfather  was  the  owner  of 
large  landed  property  in  that  locality.  He 
belonged  to  one  of  the  old  and  prominent 
families  of  the  state  and  at  the  time  of  the 
Revolutionary  war  loyally  aided  the  colonies 
in  their  struggle  for  independence. 


The  father  of  our  subject  was  educated 
in  the  place  of  his  nativity  and  was  recog- 
nized as  a  man  of  considerable  influence  in 
that  locality.  He  married  Miss  Ai)pler, 
who  was  born  in  Carroll  county,  in  May, 
1834,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Appier,  who  lived 
to  be  ninety  years  of  age,  dying  in  1895. 
His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Judith  ^\'inters,  is  now  living  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety-four  years.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  were  natives  of  England.  He 
became  one  of  the  wealthy  landholders  of 
Carroll  county,  Maryland,  where  he  resided 
luitil  his  removal  westw^ard,  in  1859.  He 
located  in  Hannibal,  Missouri,  and  there  re- 
sided until  called  to  his  final  rest.  The  fa- 
ther of  our  subject  left  Maryland  in  Jan- 
uary, 1856,  cii  route  for  Hannibal,  Mis- 
souri, and  while  on  the  way,  during  a  tem- 
porary residence  of  the  family  at  Dixon, 
Illinois,  Frank  R.  Stewart  was  born.  The 
family  soon  afterward  proceeded  to  Han- 
nibal, where  the  father  remained  until  1859, 
when  he  went  with  his  family  to  Ouincy, 
Illinois,  and  there  engaged  in  merchandis- 
ing. 

During  the  time  when  much  of  the  traffic 
of  the  Mississippi  valley  was  transported  by 
means  of  the  river,  he  was  one  of  the  leading 
representatives  of  commercial  interests 
there,  and  he  carried  on  business  until  1875. 
He  then  retired  to  private  life,  and  seven 
years  later,  in  1882,  was  called  to  the  home 
beyond.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  at  all 
times  he  commanded  the  respect  and  es- 
teem of  his  fellow  men.  His  widow  still 
survives  and  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  taking  an  active  part  in  its 
work.  In  their  family  were  f<iur  children, 
of  whom  our  subject  is  the  eldest  son.  He 
has  one  brother  still  living,  Charles  A.,  who 


372 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


is  a  conductor  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  Rail- 
road, running  between  Sedalia.  Missouri, 
and  Kansas  City. 

Mr.  Stewart,  whose  name  introduces  this 
review,  obtained  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  Ouincy,  and  received  his  business  train- 
ing in  his  father's  store,  where  he  spent  the 
months  of  vacation.  In  1878,  however,  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Wabash  Railroad 
as  brakeman  on  a  passenger  train,  running 
between  Springfield  and  Ouincy.  In  1879, 
when  the  Chicago  division  of  the  Wabash 
road  was  opened,  he  came  to  Forrest  as 
brakeman  on  a  freight  train,  and  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1880,  was  promoted  to  the  position 
of  conductor  on  a  freight  train,  while  in 
March,  1883,  he  was  made  a  passenger  con- 
ductor. In  November,  1884,  he  was  injured 
at  Cornwell,  Illinois,  losing  one  of  his  legs. 
In  1885,  after  his  recovery,  he  was  made 
clerk  in  the  agent's  office,  at  Forrest,  in 
1886  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  super- 
intendent's clerk,  and  on  the  30th  of  Xo- 
ember,  1888  he  was  appointed  agent  of  both 
the  Wabash  and  the  Toledo,  Peoria  iS:  \\'ar- 
saw  roads.  The  junction  of  the  roads  is  at 
this  place  and  the  station  is  a  very  important 
one,  his  dut}^'  embracing  a  general  oversight 
of  the  business  of  Ijoth  roads,  passenger, 
freight  and  also  includes  the  supervision  of 
the  trainmen,  numbering  thirty.  The  busi- 
ness of  these  roads  at  this  point  is  constant- 
ly increasing,  due  in  no  small  measure  to 
the  efforts  of  the  obliging  agent  at  Forrest. 
Among  all  the  officials  and  employees  of 
the  road  there  are  but  two  his  senior  in 
years  of  continuous  service.  He  neglects 
no  duty  or  detail,  no  matter  how  slight  it 
may  seem,  is  extremely  accurate  and  care- 
ful, and  is  at  all  times  courteous  to  the 
patrons  of  the  road.  Those  qualities  have 
won  him  favor  with  the  company  and  with 


the  public  and  he  has  gained  the  esteem  of 
all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in  con- 
tact. 

Mr.  Stewart  is  a  member  of.  Olive 
Branch  Lodge,  K.  P.,  in  which  he  has  passed 
all  the  chairs.  He  is  one  of  the  oldest  rep- 
resentatives of  the  fraternity  in  the  state, 
his  connection  therewith  covering  a  period 
of  twenty-three  years.  He  has  six  times 
represented  his  local  lodge  in  the  grand 
lodge,  has  many  times  been  district  deputy 
and  thus  has  instituted  new  lodges  and  in- 
stalled many  officials.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Order  of  Railway  Conductors,  which 
lie  joined  in  1882 — one  of  the  first  to  be- 
come identified  with  the  society.  As  a 
member  of  the  board  of  education  he  has 
done  efficient  service  in  the  interests  of  the 
schools,  supporting  many  measures  which 
have  proven  of  value  to  the  schools.  He  has 
acted  as  treasurer  of  the  board  and  was  fill- 
ing that  office  at  the  time  the  school  build- 
ing was  r-emodeled,  and  also  serving  as  chair- 
man of  the  building  committee.  He  has 
likewise  been  treasurer  of  Forrest,  and  is 
a  citizen  whose  earnest  support  and  co-op- 
eration are  gi\en  to  all  measures  for  the 
public  good. 

]\Ir.  Stewart  was  married  on  the  j8th 
of  November,  1883,  to  Miss  Cordelia  Wil- 
son, of  Forrest,  a  daughter  of  Nicholas  and 
Nancy  Wilson.  She  was  born  in  this  city, 
in  i860,  and  by  her  marriage  has  become 
the  mother  of  two  daughters,  Iva  Mildred 
and  Greta  Rodell.  Mr.  Wilson,  her  father, 
was  born  in  Sweden  and  became  one  of  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  this  part  of  the  state, 
being  well  known  at  an  early  day  as  a  ped- 
dler and  later  as  a  farmer.  His  wife  was  a 
native  of  Ohio,  and  with  her  parents,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Thompson,  came  to  Livingston 
county,   in   1837,   the  family  here  entering 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


373 


land  from  the  government.  Mrs.  Wilson 
knew  Shabbona,  the  noted  Indian  chief  and 
saw  many  of  the  red  men  in  this  section  of 
the  state.  Mr.  Wilson  passed  away  in  1S77. 
and  his  wife,  long  surviving  him,  was  called 
to  her  final  rest  November  15.  1S98. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stewart  are  members 
of  the  Congregational  chinch  and  in  the 
community  where  they  reside  they  are  high- 
ly^ esteemed  for  their  many  excellencies  of 
character.  They  have  a  i)leasant  home  in 
Forrest,  which  was  erected  Ijy  Mr.  Stewart. 
He  is  also  the  owner  of  considerable  farm- 
ing land  in  Texas.  He  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers of  the  Building  &  Loan  Associa- 
tion, of  Forrest,  whereby  many  of  the  com- 
fortable homes  of  the  place  have  been 
erected.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr. 
Stewart  is  a  Republican,  and  is  recognized 
as  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  party 
in  Forrest.  For  twelve  consecutive  years, 
prior  to  1898,  he  was  a  delegate  to  every 
county,  state,  ji;dicial,  congressional  and 
senatorial  convention  and  was  an  alternate 
to  the  national  convention  at  St.  Louis.  He 
is  a  recognized  fact(jr  in  political  circles  and 
is  a  man  of  influence,  active  and  prominent 
in  the  community,  his  labors  resulting  to  the 
public  benefit  along  social,  material,  intel- 
lectual and  moral  lines. 


PAUL  HEISXER. 

Paul  Heisner,  one  <  >f  the  must  prosperous 
agriculturists  of  Pontiac  township,  whose 
home  is  on  section  20,  has  been  identified 
with  the  upbuilding  and  development  of 
this  county  for  over  a  third  of  a  century. 
He  comes  from  across  the  sea,  being  born 
in  Castle  Dume,  Prussia,  Germany.  June  27, 


1837,  and  in  that  country  grew  to  manhood 
and  served  for  three  years  as  a  soldier  in 
the  German  army.  In  the  spring  of  1864 
he  emigrated  to  America,  and  came  direct 
to  Illinois,  joining  some  German  friends  in 
Cook  county,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm 
hand  by  the  month  for  a  short  time.  In 
October,  1864.  he  enlisted  in  Company  B, 
Thirtieth  Illinois  \'olunteer  Infantry,  and 
joined  his  regiment  at  Atlanta.  Georgia,  in 
time  to  take  part  in  Sherman's  celebrated 
march  to  the  sea.  He  participated  in  the 
engagements  at  Savannah,  anil  through  to 
Raleigh,  and  after  the  surrender  of  the  last 
named  city  marched  through  Richmond  on 
his  way  to  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he 
took  part  in  the  grand  review.  Returning 
to  Illinois,  he  was  honorably  discharged  at 
Springfield,  in  July.  1865. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  Mr.  Heisner 
came  to  Livingston  county,  anil  purchased 
forty  acres  of  raw  prairie  and  swamp  land 
three  miles  south  of  Pontiac,  upon  whicli 
he  built  a  little  shanty.  For  three  years  he 
devoted  his  energies  to  the  improvement  and 
cultivation  of  that  place,  and  on  selling  it 
bought  eighty  acres  in  Rock  Creek  town- 
ship, of  which  a  few  acres  had  been  broken 
and  a  small  house  erected  thereon.  That 
farm  was  his  home  for  about  four  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  purchaseil  an- 
other eighty-acre  tract  adjoining,  and  lived 
there  for  six  years.  On  disposing  of  that 
jilace  he  bought  one  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  partially  improved  land  on  the  river  in 
Pontiac  township,  where  he  now  resides,  and 
to  its  further  improvement  and  cultivation 
he  has  since  devoted  his  energies  with  most 
gratifying  results.  As  his  financial  re- 
sources have  increased  he  has  added  to  his 
property  from  time  to  time  until  he  now 
owns  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  val- 


374 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


uable  and  productive  land,  wliich  he  has 
tiled  and  placed  under  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation. Upon  this  land  he  has  built  four 
good  residences,  barns  and  other  outbuild- 
ings, and  was  actitvely  engaged  in  agricult- 
ural pursuits  until  1900,  when  he  rented  his 
lantl  and  is  now  living  retired.  enjo3-ing  a 
well  earned  rest  upon  his  farm,  which  is 
pleasantly  located  within  two  miles  of  Pon- 
tiac.  He  built  a  residence  and  lived  in  the 
city  for  two  years,  but  in  1898  he  returned 
to  the  farm.  He  now  owns  two  residences 
in  the  citv. 

Before  leaving  his  native  land,  Mr. 
Heisner  w'as  married,  in  February,  1864,  to 
Miss  Catherine  Trender,  also  a  native  of 
Prussia,  and  to  them  have  been  born  five 
sons,  namely:  Philip,  a  resident  of  Pontiac; 
Frederick,  William  and  Frank,  who  are  en- 
Paul,  Jr.,  who  travels. 
gaged  in  farming  on  the  iiome  place,  and 

Since  casting  his  first  presidential  vote 
for  General  U.  S.  Grant,  Mr.  Heisner  has 
been  unswerving  in  his  allegiance  to  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  in  this  regard  his  sons 
all  follow  in  his  footsteps.  He  has  never 
cared  for  political  ofiice,  preferring  to  de- 
vote his  undivided  attention  to  his  business 
interests,  but  for  six  years  most  acceptably 
served  as  school  director.  Fraternally  he 
is  an  honored  member  of  T.  Lyle  Dickey 
Post,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Pontiac.  As  a  young 
man  he  came  to  America,  and  with  no  capi- 
tal started  out  in  a  strange  land  to  overcome 
the  difficulties  and  obstacles  in  the  path  to 
prosperity.  His  youthful  dreams  have  been 
realized  and  in  their  busy  fulfillment  he  sees 
the  fitting  reward  of  earnest  toil.  He  is  not 
only  one  of  the  most  successful  men  of  his 
community,  but  is  also  highly  respected  and 
esteemed  bv  all  who  know^  him  on  account 
of  his  sterling  worth. 


LIBERTY    LOUDERBACK. 

More  than  sixty-three  years  ago  this  gen- 
tleman came  to  Livingston  county,  and  dur- 
ing this  long  period,  which  covers  nearly 
the  whole  span  of  the  county's  development 
from  a  primitive  state  to  its  present  flourish- 
ing condition,  he  has  been  identified  with  its 
interests.  For  over  half  a  century  he  car- 
ried on  farming  in  Amity  township,  but  is 
now  living  retired  in  the  village  of  Cornell. 

Mr.  Louderback  was  born  in  Brown 
county,  Ohio,  July  4,  1824,  and  was  given 
the  name  of  Libertv  by  his  grandfather, 
Uriah  Springer.  Michael  Louderback,  the 
paternal  grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, who  came  to  this  country  with  two 
brothers  at  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary 
war.  He  settled  in  Ohio,  while  one  brother 
located  in  Virginia,  the  other  in  Pennsylva- 
nia. Our  subject's  father,  Thomas  Louder- 
back, was  also  born  and  reared  in  Brown 
county,  Ohio,  and  there  married  Sarah 
Springer,  a  daughter  of  Uriah  Springer, 
who  at  an  early  day  moved  from  Virginia  to 
Ohio.  There  Mr.  Louderback  followed 
farming  until  1S31,  when  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois and  settled  in  \^ermilion  county,  near 
the  present  city  of  Danville,  then  a  cross- 
roads village.  He  bought  land  and  resided 
there  a  few  years,  but  in  1837  moved  to 
Amity  townsliip,  Livingston  county,  where 
he  entered  a  tract  from  the  government  and 
opened  up  a  farm,  on  which  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  dying  there  March  6, 
1854.  His  wife  had  passed  away  October 
25,  1842.  In  their  family  were  five  sons 
and  three  daughters  who  reached  mature 
years,  and  four  sons  and  one  daughter  are 
still  living. 

Liberty  Louderback,  who  is  the  oldest  of 
this  family,  grew    to    manhood    in  Amity 


LIBERTY  LOUDERBACK. 


1 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


m 


townsliij).  only  attending  scli<"il  a  few 
months  during  the  winter.  l)ut  early  becom- 
ing familiar  with  every  department  of  farm 
work.  On  attaining  his  majority  he  began 
life  for  liimself  by  working  as  a  farm  hand 
or  at  any  occupation  which  he  could  find. 
He  took  up  a  claim  of  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land,  broke  fourteen 
acres,  and  commenced  farming.  On  the 
26th  of  April,  1849,  in  Livingston  county, 
he  married  Miss  Mary  Jane  Corbin,  who  was 
born  in  Virginia,  in  1827,  but  was  reared 
in  this  county  as  her  father,  David  Corbin, 
with  his  family,  located  here  in  1831. 

Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Louderback  began  their 
domestic  life  on  his  farm  in  a  primitive  log 
cabin  with  furniture  of  his  own  manufacture. 
His  first  land  he  purchased  from  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  Company,  and  to  the  origi- 
nal tract  he  added  until  he  had  two  hundred 
and  twenty-two  acres  of  valuable  land  on 
section  20,  Amity  township,  which  he  placetl 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  im- 
proved with  good  buildings.  He  continued 
to  actively  engage  in  farming  until  1S77, 
when  he  moved  to  Cornell  and  purchased 
the  property  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home.  He  was  interested  in  the  real  estate 
and  insurance  business  for  a  time,  but  is 
now  living  a  retired  life. 

]\Ir.  Louderback  has  been  calletl  u[)on  to 
mourn  the  loss  of  his  estimable  wife,  who 
died  May  11,  1900,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in 
Cornell  cemetery.  Six  children  were  born 
to  them,  namely :  John  H.,  who  is  married 
and  now  operates  the  old  homestead  farm; 
George  W'.,  who  owns  and  operates  a  farm 
adjoining  the  homestead ;  Chester  W'.,  who 
is  married  and  lives  in  St.  Louis;  Julia, 
widow  of  Thomas  J.  Gregory,  and  a  resident 
of  Cornell;  Hersey  J.,  wife  of  Harry  L. 
Manley,  of  Streator,  Illinois;  Hattie  C,  wife 


of  W.  H.  Graser.  of  Luverne.  Rock  county, 
Minnesota. 

In  1S54  Mr.  Louderback  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  most  cretlitably 
and  acceptably  filled  that  office  for  nearly 
thirty-five  years.  He  is  familiarly  known  as 
Squire  Louderback.  He  also  served  as  su- 
pervisor five  years,  township  treasurer,  col- 
lector and  school  trustee,  and  always  per- 
formed his  duties  in  a  faithful  and  satisfac- 
tory manner.  He  cast  his  first  presiden- 
tial vote  for  James  K.  Polk,  in  1844,  ^nd 
became  identified  with  the  Republican  party 
on  its  organization,  voting  for  Fremont  in 
1856,  but  since  1878  he  has  been  a  Prohi- 
bitionist, having  always  been  an  earnest  ad- 
vocate of  temperance.  He  is  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  ^lethodist  Episcopal  church,  of 
Cornell,  and  his  upright  coursein  life  com- 
mends him  to  the  respect  and  confidence  of 
all  who  know  him.  His  labors  as  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  county  justly  entitle  him 
to  a  prominent  place  in  its  annals. 


CHRISTIAN  WELTE. 

Christian  \\elle,  a  prosperous  and  pro- 
gressive farmer  residing  on  section  31,  Ne- 
braska township,  Livingston  county,  Illinois, 
was  born  in  \\'urtemburg,  Germany,  De- 
cember 20,  1842,  and  is  a  son  of  Vincent 
and  Elfans  (Strubb)  Welte.  When  he  was 
five  years  of  age  the  mother  died  leaving 
a  family  of  six  children,  namely  :  Marcellus, 
now  a  resident  of  El  Paso,  Illinois;  Bertha, 
wife  of  John  Rover,  of  Iowa;  Ansileni, 
deceased ;  Joseph,  who  was  a  member  of 
Company  F,  Fifty-sixth  Xew  York  \'olun- 
tcer  Infantry,  and  during  the  Civil  war  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  the  \Vilderne.ss;  Ma- 


378 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


tilda,  wife  of  Christian  Reust,  of  Kansas; 
Christian,  the  subject  of  this  biography; 
Sebastian,  of  Panola,  Illinois,  and  Peter,  uf 
Wurtemburg,  Germany.  Under  the  guar- 
dianship of  the  father  the  family  emigi-ated 
to  America  in  1855  and  settled  near  the 
Catskill  mountains,  in  New  York,  where 
they  resided  two  years  and  then  came  to 
Illinois,  finally  locating  in  Woodford  coun- 
ty. The  father  died  in  1872,  in  Nebraska 
tcnvnshii). 

The  same  year  Christian  W'elte  came  to 
Livingston  county  and  purchased  the  farm 
where  he  now  resides.  Its  neat  and  thrifty 
appearance  shows  conclusively  that  he  is  a 
man  of  good  business  ability  and  sound 
judgment,  as  well  as  a  thorough  and  scien- 
tific farmer.  On  the  7th  of  Noxemlier, 
1867,  he  married  ^liss  Margaret  Ingeler,  of 
^^'oodford  county,  and  to  them  have  been 
born  eight  children,  namely :  Staffan,  wife 
of  William  Kalwarf,  of  Flanagan ;  Thomas, 
a  resident  of  Woodford  county;  Joseph  and 
Christian,  both  of  Flanagan;  Effie,  wife  of 
R.  C.  Evans,  of  Chalmers,  Indiana;  John, 
Margaret  and  Clara,  all  at  home. 

\\'hen  the  war  of  secession  threatened  to 
destroy  the  Union,  Mr.  ^^'elte  turned  from 
the  quietude  of  home  to  join  the  awful  scenes 
of  death  and  carnage  south  of  the  Mason 
and  Dixon  line.  He  enlisted  at  Minonk, 
August  16,  1 86 1,  in  Company  I,  Forty- 
seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
participated  in  the  engagements  of  New 
Mardid,  Island  No.  10,  Shiloh,  Farmington, 
Corinth,  Jackson,  Black  River,  Pleasant  Hill 
and  the  siege  of  Vicksburg.  In  the  Red 
river  expedition  he  took  part  in  the  engage- 
ments at  Fort  Berusha,  Alexander,  Grand 
de  Core,  Shreveport,  Mansville,  Lake  Chi- 
coch,  Tupelo  and  several  minor  skirmishes. 
He  was  wounded  in  the  second  battle  of 


Corinth.  His  term  of  enlistment  having  ex- 
pired, Mr.  Welte  was  discharged  at  Spring- 
field, Illinois,  October  11,  1864,  and  is  now 
an  honored  member  of  the  Grand  Army 
Post  at  Minonk.  .\lthough  born  on  the 
other  side  of  the  AtJantic  he  has  become 
a  thorough  American  citizen  in  thought  and 
feeling,  and  is  as  true  to  his  duties  of  citi- 
zenship in  times  of  peace  as  when  he  fol- 
lowed the  old  flag  to  victory  on  southern 
battle  fields. 


CYRUS  S.  ELLIS. 

Cyrus  S.  Ellis,  a  well-known  farmer  re- 
siding on  section  22,  Long  Point  township, 
has  been  a  \alued  citizen  of  Li\ingston 
county,  since  December,  1879,  Coming 
from  near  Magnolia,  Marshall  county, 
thus  state.  He  was  born  in  Greene  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  February  11,  1829,  and  is  a 
son  of  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  (Venamon) 
Ellis,  natives  of  \'irginia,  who  spent  the 
greater  ])art  of  their  lives  in  Greene  county, 
Ohio,  where  the  father  followed  farming 
diu-ing  his  acti\e  business  career.  He  died 
on  the  home  place  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven 
subject  several  years.  She  died  at  the  age 
years,  having  survived  the  mother  of  our 
of  thirty-nine,  after  which  he  was  again 
married,  his  second  union  being  with  Aman- 
da Aldridge,  a  widow,  by  whom  he  had  three 
children,  namely:  John,  a  member  of  an 
Ohio  regiment  during  the  Civil  war  and 
now  a  resident  of  that  state;  Jesse,  who  lives 
in  southern  Illinois,  and  James,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  thirty-five  years.  By  the  first 
marriage  there  were  ten  children,  of  whom 
one  died  in  infancy.  Three  sons  and  two 
daughters  are  still  living:  Cyrus  S.,  our 
subject;    Milton    W.,    a   retired   farmer   of 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


379 


Nebraska;  Henry  R.,  who  served  three  years 
as  a  member  of  Company  H.  One  Hiinch-ed 
and  Fourtli  lUinnis  XHIunlecr  Infantry, 
<Un"ing  the  Civil  war,  and  is  nn\\  V\\'\ng  in 
Idwa,  but  was  formerly  a  resident  of  Cor- 
nell, Illinois;  Hannah,  the  wife  of  John 
Hay,  who  li\es  in  northern  Oliio;  and  Emily, 
wife  of  Thomas  Brenn,  of  I, a  Salle  ooimty. 
Illinois. 

Cyrus  S.  Ellis  was  but  two  years  old 
when  the  family  left  Xenia,  CJreene  county, 
Oliio,  and  moxetl  to  Clinton,  the  same  comi- 
ty, wliere  he  attended  the  connnun  schools, 
remaining  with  his  father  on  the  home  farm 
until  the  latter's  death.  At  the  age  of  sev- 
enteen he  started  out  in  life  for  himself,  and 
in  1854  removed  to  Indiana,  where  he  op- 
erated a  rentetl  farm  for  two  )ears.  .\t  the 
end  of  that  time  he  came  to  Illinois  and 
matle  his  home  in  Marshall  county  for  twen- 
ty-two years,  his  time  and  attention  being 
devoted  to  general  farming.  In  the  mean- 
time he  jnirchased  land  in  Nebraska,  and  on 
selling  it  bought  his  ])resent  farm  of  one 
liundreil  antl  sixty  acres  on  section  22,  Long 
Point  township,  Livingston  county,  Illinois, 
but  did  not  locate  thereon  initil  two  years 
later,  in  1879.  At  tliat  time  is  was  not  im- 
proved to  any  extent,  but  he  has  since  tiled 
it,  erected  a  house  and  other  buildings, 
planted  an  orchard  and  otherwise  imi)roved 
the  place. 

On  the  2^d  of  January,  i85[,  .Mr.  b^llis 
married  Miss  Martha  J.  Curtis,  who  was 
born  in  Clinton,  Ohio,  ]\Iay  23,  1834,  a 
daughter  of  Edward  and  Elizabeth  (Lyons) 
Curtis,  who  after  her  marriage  moved  to 
Indiana,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives.  She  has  two  brothers  .still  liv- 
ing, namely:  Edward,  a  resident  of  Marshall 
county,  Illinois,  and  James,  of  Savamia, 
Ohio.     Of  the  twelve  children  born  to  Mr. 


and  Mrs.  Ellis  three  died  in  early  childhood, 
while  Mary  F..  wife  of  Amos  Lake,  of 
Toluca.  Illinois,  died  .\pril  jS,  1900,  leav- 
ing one  daughter,  Blanche.  'J'hose  living 
are  Luemma,  who  is  the  wife  of  William 
(jill,  a  representative  farmer  of  Long  Point 
township,  and  has  one  son,  Frank;  Laura, 
at  home ;  Frank,  a  general  farmer  of  Long 
Point  township,  wlio  married  Lyda  Cole- 
man and  has  three  children,  Bessie,  Ora  and 
\'era ;  Albertine,  who  married  Frank  Clark, 
of  Reading  township,  and  has oneson, Elmer ; 
Cora,  wife  of  Carl  Stratton,  of  Long  I'oint 
townshij);  Edwin,  a  barber  of  Managan,  who 
married  .\lta  iinsign  and  has  one  daughter, 
F.lita;  .\l\a  C.  and  Ray,  both  at  home  as- 
sisting in  the  farm  work.  The  children 
were  educated  in  the  common  schools  and 
are  well  fitted  for  the  positions  they  fdl. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ellis  are  acti\e  members 
of  the  Methodist  Epi.scopal  church,  of  which 
lie  is  now  one  of  the  trustees,  and  has  held 
other  offices.  In  his  jxilitical  affiliations  he 
is  a  Republican,  but  has  never  cared  for 
public  preferment,  though  he  has  efificiently 
served  as  school  director  for  a  number  of 
jears. 


REV.    PIORACE   TIFFAXA'. 

For  two-score  years  the  Rev.  Horace 
TifYany  has  dwelt  in  Livingston  county,  and 
few  citizens  of  this  portion  of  Illinois  are 
better  or  more  favorably  esteemed  by  the 
inhabitants.  His  devotion  to  the  people  and 
his  long  years  of  indefatigable  labors  for 
their  welfare,  have  met  with  a  just  reward 
in  one  respect,  at  least — that  his  name  has 
been  a  household  word  iov  goodness  and 
self-sacrifice,  and  to  his  posterity  he  will 
leave  a  record  of  which  they  must  be  i)roud. 


380 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Tlie  Tiffany  family  is  of  Englisli  origin 
and  early  in  the  history  of  Connecticut  they 
were  numbered  among  her  pioneers. 
Horace  Tififany,  for  whom  our  subject  was 
named,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  whence  he 
remo\ed  to  Delaware  county,  New  York, 
in  its  infancy,  and  there  became  influential 
and  prosperous.  His  son.  Walter,  father  of 
our  subject,  was  Ijorn  on  the  old  homestead 
in  Delaware  county,  and  for  three  decades 
or  more  he  was  actively  engaged  in  agri- 
culture there.  In  1856  he  came  to  Illinois 
and  for  twenty-one  years  was  successfully 
occupied  in  farming  near  Victoria.  Knox 
county.  In  1870  he  removed  to  a  home- 
stead in  the  vicinity  of  Cambridge,  Illinois, 
and  February  27,  1872.  he  as  summoned  to 
his  reward.  His  first  wife,  the  mother  of 
our  subject,  died  when  the  son  was  young, 
and  the  father  subsequently  married  again. 
The  wife  of  his  youth  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Jane  Hammond,  and  her  father,  Jonathan 
Hammond,  was  an  early  settler  in  Dela- 
ware county.  New  York,  in  which  state  her 
birth  took  place.  He  was  from  the  old 
Green  Mountain  state,  and  was  prominently 
connected  with  the  founding  of  Delaware 
county. 

The  birth  of  the  Rev.  Horace  Tiffany 
occurred  upon  the  parental  Iioniestead  in 
Delaware  county,  September  4,  1831.  He 
received  the  benefits  of  the  public  schools 
of  that  period  and  later  attended  the  New 
York  Conference  Seminary  at  Charlottes- 
ville for  two  years.  Thus  thorough!}' 
equipped  for  the  arduous  duties  of  life,  the 
young  man  commenced  his  career  as  a 
teacher  and  for  sex'en  consecuti\'e  vears  de- 
voted  Iiimself  to  educational   work. 

In  1855  Mr.  Tiffany  remo\-ed  to  \'ic- 
toria,  Illinois,  and  for  three  years  subse- 
quent to  his  arrival  here  he  taught  school. 


In  1858  he  began  preaching  the  gospel 
as  a  local  preacher  and  in  September, 
i860,  he  joined  the  Central  Illinois  con- 
ference of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel. 
In  1862  he  was  ordained  to  the  office 
of  deacon  and  two  years  later  was  con- 
stituted an  elder  in  the  church.  For  forty 
years  he  has  dwelt  in  Livingston  and  other 
counties  and  for  a  score  of  years  he  was 
one  of  the  regular  circuit  riders,  five  con- 
gregations being  under  his  charge  during  a 
part  of  this  period.  In  many  a  humble  home 
he  conducted  funeral  services,  ofiiciated  at 
weddings,  participated  in  happy  reunions 
and  gatherings  of  the  country  people  and 
old  settlers,  and  wherever  he  went  he  found 
the  genuine,  hospitable  welcome,  character- 
istic of  our  pioneers.  He  is  greatly  loved 
in  hundreds  of  tliese  homes  and  no  one  in 
this  section  of  the  state  is  more  certainly  en- 
shrined in  the  hearts  of  the  young  and  old. 
He  has  dwelt  in  Cornell  for  several  years 
and  previously  lived  in  Reading  and  Rooks 
Creek  townships,  this  county.  For  some 
four  years  he  devoted  his  time  as  county 
missionary  in  Livingston  county  in  Sunday 
school  work  and  was  greatly  blessed  in  the 
noble  enterprise.  In  accordance  with  his 
con\-ictions  of  duty,  he  has  given  his  influ- 
ence to  the  Prohibition  party  for  the  past 
quarter  of  this  century,  but  in  his  early 
manhood  he  was  a  Republican. 

In  Otsego  county,  New  York.  Air. 
Tift'any  and  Lucy  J.  Teel,  a  native  of  that 
county,  were  united  in  marriage.  March  2"/, 
1 85 1.  She  was  called  to  the  better  land, 
June  12,  1897.  and  her  place  in  this  com- 
munity can  never  l)e  filled.  Seven  children 
mourn  the  loss  of  their  revered  mother,  and 
her  lovely  life  and  high  examiile  will  al- 
ways prove  an  inspiration  to  them,  as  to  all 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


381 


who  knew  her.  O.  M.  and  Artliur  E.  are 
engaged  in  newspaper  work,  tlie  latter  being 
the  editor  of  the  Cornell  Journal.  O.  M. 
and  L.  H.  Tiffany  are  residents  of  Tama 
county,  Iowa;  W.  B.  is  enaged  in  the  grain 
business  at  Oneida,  Illinois.;  Orrin  S.  is  a 
carpenter  of  Streator,  Illinois,  and  William 
S.,  of  Cornell,  is  one  of  the  street  commis- 
sioners. Rosa  is  the  wife  of  U.  G.  Connett, 
who  owns  a  jewelry  establishment  in  Cor- 
nell. 


WILLIAM  BIDDLE. 

William  Biddle,  a  prominent  and  well- 
to-do  farmerof  Xewtown  township,  Livings- 
ton county,  is  an  Englishman  by  birth  and 
training.  He  was  born  in  Staffordshire  Xo- 
vember  7,  1833.  and  is  a  son  of  Lionel  and 
Elizabeth  (Cumberbach)  Biddle,  who  spent 
their  entire  lives  in  that  county,  where  the 
father  followed  the  occupation  of  farming. 
In  the  family  were  ten  children,  but  two 
died  before  attaining  the  age  of  twenty 
years,  and  all  are  now  deceased  with  the 
exception  of  Jane,  wife  of  James  Sjiffer- 
botham,  of  England,  and  William,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch. 

In  the  schools  of  his  native  land  Mr. 
Biddle  acquired  his  education,  and  when  a 
young  man  commenced  working  in  the 
mines,  following  that  pursuit  for  forty  years. 
He  was  married,  in  England,  in  1853,  to 
Miss  Harriet  Barnett,  and  they  have  be- 
come the  parents  of  three  children,  two  born 
in  that  country  and  one  in  Illinois.  ( i  ) 
\\'illiam,  the  eldest,  is  now  engage<l  in  min- 
ing in  Missouri.  He  is  married  and  has 
three  children :  Albert,  who  lives  with  our 
subject;  John  and  Herbert.  The  wife  and 
mother  makes  her  home  in  Streator.      (j) 


John  A.,  who  is  living  upon  a  part  of  his 
father's  farm  in  Xewtown  township,  is  mar- 
ried and  has  two  children,  Lyle  and  Cecil. 
(3)  Walter,  who  is  engaged  in  farming 
near  Walnut,  Lee  county.  Illinois,  is  mar- 
ried and  also  has  two  children,  Bertha  and 
(iuy. 

It  was  in  1869  that  Mr.  Biddle  came 
to  the  L'nited  States  and  first  located  in 
Pennsylvania  and  later  in  Ohio,  but  in  the 
spring  of  1870  came  to  Streator,  La  Salle 
county.  Illinois,  where  he  followed  mining 
for  twenty  years,  and  then  came  to  Livings- 
ton county.  In  1889  he  purchased  his  pres- 
ent farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
on  section  28,  Xewtown  township,  and  has 
since  devoted  his  time  and  energies  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  .\s  he  was  a  good  miner, 
he  is  also  a  good  farmer,  and  is  meeting 
with  most  excellent  success  in  his  opera- 
tions, carrying  on  general  farming  and 
stock  raising.  He  has  tiled,  fenced  and  im- 
proxed  his  land,  making  it  a  most  desirable 
farm.  Religiously  I\Ir.  Biddle  and  his  fam- 
ily are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  politically  he  is  identified  with 
the  Democratic  party,  but  has  never  been 
prevailed  upon  to  accept  office,  though  he 
takes  an  active  and  commendable  interest 
in  public  affairs,  and  does  all  in  his  power  to 
ad\ance  the  interests  of  his  township  and 
countv. 


JACOB  GIXGRICH. 

Jacob  Gingrich,  whi),  tluring  the  entire 
span  of  his  life,  nearly  three-score  years,  has 
been  associated  with  the  development  and 
rapidly  increasing  prosperity  of  Livingston 
county,  is  honored  and  respected  by  all  who 
enjoy    his    acquaintance.      He    always    has 


382 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


gi\-en  his  earnest  support  to  scliools  and 
pulilic  enterprises  calculated  to  benefit  this 
community  and  the  state  in  general,  nor  has 
he  been  remiss  in  the  wider  duties  of  a 
patriotic  son  of  America. 

The  subject  of  this  review  is  of  German 
ancestry,  though  his  father.  John  Gingrich, 
was  born  within  the  borders  of  France.  For 
a  wife  the  latter  chose  Barbara  Garber,  a 
German  lady,  and  together  they  came  to  the 
hospitable  shores  of  the  United  States  sixty 
years  ago.  They  settled  in  Woodford  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  cleared  and  improved  a  farm 
and  extended  their  possessions  until  eight 
hundred  acres  comprised  their  landed  es- 
tates. The  father  departed  this  life  in  1845, 
and  to  his  widow  was  left  the  task  of  rear- 
ing their  nine  children.  All  lived  to  matur- 
ily  and  four  of  the  number  still  survive. 

-  The  birth  of  Jacob  Gingrich  took  place 
in  Wcjodford  county.  Illinois.  July  28,  1842. 
and  it  was  not  until  during  the  last  year  of 
the  Ci\'il  war  that  he  remo\-ed  from  his  na- 
tive county.  He  aided  his  mother  and 
brothers  in  the  management  of  the  home- 
stead, and  when  he  was  a  mere  youth  he 
mastered  the  carpenter's  trade  and  gave  his 
attention  to  that  calling  exclusively  for  two 
or  three  years.  When  the  president  issued 
his  first  call  to  the  lovers  of  the  Union,  he 
was  one  of  the  first  in  his  countv  to  respond: 
He  enlisted  in  April.  1861,  and  served  for 
three  months,  in  the  meantime  assisting  in 
taking  Columbus,  Kentucky,  and  particijjat- 
ing  in  various  campaigns.  He  was  seriously 
ill  about  the  time  that  his  three  months'  en- 
listment was  completed,  and  he  was  honor- 
ably discharged  from  the  service.  Return- 
ing home  he  took  up  the  duties  of  the  old 
homestead  when  he  had  sufficiently  re- 
covered and  remained  there  about  three 
years. 


In  1864  Mr.  Gingrich  and  Susan  Far- 
rell  were  joinetl  in  wedlock.  She  was  born 
ir  Ohio  and  is  of  German  parentage.  Eleven 
cliildren  bless  their  union,  namely :  Gusta- 
vus,  who  is  married  and  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Iowa :  John :  David,  who  is  married 
and  lix'ing  in  Flanagan,  .  Illinois;  Peter; 
Eunice,  wife  of  Leonard  Harris,  of  this 
county :  Emma ;  Lizzie  and  Priscilla,  who 
are  successfully  engaged  in  teaching  in  this 
county ;  Manuel ;  Jacob,  Jr.  and  Susie.  All 
ha\-e  recei\-ed  excellent  educational  advan- 
tages and  are  well  qualified  for  the  battles 
of  life. 

Ruring  the  first  year  of  their  married 
life  our  suljject  and  wife  lived  upon  a  rented 
farm  near  Chenoa,  McLean  county,  Illinois. 
Subsequently  they  removed  to  Waldo  town- 
ship, Livingston  county,  and  for  fourteen 
years  resided  upon  two  farms  in  that  local- 
ity. Then,  coming  to  Amity  township,  Mr. 
Gingrich  rented  land  for  a  period,  and  in 
1888  invested  his  carefully  saved  funds  in 
the  property  where  he  now  dwells.  Here  he 
owns  two  hundred  and  ninety  acres,  about 
twn-thirds  of  which  is  under  the  plow  and 
producing  good  crops  each  year.  The  land 
was  timbered,  £a\'e  a  tract  of  swamp  and 
twenty-seven  acres  of  cleared  land,  at  the 
time  that  it  came  into  his  possession,  and 
there  was  no  improvements  in  the  shape  of 
buildings.  He  built  a  small  house  and  in- 
dustriously began  the  great  task  of  clearing 
and  developing  the  farm,  and  to-day  the 
place  bears  little  resemblance  to  that  of  long 
ago.  Substantial  fences  and  farm  buildings 
speak  well  for  the  enterprise  of  the  owner, 
and  the  numerous  fruit  and  shade  trees  add 
greatly  to  the  beauty  of  the  place. 

In  p(jlitical  matters  Mr.  Cjingrich  is  a 
Democrat,  though  he  has  no  aspirations  to 
occupv  public  positions.     He  belie\'es  in  lo- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


383 


cal  i;ii]irMVL-nK'nts  ami  lias  materially  aided 
in  the  inaintenance  of  ,i;ni)(l  tvovernnient, 
well-cared-for  liridges  aii<l  ijmper  educa- 
tiimal  facilities  for  tlie  young.  He  enjoys 
the  confidence  of  his  neighbors  and  all  with 
whom  he  has  had  dealings,  and  to  his  chil- 
dren he  will  leave  the  priceless  heritage  of 
an  untarnished  name. 


CHARLES   ALBERT   1)1  XOX. 

Charles  .Mhert  Dixon,  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  Xewtown  townshii). 
residing  on  section  5.  is  a  nati\e  son  of  Li\'- 
ingston  county.  Ijorn  May  18.  i<^5-2.  His 
parents,  Charles  and  Sarah  (Hodges)  Dix- 
on, were  born,  reared  and  married  in  Eng- 
land, and  on  their  emigration  to  .America 
first  settled  near  Dixon,  Lee  county.  Illinois. 
In  early  life  the  father  followed  the  mason's 
trade,  hut  after  coming  to  this  state  engaged 
in  farming  and  the  manufacture  of  lirick 
ill  connection  with  work  at  his  trade.  From 
Dixon  he  removed  to  Magnolia,  Putnam 
county,  and  in  1848  came  to  Livingston 
county,  where  he  purchased  one  hundred 
and  sc\'enty-five  acres  of  land  at  the  govern- 
ment ])rice  of  one  dollar  and  a  (|uarter  per 
acre.  Our  subject  now  holds  the  original 
deed  for  the  same.  .\t  that  time  it  was  all 
wild  prairie,  and  the  first  hf)me  of  the  fam- 
ily in  this  ccjiinty  was  a  rude  structure  built 
of  rails,  the  cracks  l)eing  stopped  up  with 
mud.  They  endured  many  hardships  and 
j)rivations;  all  grain  had  to  be  hauled  to  Chi- 
cago with  ox  team,  the  trip  consuming  two 
weeks,  while  the  driver  had  to  camp  out 
at  night  by  the  side  of  the  road.  Chicago  at 
that  time  was  (|uite  a  small  place.  In  his 
new  home  the  father  met  with  well  merited 


success  and  was  able  to  spend  his  last  days 
in  retirement  from  active  labor  at  Streator, 
where  he  died  in  1879.  His  wife  departed 
this  life  in  1871.  He  was  an  ardent  worker 
in  the  United  Brethren  cluirch.  helped  to 
erect  many  churches  of  that  denomination 
and  contributed  liberally  to  their  support.  In 
his  political  views  he  was  a  Republican  and 
did  all  in  his  power  to  advance  the  interest 
of  his  party. 

Our  subject  grew  to  manhood  u])on  his 
father's  farm  and  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  When  quite  young  he  took 
up  auctioneering,  and  has  since  devoted  a 
])ortion  of  his  time  to  that  calling,  dealing 
in  all  kinds  of  goods  and  meeting  with  most 
excellent  success.  As  a  general  farmer  he 
has  also  prospered  and  is  now  the  owner  of 
one  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres  of  land 
of  the  old  homestead.  He  has  erected  a 
new  house  and  barn,  planted  an  orchard, 
tiled  the  land  and  otherwise  improved  it, 
transforming  it  into  one  of  the  most  desir- 
able places  of  its  size  in  the  townshi]).  He 
devotes  considerable  attention  to  stock  rais- 
ing for  market  and  breeding  i)ur])oses,  mak- 
ing a  specialty  of  Poland  China  hogs  and 
Xorman  horses.  He  has  made  farming  a 
study,  and  by  perseverance,  industry  and 
good  management  has  met  with  nii>st  grati- 
fying success. 

In  1875  ^^^-  Dixon  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Annie  Mason,  a  native  (jf 
La  Salle  county  and  a  daughter  of  Edward 
and  Xancy  Mason,  who  have  been  dead  for 
a  number  of  years.  She  is  one  of  a  family 
of  three  children,  the  others  being  James 
11..  supervisor  of  Streator  township  and  a 
resident  of  Streator;  and  Celestia.  wife  of 
Henry  Deenis,  of  the  same  place.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dixon  have  two  children:  Clarissa 
Mae.  who  was  educated  at  the  Streator  high 


384 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD; 


school,  and  Arthur  Calvin,  a  graduate  of 
the  same  school,  and  now  cashier  and  book- 
keeper in  X.  L.  Arthur's  store  at  Streator. 
By  his  ballot  Mr^  Dixon  supports  the 
nien  and  measures  of  the  Republican  [larty. 
and  has  held  several  minor  offices,  serving 
at  school  director  nine  years,  constable  four 
years  and  thistle  commissioner  six  years. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  meml)er  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  Lodge.  Xo.  534,  of  Long  Point : 
the  Dramatic  Order  of  the  Knights  of 
Khorassan.  X^).  22.  of  Streator,  and  the 
Modern  \\"oo(lmen  Camp,  Xo.  1444,  of 
which  he  has  been  banker  for  two  years.  He 
is  widely  and  favorably  known  throughout 
the  county,  and  by  those  who  know  him  best 
he  is  held  in  the  highest  regard. 


F.  M.  PATTERSOX. 

F.  M.  Patterson,  a  prosperous  and  sub- 
stantial citizen  of  Reading  township,  Liv- 
ingston county,  Illinois,  was  born  in  Greene 
county,  Pennsylvania,  May  i'6,  1840,  and  is 
a  son  of  J.  W.  and  Jemima  (Lovell)  Patter- 
son, also  natives  of  Greene  county,  which 
was  the  birthplace  of  his  paternal  grand- 
father, Daniel  Patterson.  The  latter's  par- 
ents were  from  Paterson,  Xew  Jersey, 
which  place  was  named  for  early  representa- 
tives of  the  family  in  this  country.  His 
ancestors  came  originally  from  Scotland  and 
settled  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  in  early 
Colonial  days.  Those  bearing  the  name  of 
Patterson  took  part  both  in  the  Rex'olution- 
ary  war  and  the  war  of  18 12. 

In  early  life  the  father  of  our  subject 
learned  the  brickmaker's  trade,  which  he 
followed  for  some  years  in  Pennsylvania  and 
later  engaged  in  farming.     In  1854,  in  com- 


pany with  his  wife  and  children,  he  came 
west  and  located  in  Cook  county,  Illinois, 
ten  miles  from  the  court  house  in  Chicago, 
which  city  at  that  time  contained  about  forty 
thousand  inhabitants.  There  he  was  man- 
ager of  a  brickyard  one  year,  and  four  of 
his  sons  worked  in  the  same.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  moved  to  Deer  Park  township, 
La  Salle  county,  where  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing upon  rented  land  three  years,  and  in 
1858  became  a  resident  of  Sunbury  town- 
ship, Livingston  county,  where  he  also  rented 
land  for  a  time.  At  the  breaking  out  of 
the  civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the  Eleventh  Illi- 
nois \'olunteer  Infantry,  and  after  being 
mustered  in  at  Ottawa  went  immediately 
into  active  service  with  his  regiment.  He 
was  in  a  number  of  notable  engagements, 
and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Fort  Donel- 
son  in  1862.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republi- 
can, and  always  took  an  active  part  in  local 
affairs.  His  wife  survi\-ed  him  about  fif- 
teen years,  and  died  at  her  home  in  Streator. 

In  their  family  were  eight  children, 
namely ;  Stephen  P.  was  for  many  years  a 
farmer  of  Readino^  township,  but  is  now 
living  a  retired  life  in  Streator;  Rachel  A. 
is  the  wife  of  J.  Fowler,  of  DeKalb,  Illinois; 
Jesse  H.  has  made  his  home  with  our  sub- 
ject for  the  past  twenty-five  years;  Francis 
Alarion,  our  subject,  is  next  in  order  of 
birth ;  Hugh  S.  is  engaged  in  lead  and  sil- 
ver mining  in  Denver,  Colorado;  Barnett 
\\'.,  deceased,  was  a  farmer  of  Deer  Park 
township.  La  Salle  county;  Arthur  I.  is  a 
mason  of  Streator;  and  Carrie  S.  is  the  wife 
of  Dr.  E.  E.  \\'illiams,  a  practicing  phvsi- 
cian  of  Streator. 

Francis  M.  Patterson  began  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  his  native  county,  and 
for  a  time  attended  school  in  Deer  Park 
township,   La   Salle   county,   and    Sunbury 


F.  M.  PATTERSON. 


THE  -BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


387 


township,  Livingston  county.  Illinois.  He 
was  fourteen  years  of  age  when  he  came 
with  the  family  to  this  state,  and  Ijegan  his 
business  career  as  an  empidve  in  a  brickyard 
near  Chicago.  Later  he  wurkctl  at  farm 
labor  during  the  sumjner  season,  while  he 
attended  school  through  the  winter  months. 
In  1867,  with  his  mother,  he  moved  to 
Streator,  where  he  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade  with  William  H.  Milligan,  a  contrac- 
tor and  builder  at  that  time,  and  later  he 
engaged  in  the  same  occupation  on  his  own 
account  for  about  fifteen  years,  and  the  same 
time  operating  a  planing  mill,  which  was 
the  first  built  in  Streator.  He  erected  the 
first  school  house  in  that  place,  and  did  an 
extensive  business,  a  large  portion  uf  the 
city  being  built  under  his  supervision.  Mr. 
Patterson  also  owned  and  conducted  a  lum- 
ber yard.  In  1887  he  purchased  his  pres- 
ent farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on 
sections  11  and  12,  Reading  township,  from 
the  Plumb  estate,  and  has  since  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock  raising,  in  which  he  has 
also  met  with  marked  success.  He  annually 
feeds  many  cattle  and  hogs  which  he  sells 
to  the  local  dealers.  In  1898  he  leased  forty 
acres  of  his  land  to  a  syndicate  of  Streator 
for  the  purpose  of  sinking  a  coal  shaft,  and 
from  that  source  now  receives  a  royalty  of 
fourteen  cents  for  screen  coal  and  ten  cents 
for  mine  run.  He  owns  city  property,  both 
business  and  dwelling  houses,  in  Streator, 
and  has  a  farm  of  one  hundred  'and  sixty 
acres  of  land  in  Fillmore  count}',  Nebraska. 
In  1894  he  erected  upon  his  farm  in  Reading 
township  a  fine  residence  of  nine  rooms,  fin- 
ished in  oak,  with  closets  and  a  cellar. 

In  politics  Mr.  Patterson  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican, and  cast  his  first  presidential  vote 
for  .\l)raham  Lincoln,  in  1864.  He  has  been 
a  delegate  to  numerous  county  conventions 


of  his  party,  and  was  chairman  of  his  dele- 
gation the  last  time.  For  two  terms  he 
served  as  school  director,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1895  he  was  elected  supervisor  of  Read- 
ing township,  which  positions  he  creditably 
filled  until  the  spring  of  1899.  He  was 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  swamp  lands 
two  years,  and  at  different  times  was  a  mem- 
ber of  nearly  all  the  more  important  com- 
mittees. He  is  pre-eminently  public-spirted 
and  progressive,  and  gives  his  support  to 
any  enterprise  which  he  believes  calculated 
to  advance  the  general  welfare  of  his  town- 
ship or  county. 


PHIL.WDER   MORG.VX. 

Philander  ^lurgan,  a  highly  respected 
and  honored  citizen  of  Strawn.  Illinois,  now 
living  a  retired  life,  is  a  worthy  representa- 
tive of  the  early  pi(meers  of  this  section  of 
the  slate,  and  a  true  type  of  the  energetic 
hardy  men  who  have  activel)'  assisted  in  de- 
veloping and  improving  this  beautiful  and 
fertile  agricultural  countr}'. 

Mr.  Morgan  was  born  October  11,  i^t,~,- 
in  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  on  a  farm  north 
of  Streator.  and  is  a  son  of  Ress  and  Re- 
becca A.  (Reeder)  Morgan.  The  family 
was  founded  in  .America  in  1624  by  three 
brothers,  natives  of  Wales,  who  first  settled 
in  \'irginia,  but  later  one  went  to  the  Caro- 
Imas,  another  to  Kentucky,  while  the  great- 
great-grandfather  of  our  subject  remained 
in  \'irginia  and  founded  the  \-illage  of  Mor- 
gantown,  that  state.  He  was  a  soldier  o' 
the  Revolutionary  war.  The  one  that  lo- 
cated in  the  Carolinas  was  the  father  of 
General  Morgan  of  Revolutionary  fame. 
Our  subject's  grandfather,  William  Morgan, 


3S8 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


was  a  native  of  \'irginia,  where  lie  made  his 
home  for  many  years,  and  then  movecl  to 
Uniontown,  Pennsyh'ania,  wliere  he  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  nails  l^y  hand. 
In  1833  he  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  north 
of  Streator  in  La  Salle  county,  where  he 
died  about  a  year  later. 

Ress  Morgan,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Fayette  county.  Pennsylvania,  in 
1808.  and  remained  there  until  1828,  when 
he  came  to  Pekin,  Illinois,  and  enlisted  as 
a  private  in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  He  was 
in  Stillman's  defeat  and  remained  in  the 
service  until  hostilities  ceased,  being  dis- 
charged at  Ottawa  in  1832.  He  then  spent 
one  year  at  his  old  home  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  at  the  end  of  that  time  returned  to  Illi- 
nois, where  he  soon  afterward  married  Miss 
Rebecca  A.  Reeder,  a  daughter  of  David 
and  Sarah  (  Whittaker )  Reeder.  Her  father 
was  a  nati\e  of  \'irginia  and  a  planter  bv  oc- 
cupation. In  17S4,  during  his  boyhood,  he 
removed  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  was  later 
engaged  engaged  in  mercantile  business  un- 
til 1829,  and  then  came  to  Pekin,  Illinois, 
where  he  followed  farming  for  a  time.  He 
was  the  first  county  judge  of  Tazewell  coun- 
ty. In  1834  he  settled  north  of  Streator 
in  La  .Salle  county,  where  he  died  in  1852, 
his  wife  in  1S60,  leaving  five  children,  of 
whom  the  mother  of  our  subject  was  f<jurth 
in  order  of  birth.  The  W'hittaker  family, 
from  which  she  was  descended,  was  also  of 
\\"elsh  origin  and  was  founded  in  Xew  Jer- 
sey in  1620,  making  their  home  there  for 
many  generations.  Her  grandmother  Whit- 
taker  moved  to  Ohio  in  1782,  and  in  1829 
came  to  Illinois. 

After  his  marriage  Ress  Morgan  lived  in 
Pekin  for  a  time,  and  in  1833  moved  to  La 
Salle  county,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the 
sawmill  business  and  in  farmingf.    He  served 


as  count}'  treasurer  and  assessor  from  1848 
to  1852.  In  the  latter  year  he  and  our  sub- 
ject crossed  the  plains  to  California  with 
o>-  teams  and  spent  three  years  in  prospect- 
ing and  mining,  returning  to  Illinois  in 
1855.  In  i860  he  moved  from  La  Salle  to 
Livingston  county  and  located  in  what  was 
then  Belle  Phairie  township,  but  is  now  Fay- 
ette township,  having  been  set  off  from  the 
former.  Here  he  continued  farming  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  the  village  of 
Strawn  in  1880.  His  wife  also  died  in  that 
place  in  1883.  and  the  remains  of  both  were 
interred  at  Gibson.  Illinois. 

This  worthy  couple  were  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  all  born  in  La  Salle  county, 
of  whom  our  subject  is  the  eldest.  (2) 
Mary  is  the  wife  of  Moses  i\I.  K.  McDowell, 
a  stock  raiser  of  Gibson,  and  they  have  two 
children :  Frank  and  Thomas,  who  are  en- 
gaged in  the  commission  business  at  the 
stock  yards  in  Chicago.  (3)  Foster,  a 
farmer  of  Francisville,  Indiana,  married 
Sarah  Case,  and  they  have  one  child,  War- 
ren. (4)  David  R.,  now  a  farmer  of  Lake 
CJty.  Iowa,  married  V;irginia  McDowell, 
of  Fairbur}-,  Illinois,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Paul  and  Geneva.  (5),  Courtland, 
a  nursery  man  of  Spring  \'alley,  Alinnesota, 
married  Alice  Taylor,  of  that  state,  and  they 
have  three  children :  Jessie  R.,  Estella  and 
\\'eaver.  (  6 )  Rebecca  was  for  many  years 
engaged  in  teaching  in  the  district  schools 
of  Livingston  count}'.  Init  is  now  li\ing  in 
Gibson,  Illinois.  {7)  Sarah  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  Mackey.  of  Streator,  who  is  in  the 
mail  service,  and  they  have  two  children : 
Belle,  wife  of  Lewis  Patch,  of  Streator, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  operating  a  foundry, 
and  Bernice,  wife  of  William  Gillett,  who 
i.s  engaged  in  niercantile  business  in 
Streator.     (8)    Laura  is  the  wife  of  F.  C. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


389 


McDowell,  a  stdck  raiser  of  Cjibson.  (9) 
Nettie  is  engaged  in  the  millinery  business 
in  the  same  place. 

Philander  Morgan  is  indebted  to  the 
common  schools  of  La  Salle  county  for  his 
educational  advantages.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen he  went  with  his  father  to  California, 
where  they  engaged  in  prospecting  and  min- 
ing for  three  years,  and  then  returned  home 
by  way  of  the  Panama  route.  In  i860  he 
came  with  his  family  to  Livingston  county, 
the  father  having  a  farm  of  eight  hundred 
acres  in  what  is  now  Fayette  township,  liut 
at  that  time  formed  a  part  of  Belle  Prairie 
township.  He  assisted  in  the  arduous  task 
of  breaking  the  land  and  placing  it  under 
cultivation.  Since  the  death  of  his  parents 
he  had  looked  after  the  property  accumulated 
by  himself  and  father,  but  is  now  practically 
living  a  retired  life  in  the  village  of  Strawn, 
where  he  owns  a  home.  He  also  lias  some 
village  property  in  Gibson,  and  owns  a  large 
amount  of  farming  land  in  Iowa,  where  he 
spends  some  time  looking  after  his  interests 
in  that  state. 

Politically  Mr.  Morgan  is  a  Jeffersonian 
Democrat  and  has  taken  (|uite  an  active  and 
prominent  i)art  in  local  politics,  having 
served  as  supervisor  of  Fayette  township 
one  term,  assessor  eighteen  years  and  high- 
way commissioner  for  the  same  length  of 
time.  He  laid  out  all  the  roads  in  tiie  town- 
shij)  and  gave  to  it  the  name  of  Fayette, 
after  the  county  in  which  his  father  was 
born,  and  which  was  also  the  birthplace  of 
Richard  Hannah,  then  supervisor  of  the 
township.  Our  subject's  sister  Mary  was 
the  first  to  be  married  in  the  new  township, 
and  Mary  Jane  McCormick,  now  the  wife  of 
William  Somers,  oi  Strawn,  was  the  first 
child  born  there.  Mr.  Morgan  iias  seen  al- 
most the  entire  development  of  this  region. 


and  as  a  public-spirited  and  enterprising 
man  he  has  aided  materially  in  promoting 
its  interests,  assisting  in  transforming  the 
cultivated  districts  in  the  state.  He  has  been 
a  nieml)er  of  the  village  l)oard  a  great  many 
years  and  president  of  the  same  ten  vears. 


JOllX    H.    BRUCE. 

John  H.  Bruce,  whose  jjleasant  home  is 
situated  in  section  34.  .\mity  township.  Liv- 
ingston county,  is  one  of  the  substantial  ag- 
riculturists of  this  section  of  the  state.  He 
has'  been  a  witness  of  the  major  portion  of 
its  development  and  has  himself  played  no 
unimportant  part  in  the  transformation  of 
the  wilderness  into  the  beautiful,  productive 
farm  lands  of  to-day. 

Mr.  Bruce,  who  is  a  second  cousin  of 
General  John  A.  Logan,  is  a  son  of  Thomas 
and  Ellen  (Logan)  Bruce.  The  father,  a 
native  of  Scotland,  departed  this  life  when 
our  subject  was  young.  The  mother  was 
a  daughter  of  John  .\.  Logan,  who  also 
came  of  the  stanch  old  Celtic  stock,  and 
whose  birthplace  was  in  the  northern  jiart 
of  Ireland. 

Bom  July  26,  1834,  in  Glasgow,  Scot- 
land, John  H.  Bruce  remembers  little  of  his 
father,  and  was  reared  by  his  uncle,  Robert 
Bruce.  About  1840  this  wortliy  man  emi- 
grated to  Xova  Scotia,  and  there  the  youth 
of  our  subject  was  passed.  He  received  a 
fair  education  in  the  public  schools,  and  in 
"1856  he  determined  to  go  to  the  west  and 
make  his  fortune.  For  two  years  he  resided 
in  Kansas,  and.  as  he  had  previously  learned 
the  l)lacksmitli's  trade,  he  found  i)lenty  of 
employment.  For  nearly  two  years  he  served 
as  a  member  of  the  state  troops,  for  in  those 


390 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


days  and  in  that  locality  Kansas  was  the 
scene  of  fierce  factions,  for  and  against 
slavery  and  state's  rights. 

In  1858  Air.  Bruce  went  to  California 
by  the  long  overland  route  and  spent  about 
a  twelvemonth  on  that  coast.  He  engaged 
in  mining  operations  to  some  extent,  but 
found  that  his  trade  was  more  certain  of 
good  recompense,  and  for  a  period  he  was 
employed  by  the  Overland  Stage  Company 
in  shoeing  mules  and  horses.  In  the  fall 
of  1861  he  returned  by  stage  through  Ari- 
zona and  Texas,  and  then  came  to  Li\-ings- 
ton  county.  Here  he.  bought  two  liundred 
and  forty  acres  of  unimproved  land,  and  at 
once  commenced  the  great  task  of  placing 
it  under  cultivation.  For  several  years  he 
conducted  a  blacksmith  shop  in  connection 
with  his  farming,  and  is  was  not  until  1864 
that  he  came  to  dwell  upon  his  land  in  Amity 
township.  Within  a  few  years  he  had  cleared 
away  the  timber  and  brushwood  with  which 
the  land  was  encumbered,  and  later  he 
further  impnn-ed  parts  of  the  pro])ertv  h\ 
laying  tile  where  needed,  planting  an  orchard 
and  building  fences,  enlarging  and  remodel- 
ing the  house  which  he  had  originally  con- 
structed, putting  up  barns  and  granaries. 
By  his  well-directed  energy  he  has  made  a 
competence  and  the  reputation  of  being  one 
of  the  most  thorough,  practical  farmers  and 
keen  financiers  of  this  region. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Bruce  and  Sarah 
Edwards  took  place  in  this  county  September 
6,  1863.  She  was  born  and  reared  in  this 
part  of  Illinois  and  spent  her  entire  life  here. 
She  was  called  to  the  home  beyond  Septem- 
ber 14,  1875,  and  left  two  children,  namely: 
Nettie,  wife  of  Lewis  Ryerson,  of  Rooks 
Creek  township,  Livingston  county,  and 
Mary,  wife  of  Andrew  Wiggins,  of  Iowa. 
Mr.  Bruce  wedded  Mary  Horrie,  September 


3.  1876.  She  is  a  native  of  New  York 
state,  and  is  of  Eng^lish  descent,  as  her  fa- 
ther, David  Horrie,  was  born  in  Englantl. 
Elizabeth,  the  first-born  child  of  J.  H.  and 
Mary  Bruce,  married  J.  J.  Phillips,  of 
Chenoa.  Illinois.  William  H.,  the  only  son 
i)f  our  subject  and  wife,  is  a  promising 
young  man.  He  assists  in  the  management 
of  the  home  farm  and  is  identified  with  the 
Illinois  state  guards. 

The  first  presidential  ballot  of  J.  H. 
Bruce  was  cast  for  Lincoln.  Of  late  vears 
he  has  been  independent  of  party  and  votes 
for  the  man  or  measure  best  entitled  to  his 
support,  in  his  opinion,  regardless  of  party 
lines.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Odd  Fellows  order,  is  past  grand  of  his  lodge 
and  has  represented  it  in  the  grand  lodge 
of  the  state.  For  a  cjuarter  of  a  century  he 
has  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board, 
and  for  much  of  this  time  he  has  been  clerk 
of  this  district.  With  his  wife  and  daugh- 
ters he  belongs  to  the  Baptist  church,  con- 
tributing liberally  to  its  support. 


JOHN  T.  PHILLIPS. 

John  T.  Phillips,  whose  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  is  pleasantly  located  on 
section  10.  Pike  township,  Livingston  coun- 
ty, six  miles  from  Chenoa,  was  born  in  Taze- 
well county,  Illinois,  September  14,  1837, 
and  is  a  son  of  Alfred  and  Susanna  N. 
(Cullom)  Phillips,  natives  of  North  Caro- 
lina and  Kentucky,  respectively.  The  father 
was  born  in  1794,  and  in  1804  moved  to 
Wayne  county.  Kentucky,  with  his  father, 
Cornelius  Phillips,  who  was  also  a  native 
of  North  Carolina.  In  1830  Alfred  Phillips 
moved  to  Illinois  in  company  with  his 
brothers-in-law,    Richard    N.    Cullom    and 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


391 


William  Brown,  all  bringing  with  them 
their  families  and  settling  in  Tazewell  coun- 
ty, where  Mr.  Phillips  opened  up  a  farm. 
making  it  his  home  until  his  death,  in  1S75. 
His  wife  survived  him,  but  died  the  same 
year,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared 
and  educated  in  the  county  of  his  nativity, 
and  in  early  life  assisted  in  the  operation  of 
the  home  farm.  He  was  married,  in  Taze- 
well county.  February  28.  1861.  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  S.  Monroe,  a  native  of  Scotland 
antl  a  daughter  of  William  Monroe,  who 
brought  his  family  to  this  countrj-  in  1853, 
when  she  was  fourteen  years  of  age,  and 
located  in  Tazewell  county,  Illinois,  where 
she  grew  to  womanhood.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Phillips  have  nine  children  living,  namely : 
Lilly  is  the  wife  oi  John  H.  Sandmeyer.  a 
farmer  of  Pike  township.  They  have  a  fam- 
ily of  eight  children.  Edith.  Eugene,  John, 
Lillian.  Isabel.  Avis.  Elizabeth  and  Vincent. 
Isabel  is  a  well  educated  lady  and  has  been 
engageil  in  teaching  for  some  years.  Will- 
iam A.  married  Sophia  Salzman.  and  they 
have  two  children.  Llewellyn  and  Julia  A. 
He  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Pike  township. 
Edward  A.  is  married  and  is  also  engaged 
in  farming  in  Pike  township.  Lucius  C. 
married  Elizabeth  Crabbe.  and  their  children 
are  Shelby  and  Kenneth.  Their  home  is  in 
Pike  township,  where  he  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. Margaret  is  the  wife  of  C.  A.  Jamison, 
of  Amity  township,  Livingston  county. 
They  have  three  children,  Estella,  Harold 
and  Ross.  Morris  M.  marrietl  Xellie  Blake 
and  they  have  one  child.  Mildred.  He  is 
also  engaged  in  farming  in  Pike  township, 
^laud  and  Ralph  W.  E.  are  at  home.  Those 
deceased  were  Xora.  who  died  at  the  age  of 
three  years,  and  Jane  T.,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy. 


After  his  marriage  Mr.  Phillips  engaged 
in  farming  upon  rented  land  in  Tazewell 
county  until  1870.  when  he  came  to  Livings- 
ton county  and  purchased  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Pike  township, 
which  place  he  sold  in  1875.  and  now  owns 
the  farm  where  he  now  resides.  He  is  a 
thorough  and  skillful  farmer,  and  the  neat 
thrifty  appearance  of  the  place  plainly  in- 
dicates his  careful  supervision.  Since  cast- 
ing his  first  presidential  vote  for  Abraham 
Lincoln  in  i860,  he  has  given  his  unqualified 
support  to  the  Republican  party  and  its 
principles,  and  has  taken  an  active  and  prom- 
inent part  in  local  politics,  serving  as  a  dele- 
gate to  nearly  all  the  county,  state,  con- 
gressional and  senatorial  conventions  of  his 
party.  He  filled  the  office  of  assessor  of 
Pike  township  twenty  years,  and  has  been 
a  trustee  of  the  township  for  a  number  of 
years.  Whatever  position  he  has  been  called 
Upon  to  fill,  its  duties  he  has  always  most 
capably  and  satisfactordy  performed,  and 
he  is  numbered  among  the  useful  and  valued 
citizens  of  his  community.  His  estimable 
wife  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


STEPHEN  H.  PATTERSON. 

Stephen  H.  Patterson,  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  Livings- 
ton county,  is  ranked  among  our  representa- 
tive citizens.  He  is  an  honored  veteran  of 
the  Civil  war  and  is  deservedly  popular 
among  his  old  comrades.  At  present  he  is 
serving  as  commander  of  the  Grand  Anuy 
Post  at  Cornell,  and  discharges  his  import- 
ant duties  in  a  highly  commendable  and 
efficient  manner. 

Several   generations   of   the   Pattersons 


392 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


dwelt  in  Pennsylvania,  and  die  maternal  an- 
cestors of  our  subject — the  Helms — also 
Avere  numbered  among  the  pioneers  of  the 
Keystone  state.  A  son  of  Samuel  and 
grandson  of  William  Patterson,  natives  oi 
Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  Stephen 
H.  was  born  January  26,  1840.  His  birth- 
place, as  well  as  that  of  his  mother,  Mrs. 
Eliza  (Helm)  Patterson,  also  was  in  the 
county  mentioned,  and  there  the  lad  grew 
to  manhood.  His  maternal  grandfather, 
William  Helm,  was  of  German  extraction. 

In  1852  the  Patterson  family  removed 
to  Illinois,  the  father.  Samuel  Patterson, 
buying  a  farm  in  La  Salle  county.  Later, 
he  sold  that  place  and  came  to  Livingston 
county,  locating  on  the  (piarter-section  of 
land  in  Amity  township,  now  owned  by  our 
subject.  He  had  lost  his  first  wife  in  1852, 
and  is  survived  by  the  lady  who  afterwards 
bore  his  name.  He  was  called  to  the  slient 
land  in  1879  and  four  sons  were  left  to 
mourn  his  loss.  One  son,  Charles,  had  of- 
fered his  life  upon  the  altar  of  his  country, 
his  death  having  occurred  while  he  was  in 
the  Union  army,  at  St.  Louis,  in  1863.  An- 
other son,  John,  who  was  married  and  re- 
sided in  La  Salle  and  Livingston  counties, 
died  a  few  years  ago.  William  and  Sam- 
uel are  agriculturists  of  La  Salle  county. 

Stephen  H.  Patterson  early  learned  the 
lessons  essential  to  the  successful  farmer, 
and,  under  his  father's  wise  instructions,  he 
laid  the  foundation  for  a  prosperous  career. 
When  he  was  in  his  nineteenth  year  he 
started  out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the 
world,  and,  carefully  husbanding  his  small 
earnings,  he  finally  had  sufficient  funds  to 
embark  in  business  on  his  own  account.  Lo- 
cating near  Streator  he  rented  a  farm  for  fi\e 
years,  after  which  he  bought  out  the  inter- 
ests of  the  other  heirs  of  his  father's  home- 


stead and  returned  to  the  place  so  dear  to 
him,  by  old  associations.  To  the  original 
tract  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  he 
subsequently  added  forty  acres.  Industrious- 
Iv  setting  about  the  task  of  improving  the 
farm  he  soon  had  everything  in  fine  running 
order,  and  liy  judicious  expenditure  greatly 
increased  the  value  and  productiveness  of 
the  place.  He  keeps  a  good  grade  of  cattle 
and  hogs  and  has  been  successful  in"  stock 
raising. 

On  Christmas  day,  1871,  2\Ir.  Patterson 
wedded  Cynthia  Hathaway,  in  La  Salle 
county.  She  is  a  native  of  Washington 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Smieon  Hathaway,  who  removed  to  La 
Salle  county,  Illinois,  more  than  thirty  years 
ago.  Three  children  bless  the  union  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Patterson.  Charles,  the  eldest,  is 
an  enterprising  young  man,  now  engaged 
iii  assisting  to  carry  on  the  home  farm.  Guy 
and  Emma,  twins,  are  yet  under  the  shelter 
of  the  home  roof-tree.  A  little  girl,  Ida 
^lav  C.  Patterson,  also  is  numbered  among 
the  members  of  this  happy  household. 

On  the  nth  of  August,  1862,  Mr.  Pat- 
terson enlistetl  in  Company  B,  One  Hundred 
and  Fourth  Illinois  Infantry.  His  regiment 
was  assigned  ti>  the  .\rmy  of  the  Tennessee, 
and  with  Jiis  comrades  our  su1)ject  took  part 
in  manv  of  the  important  campaigns  of  the 
Civil  war.  He  was  actively  engaged  in  the 
battles  of  Chattanooga,  Chickamauga,  Mis- 
sionar\-  Ridge,  Lookout  Mountain  and  sub- 
secpiently  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  where 
for  nearlv  five  months  there  was  almost  con- 
stant fighting  along  the  line.  He  aided  in 
the  capture  of  Atlanta,  marched  with  Sher- 
man on  his  famous  march  to  the  sea,  and, 
afterwards  went  to  Washington  and  parti- 
cipated in  the  grand  review,  one  of  the  most 
stirring  events  and  memorable  scenes  of  this 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


393 


republic.  He  was  honorably  discharged 
from  the  service  in  Chicago.  June  17,  1865. 
when  the  terrible  cmtlict  had  come  to  a 
close. 

His  first  presidential  ballot  was  cast  tor 
General  U.  S.  Grant,  and  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  times  when  he  supported  Prohibi- 
tion nominees,  he  has  given  his  allegiance 
tj  the  Republican  party,  as  in  this.  ali>ne. 
he  sees  the  best  policy  for  the  country.  For 
tliree  years  he  served  as  commissioner  of 
highways  and  for  several  years  he  has  otih- 
ciatcd  as  a  member  of  the  school  boartl  and 
as  clerk  of  the  same.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Protestant 
church.  He  is  one  nf  the  trustees  i>f  the 
congregatiiin  and  has  been  a  very  acti\e 
and  valued  worker  in  the  Snndav  school. 


HKXRV  .\.  S.XF.MISCH. 

Henry  A.  Saeniisch,  a  representative 
farmer  of  Livingston  county,  residing  on 
section  2,  Long  Point  township,  is  a  native 
of  Germany,  born  in  Prussia,  October  13, 
1844.  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Julia 
(Rice)  Saeniisch,  natives  of  the  same  pro- 
vince. In  that  country  the  father  followed 
the  cooper's  trade  until  1852,  when  with  his 
family  he  emigrated  to  the  new  world. 
After  about  a  year  spent  in  La  Salle  county, 
Illinois,  he  came  to  Livingston  county  and 
located  in  Long  Point  township,  where  he 
worked  at  his  trade  for  some  time,  hauling 
the  product  to  L'tica.  In  this  way  he  se- 
cured a  start  in  life  and  was  at  length  able 
to  purchase  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land,  although  he  had  no  capital  on  com- 
ing to  the  countv.     His  success  was  due  en- 


tirely to  his  industry,  perseverance  and  good 
management.  He  died  in  1883.  at  alxnit 
the  age  of  eighty-fi\'e  years,  but  his  wife, 
who  was  born  in  1816.  still  survives  him. 
She  is  still  living  in  Long  Point  townshi]). 
Both  were  members  of  the  Cierman  Lutheran 
church,  and  in  ])i)litics  the  father  was  a 
Democrat.  Of  the  ten  children  born  to 
them  the  following  are  still  li\ing:  Louisa, 
wife  of  Jacob  Schoenleber,  of  Ransom,  La 
Salle  county ;  Fritz,  a  farmer  of  Cass  coun- 
to.  Iowa:  Henry  A.,  our  subject:  Mary, 
wife  of  Charles  Kaiser.  Pottawattomie  coun- 
t}',  Iowa:  Robert  J.,  a  resident  nf  Long 
Point  ttnvnship,  Livingston  county;  Julia, 
widow  of  Theodore  Girard  and  a  rcside;it 
of  the  same  township,  and  Andrew,  also  of 
Long  Point  township.  Julia  and  .\ndrew 
were  born  in  Illinois,  the  others  in  i'russia, 
Germany. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  (|u!tc 
small  on  the  emigration  of  the  family  to 
America,  and  his  education  was  obtained  in 
the  common  schools  of  Long  Point  town- 
shi]).  He  remained  at  home  until  about 
lhirly-fi\e  \-ears  of  age,  managing  the  farm 
lor  his  father,  and  ac(|uiring  an  e.xcellent 
knowledge  of  all  the  duties  which  fall  to  the 
lot  of  the  agriculturist.  In  iSSi  he  was 
united  in  marriage  witii  Miss  .\inelia 
Stiethman.  who  was  also  burn  in  I'russia. 
in  1855.  '^"'^1  when  about  se\enteen  years 
of  age  came  to  this  country  with  her  sister, 
Augusta,  now  deceased.  They  were  the 
only  members  of  the  family  in  .America. 
Five  children  were  born  to  our  subject  and 
his  wife,  but  two  died  in  early  childhood. 
Those  living  are  Frank  IL.  Luella  and 
Bertha  A.,  all  at  home.  They  attendeil  the 
district  schools,  and  I-rank  was  also  a 
student  at  a  German  school  in  Streator  for 
one  term. 


394 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


After  his  marriage  ]Mr.  Saemisch  lo- 
cated on  the  farm  on  one  liundred  acres  in 
Long  Point  township,  wliich  he  liad  pur- 
chased in  1870.  At  that  time  it  was  all 
wild  prairie  and  swamp  land,  but  he  has 
tiled  and  drained  it,  erected  good  and  sub- 
stantial buildings,  planted  an  orchard  and 
otherwise  improved  the  place,  so  that  it  is 
now  ijne  of  the  nuist  ilesirable  farms  of  its 
size  in  the  township.  He  carries  on  general 
farming  and  has  met  with  good  success. 

Religiously  Mr.  Saemisch  is  a  member 
of  the  Lutheran  cinnxh,  and,  politically,  is 
independent,  voting  for  the  man  whom  he 
believes  best  qualified  to  fill  the  position 
regardless  of  party  lines.  He  has  served 
as  school  director  in  his  district  for  a  num- 
ber of  terms,  and  has  always  faithfully  dis- 
charged any  duty  devolving  upon  him, 
whether  public  or  private. 


XATHAX  SPRINGER. 

In  tracing  the  history  of  the  Springer 
family,  of  which  the  subject  of  this  review 
is  a  worthy  representative,  it  is  learned  that 
the  founder  of  the  branch  in  the  United 
States  was  one  Christopher  Springer,  who 
was  a  native  of  Germany.  He  had  resided 
in  Sweden  jJrevious  to  his  coming  to  these 
hospitable  shores,  and  there  had  occupied 
a  responsible  position.  When  a  little  colony 
of  Swedish  people  decided  to  come  to  this 
country  he  joined  their  ranks,  and  with 
them  located  on  lands  near  Wilmington, 
Delaware,  and  from  that  point  his  descend- 
ants have  emigrated  to  all  sections  of  this 
continent. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
Uriah  Springer,  was  born  .and  reared  in 
Virginia,  and  at  an  early  day  removed  to 


the  wilds  of  Brown  count3\  Ohio.  His  son, 
Nathan  Springer,  Sr.,  was  born  on  the  old 
h.omestead.  wliich  had  been  cleared  in  the 
forest.  When  he  arrived  at  maturity  he 
chose  Lydia  Lucas  as  a  wife,  and  about  1832 
they  removed  to  \'ermilion  county,  Illinois, 
accompanied  by  their  respective  parents  and 
families.  Mrs.  Springer  was  a  native  of 
Brown  county,  Ohio,  and  was  a  daughter 
of  John  Lucas.  After  tilling  the  soil  in 
Vermilion  county  for  a  score  of  years,  Na- 
than Springer,  Sr.,  came  to  Livingston 
county,  where  his  father  had  taken  up  a 
large  tract  of  land  and  had  become  wealthy 
and  influential.  He  had  served  in  various 
local  positions  and  was  looked  up  to  with 
respect  by  all  who  knew  him.  When  the 
death  summons  came  to  him  he  was  placed 
to  rest  in  Short  Point  cemetery,  which  he 
liad  laid  out  on  his  own  land,  in  Amity 
township.  From  1853  to  1872,  the  year  of 
his  death,  Nathan  Springer,  Sr.,  was  active- 
ly and  successfully  engaged  in  farming  in 
Long  Point  township.  He  had  located  on 
a  quarter-section  of  prairie  land,  and  dili- 
geutly  improved  the  place,  building  a  sub- 
stantial house  and  barn.  His  devoted  wife 
sur\'ived  him  nineteen  years  and  for  much 
of  this  period  she  was  a  member  of  her  son, 
Nathan's  household.  The  father  attained 
the  age  of  three-score  and  ten,  while  the 
mother  was  in  her  eighty-fifth  year  when 
she  was  called  to  her  reward.  Both  are 
sleeping  their  last  sleep  in  Earp  cemetery,  in 
Amit}'  township. 

The  birth  of  Nathan  Springer,  Jr.,  took 
place  in  Vermilion  county,  Illinois,  June  9, 
1845,  'ii'^i  liis  boyhood  was  spent  in  the  usual 
pursuits  of  country  lads.  He  learned  to  love 
his  native  land  with  the  devotion  of  a  true 
patriot,  and  when  her  stability  was  threat- 
ened, he  eagerly  responded  to  the  call  of  the 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


395 


jiresident  fur  luyal  srnis.  ready  to  lay  their 
li\es  down  for  their  principles.  He  was  only 
seventeen  years  old  when  he  enlisted  in  the 
One  Hundred  anil  Twenty-ninth  Illinois 
Vohinteer  Infantry,  in  1862,  and  he  faith- 
fully served  in  the  ranks  of  Company  C  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  his  honorable  discharge 
from  the  army  occurring  June  19,  1865. 
He  participated  in  some  of  the  most  import- 
ant campaigns  of  the  great  war,  at  first  being 
assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland. 
Among  the  numerous  battles  in  which  he 
took  part,  Buzzards'  Roost,  Resaca,  Dallas, 
Kennesaw  Mountain,  Peach  Tree  Creek  and 
Bentonville  may  be  mentioned.  His  last 
service  was  untler  the  leadership  of  Sher- 
man in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  where 
battles  and  skirmishes  were  of  almost  daily 
occurrence.  The  last  serious  conflict  in 
which  he  was  engaged  was  that  of  Benton- 
ville, North  Carolina,  and  after  marching 
from  Richmond  to  Washington,  he  was  one 
ci  the  blue-coated  veterans  who  were  in  the 
Grand  Review.  During  his  long  and  ardu- 
ous service,  the  young  man  was  slightly 
wounded  three  times  and  three  or  four  times 
was  in  the  hospital  for  short  periods. 

For  two  or  more  3'ears  subsequent  to  his 
return  home,  j\lr.  Springer  aided  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  parental  farm.  After  his 
marriage,  in  1867,  he  rented  a  farm  and  a 
few  years  later  purchased  a  tract  of  wild 
land  in  Long  Point  township.  When  he 
had  materially  improved  the  property  he  sold 
it  and  removed  to  Allen  county,  Kansas. 
For  about  one  year  he  engaged  in  farming 
there  and  then,  in  1884,  returned  to  Illinois 
and  rented  land  for  another  year.  About 
fifteen  years  ago  he  located  upon  his  pres- 
ent homestead  in  section  19,  Amity  town- 
ship, and  at  once  instituted  a  series  of 
changes  in  its  management.     He  has  built 


a  comfortable  house  and  barns,  and  by  tiling 
and  fencing  has  materially  increased  the 
\  alue  of  the  farni. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Springer  and  Mary 
Catherine  Carpenter  took  place  September 
12,  i8C)~.  Mrs.  Si)ringer  is  a  'native  of 
Ohio  antl  since  1854  has  been  a  resident  of 
Illinois,  as  in  the  year  mentionetl  her  father, 
Robert  Carpenter,  became  a  pioneer  of  Liv- 
ingston county.  Robert  I\I.,  the  eldest  child 
of  our  sul)ject  and  his  wife,  is  married  and 
is  a  successful  farmer  of  this  county.  Dur- 
ing the  Spanish-American  war  he  enlisted 
and  was  sent  to  Porto  Rico  for  a  period. 
Charles  Walter  is  married  and  is  numbered 
among  the  farmers  of  this  township.  Na- 
than, Martha  anil  Francis  are  at  home. 
-Monza,  who  is  the  head  of  the  h<.)usehold 
in  this  township,  is  engaged  in  tilling  the 
soil.  Otto  C,  a  promising  young  man  in 
his  nineteenth  year,  was  accidentally  killed, 
^larch  12,  1898.  Sarah  Elizabeth  died  at 
the  age  of  four  years. 

For  two  years  Mr.  Springer  otificiated 
as  assessor,  and  after  serving  for  two  terms 
— some  five  years — as  highway  commis- 
sioner, he  resigned,  in  order  to  give  his 
whole  attention  to  his  business  affairs.  A 
lirm  friend  to  education,  he  acted  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  for  a  score  of  years 
or  more,  and  also  was  clerk  of  the  district. 
Fraternally,  he  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, and,  politically,  he  is  a  Democrat. 
He  enjoys  the  esteem  of  all  of  his  neighbors 
and  associates,  as  he  justly  deserves,  for  his 
course  of  life  has  been  upright  and  honnrable. 


HENRY  BELDEN  WATSON. 
Henry  Belden  Watson,  a  thrifty  and  en- 
terprising farmer  residing    on    section    15, 
Forrest  township,   Livingston   countv,    Illi- 


396 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


nois,  was  born  in  Litchfield  county,  Con- 
necticut, February  5,  1837,  a  son  of  George 
and  Jane  (Belden)  Watsoji.  On  the  ma- 
ternal side  he  is  of  the  tenth  generation  in 
direct  descent  from  Richard  Belden,  a  na- 
tive of  England,  who  settled  in  Wethers- 
field,  Connecticut,  in  1640,  and  died  in  1655. 
His  son,  John  Belden,  was  born  in  England, 
in  1633,  was  married,  April  24,  1657,  and 
died  in  1677,  in  Wethersfield,  Connecticut, 
lea\ing  se\en  children.  One  of  these,  Jona- 
than Belden,  was  born  in  Wethersfield,  Jan- 
uary' 21,  1660,  was  married,  October  10, 
1685,  to  Mary  ^Vrig•ht,  and  died  July  6, 
1734.  Of  their  five  children,  Silas  was  born 
in  Wethersfield,  July  2},,  1691,  was  married, 
NoAcmber  30,  1716,  to  Abigail  Rubens,  and 
died  in  1742,  leaving  seven  children.  His 
son,  Silas  Belden,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Wethers- 
field, November  30,  171 7,  and  moved  to 
Caanan,  Connecticut,  where  he  died  in  1773. 
Jonathan  Belden,  son  of  Silas,  Jr.,  was  born 
in  1738,  and  married  his  second  cousin, 
Sarah  Belden,  who  was  born  in  1744,  and 
died  October  26,  1777,  while  he  died  Jan- 
uary 9,  1774.  Their  son,  Jonathan  Belden, 
Jr.,  was  born  June  17,  1773,  and  married 
Love  Dean,  who  was  born  October  10,  1783, 
and  died  September  8,  1832,  while  he  died 
September  24,  1831.  They  lived  near 
Falls  Village,  Connecticut,  and  were  the 
maternal  grandparents  of  our  subject. 

The  paternal  grandfather,  Thomas  Wat- 
son, was  born  in  New  Hartford,  Connecti- 
cut, October  15,  1763,  and  throughout  life 
followed  farming.  On  the  ist  of  January, 
1797,  he  married  Millicent  Wetmore,  who 
was  born  January  10,  1772,  a  daughter  of 
Joel  and  Sarah  (Yyman)  Wetmore.  The 
grandfather  was  a  member  of  Colonel  Zebu- 
Ion  Butler's  regiment  in  the  Continental 
armv   during   the   Revolutionarv   \\ar,    and 


for  his  service  he  was  receix'ing  a  pension  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  Jan- 
uary 23,  1850,  on  the  old  homestead  farm  in 
the  same  house  where  our  subject  was  born. 
He  was  a  man  of  independent  mind  and  con- 
servative in  his  views,  was  a  Henry  Clay 
Whig,  and  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church.  Industrious  and  frugal  in  his  habits, 
he  became  a  successful  farmer  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  left  an  estate  which  in- 
ventoried, free  from  incumbrance,  fifteen 
thousand  (Mie  hundred  and  fifty-eight  dol- 
lars. George  Watson,  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  New  Hartford,  Connecti- 
cut, March  12,  181 2,  and  followed  the  occu- 
pation of  farming  in  that  state  until  1843, 
when  he  and  his  family  came  to  Illinois,  lo- 
cating in  Warren  count}-,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  go\ernment  lantl  at  one 
dollar  and  a  quarter  per  acre.  This  he 
broke  and  improved,  making  it  his  home 
throughout  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
died  at  Roseville,  Illinois,  November  26, 
1886.  He  was  an  extensive  farmer  and 
stock  raiser  and  a  prosperous  and  success- 
ful business  man.  In  New  Hartford,  Con- 
necticut, he  \vas  married,  September  10, 
1833,  to  Jane  Belden,  who  was  born  at  Falls 
Village,  that  state,  March  4,  181 1,  and  died, 
April  22,  1867. 

There  were  three  children  by  this  union, 
of  whom  our  subject  is  the  eldest.  (2) 
Emma  V.,  the  second,  is  the  wife  of  Charles 
Hotchkiss,  a  farmer  of  Cheshire,  Connecti- 
cut, and  they  had  three  children :  Minnie, 
born  January  2,  1869;  Clarence  H.,  who 
w-as  born  September  24,  1870,  and  died  May 
24.  1877,  and  Harriet  T.,  born  January  27, 
'^''^77'-  (3)  Irene  Jane,  born  November  3, 
1840,  is  the  wife  of  Harry  Wooding,  also 
a  farmer  of  Cheshire,  Connecticut,  and  they 
have  two  children :  Ida  Estella,  born  Sep- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


397 


temher  8.  1868,  married  Benjainin  Hatheld, 
July  12.  1S90,  resides  in  Xew  Haven.  Con- 
necticut ;  and  Waldo,  born  February  23, 
1874.  unmarried,  resides  in  Chesliire  witli 
his  parents. 

In  1844,  at  the  age  of  seven  years.  Hemy 
E.  Watson,  of  this  review,  was  l)rouglit  to 
Warren  county.  llHnois.  by  his  uncle.  Roman 
Watson,  where  he  lived  until  he  attained  his 
majority,  herding  sheep  on  the  prairie  about 
eight  years  and  later  doing  other  farm  work. 
He  then  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  ac- 
cttunt  until  after  the  Civil  war  broke  out, 
when  he  enlisted  at  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin, 
November  3,  1863,  in  Company  A,  First 
Wisconsin  Artillery.  He  was  promoted  to 
second  lieutenant  in  the  Eleventh  United 
States  Artillery,  February  2,  1865,  and  hon- 
orably discharged  at  Providence,  Rhode  Is- 
land, October  25,  1865.  The  hardest  fought 
battle  in  which  he  took  part  was  that  of  Fort 
Stevens,  near  Washington,  July  11,  and  12, 
1864,  and  it  was  here  that  he  received  his 
promotion  and  commission  of  second  lieuten- 
ant. After  his  discharge  he  returned  to 
Illinois,  and  bought  eighty  acres  of  his  pres- 
ent farm  in  Forrest  township,  Livingston 
county,  for  which  he  paid  fifteen  dollars  per 
acre.  In  1S82  he  purchased  another  eighty 
acres,  paying  for  the  same  forty-five  dollars 
per  acre,  and  now  has  a  fine  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  which  is  well  tiled  and 
under  excellent  cultivation.  His  home  is 
one  of  the  best  in  the  township. 

Mr.  Watson  was  married,  November  1 1 , 
1868,  at  Forrest,  to  Miss  Emma  J.  Francis, 
who  was  born  August  15.  1850.  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Margaret  (Ross)  Francis. 
They  have  three  children,  of  whom  Flora 
Adelaide,  born  January  16,  1870.  is  the 
oldest.  Thomas  F.,  born  September  i.  1871. 
is  engaged  in  farming  on  section  19.  Char- 


lotte township.  He  married  .Mice  Owen, 
and  they  have  three  daughters  :  Mary,  Bessie 
and  Florence.  George  Edward,  born  Jan- 
uary 21.  1885.  is  attending  school  and  assists 
his  father  on  the  farm. 

Religiously  Mr.  Watson  is  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  church,  and.  socially,  is 
a  nieniljer  of  I'orrest  Post.  Xo.  114.  G.  A. 
R.,  of  which  he  has  been  commander  sev- 
eral times.  He  always  affiliates  with  the 
Republican  party,  but  has  never  sought  of- 
fice. He  is  entirely  a  self-made  man.  who 
by  hard  work,  perseverance  and  good  man- 
jigement  has  become  quite  well-to-do  and 
highly  respected. 


THOMAS   WllALEX. 

Thomas  \\  lialen.  wiin  is  wel  and  favora- 
bly known  in  Roks  Creek  tt)wnship.  Liv- 
ingston county,  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  his 
birth  having  occurred  February  8,  1845. 
He  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Mary  (  Doran) 
Whalen,  of  counties  Wexford  and  Carlo, 
respectively.  The  father,  who  was  born  in 
1787,  departed  this  life  when  in  his  sixty- 
si.xth  year,  and  the  mother  lived  until  Feb- 
ruary,   1 886. 

Thomas  Whalen  was  al)out  four  years 
of  age  when  he  accompanied  the  parental 
family  to  the  L'nitetl  States.  Sailing  from 
the  Emerald  Isle  to  Xew  Orleans  and  thence 
proceeding  up  the  Mississippi  and  Illinois 
rivers  to  Ottawa,  Illinois,  they  located  on 
a  farm  on  the  17th  of  March,  1849.  Some- 
three  years  sul)sequently  the  father  was  sum- 
moned to  the  silent  land,  and  to  the  mother 
fell  the  task  of  rearing  their  six  sons  and 
four  daughters,  and  of  tho  number  only  one 
is  decea.sed  at  the  time  of  this  writing. 


398 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


In  1856  Thomas  Whalen,  his  mother 
and  brothers  and  sisters,  came  to  Living- 
ston county,  and  for  forty-four  years  he 
has  been  associated  with  its  upbuilding. 
His  educational  privileges  were  extremely 
meager,  but  by  obser\-ation  and  reading  he 
lias  become  well  informed  on  general  topics 
since  he  reached  manhood.  He  possesses 
the  ready  wit  and  keenness  of  perception  so 
characteristic  of  liis  race.  Ofttimes  he  has 
been  called  upon  to  make  addresses  at  pub- 
lic meetings  and  on  the  Fourth  of  July. 
His  first  address  was  at  Flanagan,  July  4, 
1885.  With  the  exception  of  two  years  he 
has  delivered  addresses  at  different  points 
each  year  since. 

Loyally  did  Thomas  Whalen  aid  his 
mother  in  the  maintenance  of  the  family 
when  he  was  a  young  man,  and  it  was  not 
until  October  22,  1871.  that  he  embarked 
on  an  independent  career,  his  marriage  to 
Miss  Mary  Whosler  being  solemnized  on 
that  date.  A  native  of  La  Salle  county,  Il- 
linois, she  came  to  this  locality  when  six 
years  of  age,  and  after  uniting  her  fortunes 
with  Mr.  Whalen  she  faithfully  shared  his 
joys  and  sorrows  during  the  early  years 
of  his  struggling  for  a  competonce.  She 
was  called  to  her  reward  December  20, 
18S5.  her  youngest  child,  Fannie,  being  Imt 
three  weeks  old.  Ivatie,  the  first  Ijorn,  re- 
ceived an  excellent  education  in  the  puljlic 
schools  at  Morris,  Illinois,  and  in  St.  Alary"s 
College,  South  Bend,  Indiana,  and  is  now 
employed  as  a  teacher  in  that  institution  of 
learning".  Mary,  the  next  child,  is  num- 
be-red  among  the  teachers  of  this  county. 
Fannie  resides  with  her  maternal  grand- 
parents, and  Josejjhine  is  at  Morris,  Illinois, 
in  school.  John  W.,  the  only  son,  now  an 
enterprising  young  man,  is  helping  to  carry 
on  the  old  homestead.     On  the  8th  of  Feb- 


ruary, 1893.  oiu"  suliject  married  ]\Iiss  Kate 
McGreham.  who  was  born  and  reared  to 
womanhood  in  Ireland. 

For  two-score  years  Thomas  Whalen 
has  been  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  in  this 
county.  In  1866  he  purchased  his  farm  on 
section  7,  Rooks  Creek  township,  and  here 
has  made  wonderful  changes  for  the  bet- 
ter. He  planted  fruit  and  shade  trees,  built 
fences,  a  substantial  house  and  barns,  and 
otherwise  improved  the  projierty.  In  1875 
he  bought  forty  acres,  thus  increasing  the 
boundaries  of  his  farm  until  it  comprised 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  in  1892 
he  invested  in  an  additional  eighty  acres. 
Success  has  attended  his  efforts,  as  he  justly 
deserves,  and  sterling  rectitude  of  word  and 
deed  has  won  him  the  high  regard  of  friends 
and  neighbors. 

Politically,  Mr.  ^^'halen  is  independent, 
voting  for  the  nominee  or  measure  which, 
in  his  opinion,  is  best  qualified  to  benefit 
the  county,  permanently.  In  1888  he  was 
ekcted  to  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  by  consecutive  re-elections  has  been  the 
incumbent  of  this  responsible  position  for 
the  past  twelve  years.  He  has  also  served 
on  the  local  school  board,  and  for  some  time 
has  been  the  district  clerk,  as  well.  He  was 
the  first  president  of  the  county  Fanners' 
Alliance  on  its  organization.  With  his 
family,  he  belongs  to  the  Catholic  church  at 
Flanagan. 


FREDERICK  RISS. 

Frederick  Riss,  one  of  the  leading  Ger- 
man-American citizens  of  Livingston  coun- 
ty, and  a  successful  farmer  of  Newton  town- 
ship, was  born  in  Mecklenburg,  Germany, 
February  2,  1851,  and  was  brought  to  this 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


399 


country  in  iS;6  by  liis  parents.  Christian 
and  Helena  (W'ingleman)  Riss,  who  were 
I)(irn  in  the  same  province  as  tlieir  son.  The 
family  first  located  in  La  Salle  county.  Illi- 
nois, which  at  that  time  was  wild  and  unim- 
proved and  but  sparsely  settled,  their  nearest 
neighbors  living  about  ten  miles  away. 
There  the  father  rented  land  for  sevo:i  years 
and  successfully  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing. He  then  came  to  Livingston  county, 
and  i)rosi)ering  in  his  farming  operations 
here  he  became  the  owner  of  two  hundred 
antl  seventy-four  acres  of  valuable  land. 
which  he  divided  among  his  children.  His 
success  was  due  entirely  to  his  own  well- 
directed  labors,  as  he  had  to  borrow  the 
money  with  which  to  cnnio  to  America. 
13 V  trade  he  was  a  mason  and  followed  that 
occupation  in  Germany  and  also  in  this 
country  in  connection  with  farming.  Po- 
litically he  always  affiliated  with  the  Re- 
publican party,  but  took  no  active  part  in 
politics.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Evan- 
gelical church,  a  strong  supporter  of  the 
same,  and  one  of  its  trustees  for  many 
^■ears.  He  died  Xo\-ember  21,  iSgtj.  his 
wife  January  jo,  icSijo,  honored  and  re- 
spected liy  all  who  knew  thoni.  Of  the  six 
children  born  to  them  one  died  in  infancy 
before  the  emigration  of  the  family  to  Amer- 
ica; Charles  is  a  farmer  of  Nebraska; 
Sophia  is  the  widow  of  Ernest  Pappenburg, 
a  farmer  of  Livingston  county,  and  she 
still  reside  on  the  home  place;  Frederick 
is  next  in  the  order  of  birth ;  George  is  en- 
gaged in  the  implement  business  in  Streator, 
Illinois;  and  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Frederick 
W'elge.  who  owns  and  operates  a  ([uarter- 
section  of  land  in  Newton  township. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  only  five 
3'ears  old  when  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  and 
became  a  resident  <_>f  La  Salle  countv.  Illi- 


nois, and  in  the  common  schools  of  this  state 
he  acejuired  his  education.  He  grew  to 
manhood  upon  the  home  farm,  assisting  in 
its  operation  until  twenty-four  ye:u-s  of  age. 
After  his  marriage  he  settled  upon  his  pres- 
ent farm,  which  was  given  him  by  his  father, 
and  to  its  further  imjirovement  and  culti- 
vation he  has  since  doNnted  his  energies. 
In  i8()3  his  residence  was  destroyed  by  fire 
at  a  loss  of  over  one  thousand  dollars,  and 
he  has  since  erectetl  a  nice,  commodious 
house,  supplied  with  modern  improvements. 
He  has  added  to  his  landed  possesions  at 
time,  but  has  since  disi)osed  of  some  of  his 
pro])erty,  and  now  owns  one  hundred  and 
twelve  acres,  which  he  has  tileil  and  placed 
imder  a  high  stale  of  cultivation. 

On  the  25th  of  December.  1874,  Mr. 
Riss  married  Miss  Carrie  Bruner,  who  was 
born  in  La  Salle  county,  June  26,  1854. 
Her  parents,  John  M.  and  Amiie  (Henney) 
Bruner,  were  both  natives  of  Germany,  but 
were  married  after  their  emigration  to  this 
country.  The  mother  is  now  deceasetl,  and 
the  father  makes  his  home  near  Hastings, 
Nebraska,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  Of 
their  thirteen  children  only  two  are  living  in 
Livingston  county,  Jcjhn  and  Mrs.  Ri.ss. 
Our  subject  :uid  his  wife  ha\'e  a  famil_\'  of 
eight  children,  namely:  Edward,  who  is 
(|uite  successfuly  engaged  in  dairy  farming 
in  Norwood  Park,  Illinois,  ami  who  was  a 
member  of  Company  A.  Ihird  Regiment, 
United  States  Army,  and  served  during  the 
Spanish-American  war  both  in  Cuba  and 
the  Pilippines  as  a  musician,  and  is  now 
confined  at  home  with  rheumatism  from  the 
effects  of  his  service;  Levi,  who  is  working 
as  a  farm  hand  in  La  Salle  county;  Albert, 
who  assists  his  father  with  the  farm  work ; 
Mary.  Frank,  Jesse,  Otto  and  Annie,  all  at 
home.     The  children  have  been  given  good 


400 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


common-school  educations  and  Albert  took 
an  elective  course  at  the  Xorthern  Illinois 
Normal  School  at  Dixon. 

In  his  political  affiliations  J\Ir.  Riss  is  a 
Republican,  and  has  held  the  office  of  road 
master  and  school  director  for  several  years. 
He  and  his  family  are  prominent  members 
of  the  Evangelical  church  of  Alissel,  of 
which  he  has  been  trustee  for  a  quarter  of 
a  century  and  superintendent  of  the  Sab- 
bath-school. He  has  always  taken  an  active 
and  influential  part  in  all  church  work,  and 
contributed  liberally  to  its  support. 


EDWIX  R.  LUCUS. 

For  forty-four  years  Edwin  R.  Lucus 
has  been  closely  associated  with  the  de-vel- 
opment  of  Livingston  county,  and  within 
his  recollection  marvelous  changes  for  the 
better  have  been  made  by  the  industrious, 
tlirifty  population.  In  his  boyhood  herds 
of  deer  and  great  varieties  of  wild  game 
roamed  over  these  prairies,  and  to-day  this 
same  territory  supports  a  large  number  of 
happv.  useful  citizens,  who  are  playing  an 
important  part  in  the  economv  of  this  com- 
monwealth. Edwin  R.  Lucus  is  justly  en- 
titled to  an  honored  place  in  the  annals  of 
his  state,  for  he  has  been  a  loyal,  worthy 
citizen,  in  peace  and  war  alike. 

John  B.  Lucus,  grandfather  of  the  above, 
was  born  in  \'irginia,  thence  remoxed  to 
Kentucky  and  later  to  Brown  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  was  one  of  the  early  settlers.  In 
1 8.^;  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Yer- 
milion  county,  Illinois,  where,  also,  he  was 
one  of  the  first  white  settlers.  His  son, 
John  H.,  father  of  Edwin  R.  Lucus.  was 
born   in    Brown   county.   Ohio,   Januarv   4, 


1820.  and  from  his  fourteenth  year  his  life 
has  been  spent  in  Illinois,  with  the  exception 
of  one  year.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  \''er- 
milion  county,  and  there  welded  Sally 
Smith,  a  nati\'e  of  Pennsvlvania,  and  of 
German  descent.  She  died  when  her  son, 
Edwin  R.,  was  an  infant,  and  the  father 
subse(|uently  married  again,  and  is  survived 
by  this  wife.  In  1855  he  went  to  Grundy 
county.  MissoiuM.  but  at  the  end  of  a  year  he 
returned  to  this  state  and  settled  in  Amity 
township.  Livingston  county.  Here  he 
bought  eighty  acres  in  section  ig,  erected  a 
log  cabin,  and  soon  cleared  much  of  the 
land.  Later  he  sold  the  place  and  bought 
another  oi  like  size  in  the  same  section,  and. 
after  developing  the  property,  disposed  of 
it  and  in\-ested  the  proceeds  in  one  hundred 
and  eighteen  acres,  situated  on  the  \'ermil- 
ion  river,  in  Amity  township.  This  home- 
stead, also,  was  improved  by  him  and  sub- 
stantial buildings  erected.  His  home  was 
here  for  many  years,  and  until  his  death, 
December  20.  1898. 

The  birth  of  Edwin  R.  Lucus  occurred 
February  2j.  1844.  in  \'ermilion  ciiunty, 
and  his  youth  was  passed  in  the  quiet 
routine  of  countrv  life.  A  p'reat  crisis, 
however,  in  his  own  life,  as  well  as  in  that 
of  his  country,  was  approaching,  and  as 
soon  as  his  age  entitled  him  to  a  place  in 
the  ranks  of  soldier-heroes,  he  enlisted  in 
the  defense  of  the  Union.  It  was  in  July, 
1862.  that  he  became  a  private  of  Company 
A.  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-ninth  Regi- 
ment of  Illinois  Infantry,  which  was  assigned 
to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  His 
brother,  John  B.,  died  at  Bowling  Green, 
Kentuclcy,  in  the  foIK)wir.g  January,  from 
illn.css  due  to  army  service.  Before  going 
to  the  front  our  subject  received  a  sun- 
stroke at   Kankakee,   IlliiKiis,  and  while  he 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


401 


was  in  the  ser\ice  lie  liad  sieves  with  tlio 
measles  an<l  the  sniall-pox.  lie  was  de- 
tailed as  a  scitut  for  eight  months  wlrle  in 
Tennessee,  and  one  of  the  most  notable 
military  maneiuers  in  which  he  tuok  part 
was  tlie  charge  at  the  tort  near  Resaca, 
Georgia.  Then  followed  the  battles  of  Cass- 
ville,  Bnrnt  Hickory  and  Lost  Mountain, 
and  at  tlio  last  named  place  his  regiment 
was  in  a  charge  and  went  within  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  paces  of  the  masked  bat- 
teries I  if  the  enemy,  at  which  pnim  thoy 
remained  twenty-four  himrs.  luilil  the 
enemy    retreated.       On    the    joth    of   July. 

1864,  he  was  a  participant  in  the  hard- 
fought  battle  of  Peach  Tree  Creek,  where 
thore  were  many  desperate  hand-to-hand 
contests.  During  the  Atlanta  campaign  he 
was  in  innumerable  skirmishes  and  battles, 
being  under  fire  almost  constantly  for  four 
months.  The  battles  of  Averysburg  and 
Bentonvillo  (North  Carolina)  were  the  last 
ones  in  the  southeastern  stales,  and  then 
the  brave  boys  in  blue  were  nmstered  oul. 
The  One  Hundred  and  Twonty-ninth  was 
honorably  discharged  in  Chicago.  June   18. 

1865.  after  having  marched  to  Washington 
and  participated  in  the  grand  re\iew. 

For  four  or  five  years  afterward  .Mr. 
Lucus  industriously  worked  at  agricultural 
pursuits,  and  subsequent  to  his  marriage,  in 
1870.  he  commenced  keeping  house  in  .1 
small  cabin,  ^■ear  by  year  he  accumula- 
ted more  of  this  world's  goods  and  bv  care- 
ful investments  and  improvements  trebled  or 
quadrupled  the  value  of  his  farm.  The  place, 
comprising  eighty  acres,  is  located  in  section 
19,  Amity  township. and  a  comfortable  house, 
commodious  barns  and  well-ke]jt  fences 
speak  well  for  the  enterprise  of  the  i)ro- 
prietor. 

In  all   h\<  life  w^rk   f^r  the  past  thirty 


years.  Mr.  Lucus  has  foun^l  a  true  helpmeet 
in  his  wife,  furmerly  Martha  .\.  Cnnwell. 
She  was  liorn  in  Licking  county.  Ohio,  a 
daughter  of  John  H.  Conwell,  who  died  in 
that  state.  The  mother  later  married  Elijah 
Dean,  and  tho  family  removed  to  McLean 
county.  Illinois,  at  an  early  day.  The  mar- 
riage of  our  subject  and  wife  occurred  in 
Waldo  township,  Livingston  countv.  April 
10,  1870.  Their  olde.st  child,  Anna  .\..  is 
the  wife  of  T.  X.  Bennington,  of  this  coun- 
ty. \'iota  married  William  r)ennett.  of 
Long  Point.  Illinois.  \'iola  J.  is  the  wife 
of  Warren  Winter,  and  Lillie  L.  wedded  A. 
G.  Wider,  of  this  county.  Edwin  Harper 
and  Jesse  Ross  are  at  home,  assisting  in  the 
work  of  the  farm,  and  Millie  L.  completes 
the  family  circle.  Three  children  are  de- 
ceased. 

Though  he  was  reared  in  the  Demo- 
cratic faith,  Mr.  Lucus.  after  making  a 
thorough  stud)-  of  the  party  principles,  cast 
in  his  lot  -with  the  Republicans,  and  is  one 
of  its  stanchest  adherents.  He  has  acted  as 
a  commissioner  of  highways  for  six  years 
and  for  three  years  served  on  the  local  school 
btjard,  but  has  never  been  desirous  of  office. 
Fraternally  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Grand 
.\nny  of  the  Reiniblic.  and  his  wife  is  an 
honored  memlier  of  the  Woman's  Relief 
Corps. 


RICHARD  M.   HOLT. 

Richard  M.  Hnlt.  an  honored  veteran  of 
the  civil  war  and  one  of  the  representative 
farmers  of  Livingston  county,  residing  on 
section  6,  Walilo  township,  was  born  in 
Peoria.  Illinois,,  June  27,  1843.  and  is  a  son 
of  James  W.  and  Ellen  (Ingham)  Holt, 
nati\es  ui  Lancastershire,   England.     Thev 


402 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


emigrated  to  America  and  settled  in  Illimiis, 
in  1840,  spending  the-  remainder  of  their 
li\'es  as  farming  people  in  Peoria  county, 
where  the  father  died  in  1895,  the  mother  in 
1894.  They  liad  a  family  of  seven  children, 
namely :  Thomas,  a  resident  of  Peoria 
county;  Richard  AI.,  our  suhject;  Eliza,  wife 
of  Henry  Morris,  of  Peoria  count}- ;  INlartha, 
wife-  of  James  ]\Iorris.  of  Peoria;  Elizaheth. 
wife  of  John  Yetter,  of  Peoria;  and  John 
and  Frederick,  hoth  residents  (.)f  the  same 
place. 

Reared  on  a  farm  in  his  native  county, 
Richard  M.  Holt  attended  the  pulilic  schools 
of  the  neighborhood  and  early  acquired  an 
excellent  knowledge  of  agricultural  pursuits. 
On  starting  out  in  life  for  himself  he  com- 
menced farming  in  Peoria  county,  where  he 
was  living  when  the  civil  war  broke  out. 
On  th&  8th  of  August.  1862,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  K,  Seventy-seventh  Illinois  \'ol- 
unteer  Infantry,  his  company  being  organ- 
ized in  Rosefield  township,  Peoria  county. 
They  were  first  sent  to  Cincinnati,  and  from 
there  weat  to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  where 
they  were  assigned  to  the  Thirteenth  .\rmy 
Corps.  They  were  in  a  number  of  skir- 
mishes up  the  Yazoo  river,  antl  took  part  in 
the  battle  of  Arkansas  Post.  They  went 
into  camp  at  Young's  Point,  Louisiana,  and 
later  took  part  in  the  seige  of  Vicksburg, 
being  placed  in  the  rear  of  the  Confederate 
army  during  that  siege.  The}'  were  in 
the  engagement  at  Yazoo  ri\er  and  in 
the  other  charges  against  Vicksburg.  After 
the  fall  of  that  city  they  were  gi\en  a 
furlough  whicli  they  spent  at  home,  and 
then  rejoinetl  the  ami}-  at  Decrase  Pount, 
Texas,  where  Mr.  Holt  was  discharged  on 
account  of  disabilitv. 

Returning  to  Illinois,  he  remained  at 
home  one  }'car.  and  then  engaged  in  farming 


in  Peoria  county  two  }'ears.  In  the  spring 
of  1867  he  came  to  Livingston  count}-,  and 
settled  on  section  6,  \\'aldo  township,  where 
he  has  since  successfully  oiigaged  in  general 
farming.  On  the  nth  of  January,  1868, 
Mr.  Holt  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Charlotte  ]\Iorris.  a  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Ann  (  Riglev)  Morris,  who  were  natives  of 
England  and  early  settlers  of  Peoria  county. 
By  this  union  have  been  born  the  following 
children:  Mattie,  wife  of  John  Roth  of 
\\'oodfor(l  C(.)unty;  Anna,  wife  of  Robert 
Boyd,  of  the  same  county ;  James,  of  Living- 
ston county;  Harvey,  Harry,  Elmer,  Ella 
and  Richard,  all  at  home. 

By  his  ballot  Air.  Holt  supports  the  men 
and  measures  of  the  Republican  party,  and 
for  twelve  years  he  has  acceptably  ser\-ed  as 
school  director  of  his  district.  He  is  one  of 
the  progressive  and  enterprising  farmers  of 
Li\'ingston  county,  and  is  a  man  of  whom 
an}-  community  might  lie  justl}'  proud. 


CHARLES  S.  EARP. 

Charles  S.  Earp  is  a  worthy  representa- 
tive of  a  family  whose  name  has  lieen  closolv 
identified  with  the  history  of  Livingston 
county  since  the  days  of  its  infancy,  some 
seventy  }-ears.  His  valuable  homestead  is 
one  of  the  landmarks  of  Amity  township,  as 
it  has  been  under  steady  cultivation  for  more 
than  half  a  century. 

Here  the  birth  of  Charles  S.  Earp  oc- 
curred July  26,  1849,  and  here,  with  his 
seven  brothers  and  sisters  ho  passed  his 
early  years,  laying  the  foundations  of  health 
and  strength,  upright  principles  and  indus- 
trious hal)its.  Two  of  the  number  and  their 
devoted  parents.  Charles  and  Hest&r  Anna 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


403 


(Molledge)  Harp,  have  lieen  called  to  tlie 
better  land,  and  the  surviving  members  of 
the  family  occupy  ln)nt)ro:l  places  in  the  com- 
munites  where  they  dwell.  The  Earps 
originate'!  in  England,  and  our  subject's  fa- 
ther was  reared  in  the  British  Ise.  When 
he  had  come  to  the  United  States  and  set- 
tled in  Ohio  he  there  made  the  acciuaintanco 
of  his  future  wife,  herself  a  native  of  Eng- 
lantl,  but  from  childhood 'a  resident  of  the 
Buckeye  state. 

About  1830  Charles  Earp.  with  his  wife- 
and  their  two  children,  removed  to  Illinois. 
The  father  took  up  four  hundred  acres  of 
land  in  Amity  township,  and  with  charac- 
teristic energy  set  about  the  great  task  of 
clearing  and  improving  the  place.  In  the 
course  of  time,  the  first  humble  dwelling  and 
barn  were  replaced  by  large,  well  built  struc- 
tures, and  fences,  orchards  and  other  im- 
provements trebled  the  original  value  of  the 
farm.  The  father,  who  was  loved  and  re- 
vered by  his  neighbors  and  associates,  passed 
to  his  reward  in  1873,  and  the  mother,  who 
survived  him  many  years,  at  last  followed 
him  to  the  silent  land. 

During  his  entire  life,  fifty-one  years, 
Charles  S.  Earp,  of  this  sketch,  has  resided 
upon  the  homestead  which  he  still  cultivates 
and  manages.  His  educational  advantages 
were  limited,  as  the  little  district  schools  of 
his  boyhood  in  this  locality  were  few  and 
poorly  conducted,  bearing  small  resemblance 
to  those  of  the  present  day.  He  remained 
with  his  father  until  the  death  of  that  sterling 
pioneer,  and  subsec|uently  the  young  man 
purchased  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs 
and  succeeded  in  the  ownership  of  the  old 
home.  It  comprises  a  quarter  of  section  29. 
and  is  considered  one  of  the  most  desirable 
pieces  of  farm  property  in  this  regi(jn.  Mr. 
Earp  has  drained   some  of   the   low   lands 


with  ditches  and  tiling,  and  hv  otlier  e.Kpe- 
dients  has  iricreased  the  tillable  acreage. 

Xe\er  having  been  a  politician  in  any 
sense,  Mr.  Ear])  has  resisted  all  propositions 
to  the  effect  that  he  should  officiate  in  pub- 
lic positions,  and  when  he  has  cast  his  ballot 
for  Democratic  principles  and  nominees,  ac- 
rording  to  his  belief,  he  feels  that  he  has  per- 
formed his  whole  duty  as  a  citizen.  Soci- 
ally, he  is  identified  with  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  belonging  to  the  lodge  at 
Cornell,  lie  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  strives  conscien- 
tiously to  meet  all  of  the  obligations  resting 
upi.n  him,  in  all  of  the  relations  of  life. 

About  twenty  years  ago  the  destinies  of 
Mr.  Earp  and  Miss  .Anna  Furgus  were  uni- 
ted by  a  marriage  ceremony,  performed  in 
this  county.  She  was  a  native  of  Shelby 
county,  Ohio,  and  was  reared  to  womanhood 
there,  later  becoming  a  resident  of  Illinois. 
She  was  summonetl  to  her  eternal  rest.  May 
II,  iSy8,  and,  turning  from  her  quiet  grave 
in  the  Earp  family  cemetery,  her  innumera- 
ble friends  and  dear  ones  sorrowfully  re- 
turned to  the  duties  awaiting  them,  feeling 
that  her  place  in  the  communit"  can  never 
be  filled.  Five  children  are  left  to  mourn 
the  loss  of  a  loving,  tender  mother,  namely: 
Elmer,  Cora,  Ernest,  Reuben  and  Clyde. 
They  are  receiving  good  educational  advan- 
tages and  arc  surrounded  with  all  of  the 
comforts  and  privileges  which  their  wise 
father  can  furnish  them,  or  cMiisiders  to  be 
for  their  permanent   benefit. 


WlLl.l.XM   McKIXXEV. 

William  McKinney,  a  i)n)minent  re- 
tired farmer  living  on  section  29.  Reading 
township,   Livingston  c(.iunt\\    Illinois,   was 


404 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


born  September  20,  1833,  near  Lancaster, 
the  county  seat  of  Fairfield  county,  Ohio, 
and  is  a  son  of  Patrick  and  Mary  A.  ( Gil- 
lick  )  McKinnev,  the  former  a  native  of 
Scotland,  the  latter  of  London,  England. 
The  father,  who  was  a  stone  mason  liy  trade, 
came  to  this  country  at  an  early  day  and 
settled  in  Ohio,  where  he  was  employed  as 
superintendent  in  charge  of  the  construction 
of  the  locks  of  the  Ohio  canal.  He  was  an 
expert  at  his  trade  and  the  locks  are  as  good 
to-day  as  when  built.  He  died  suddenly  of 
heart  failure  when  our  subject  was  only 
eight  years  olil,  and  the  mother  died  of  con- 
sumption four  years  later.  Their  children 
were  William,  our  subject ;  Annie,  deceased  ; 
Patrick,  a  retired  business  man  of  Newark, 
Licking  county,  Ohio ;  and  Alary,  who  died 
in  childhood. 

After  the  death  of  his  parents  William 
McKinney  made  his  home  with  Samuel 
Coulter,  a  farmer  of  Licking  county,  Ohio, 
until  he  attained  his  majority.  He  was  only 
aljle  to  attend  scho(jl  about  one  month  dur- 
ing the  winter.  The  school  house  was  a 
primitive  structure  built  of  logs,  with 
puncheon  floor,  slab  benches  and  one  log 
cut  out  to  make  a  window.  The  greater 
part  of  his  education  has  been  acquired  by 
reading  and  observation  since  reaching  man- 
hood. In  the  fall  of  1853,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years,  he  came  to  Illinois  in 
company  with  his  future  father-in-law,  Will- 
iam F.  Hunt,  the  journey,  which  was  made 
by  team,  consuming  three  weeks.  They 
located  near  Bloomington,  where  he  rented 
land  for  six  years. 

Soon  after  reaching  Bloomington  Mr. 
McKinney  was  married,  October  18,  1853, 
to  Miss  Albina  Jane  Hunt,  a  daughter  of 
William  F.  and  [Mary  L.  (Barnes)  Hunt, 
natives  of  \'ermont  and  the  former  oi  Rev- 


olutionary stock,  yiv.  Hunt  was  a  strong 
abolitionist,  and  in  Ohio  kept  a  station  on 
the  famous  underground  railroad,  thus  aid- 
ing many  a  poor  slave  on  his  way  to  Canada 
and  freedom.  To  one  of  his  sons  he  gave 
the  name  of  Lovejoy.  His  children  were 
Albina  Jane,  wife  of  our  subject:  Fidelia, 
wife  of  Seymour  Chambers,  of  Ohio ;  E. 
P.  Lovejoy,  of  Orange  county,  California; 
AVilliam  L.  G.,  who  was  a  member  of  Cush- 
man's  brigade  in  the  Civil  war  and  was 
starved  to  death  in  Libby  prison  at  the  age 
of  seventeen  years ;  Cornelia,  wife  of  George 
Olmstead,  a  wholesale  jeweler  of  Kansas 
City;  Myron  H.,  who  died  in  California; 
Lenora,  widow  of  Egbert  Pratt  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Ohio:  and  Virgil,  state  evangelist 
for  the  Second  Adventist  church,  living  in 
Santa  Cruz,  California.  After  coming  to 
Illinois  the  father  of  this  family  engaged 
in  farming  in  Livingston  county  until  1872, 
when  he  sold  out  to  our  subject  and  moved 
to  Sumner  county,  Kansas,  locating  near 
Wellington,  where  he  died  December  3, 
1875.  ^i*  \y'\ie  survived  him  some  time, 
dying  in  California.  All  the  trees  upon  our 
subject's  farm  were  set  out  by  ]\Ir.  Hunt 
and  his  wife.  On  receiving  the  news  of 
President  Lincoln's  assassination  he  set  out 
a  hard  maple,  to  which  be  gave  the  name  of 
Old  .Abe,  and  wliich  is  now  a  magnificent 
tree. 

To  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  McKinney  were  born 
ten  children,  namely :  Samuel  G.  died  at 
the  age  of  thirty-two  years,  leaving  a  widow 
and  one  child,  both  now  deceased;  Clarence 
I',  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  months; 
Clara  E.  died  at  the  age  of  seven  years; 
Mary  E.  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  months; 
William  Lincoln  also  died  at  the  same  age; 
Annie  L.  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years; 
Nettie  J.,  a  resident  of  Pontiac,  is  the  widow 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


405 


of  Daniel  Muqiliy  and  has  tliree  children. 
Harold.  Zeta  M.  and  Francis:  Jennie  is  the 
wife  of  Dr.  Peri.sho,  a  practicinsj  physician 
of  Ancona.  Illinois;  one  son  died  in  infancy; 
and  Cornelia  .\.  is  a  g^raduate  of  the  I'ontiac 
higli  school  and  is  now  at  hnnie  with  her 
parents. 

.\fter  his  marriage  Mr.  McKinney  rented 
land  in  McLean  county  for  six  years  and 
then  purchased  a  small  tract  fnmi  his  father- 
in-law.  in  Reading;  township,  Livingston 
county,  hut  continued  to  operate  rented 
land  until  1872.  when  he  bought  one  hun- 
dred and  si.xty  acres  of  Mr.  Hunt  and  lo- 
cated thereon,  making  it  his  home  ever  since. 
He  has  successfully  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing, and  besides  his  farm  jjroperty  he  now" 
owns  building  Ints  in  ]\)ntiac.  Strcator  and 
Chicago,  lie  and  his  wife  were  formerly 
members  nf  the  L'nited  Brethren  church, 
and  in  [jolitics  be  is  independent.  Noting 
for  whom  he  considers  the  best  man,  re- 
gardless of  party  lines.  For  twenty  years 
he  most  efHciently  served  as  road  commis- 
sioner in  Reading  township,  and  all  its  iron 
bridges  were  built  under  his  su])er\ision. 
He  was  a  school  director  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  built  the  I'rairie  Creek  school 
house.  In  \H(jt)  he  and  his  wife  traxelcd  all 
through  the  west  and  s])ent  several  months 
in  Californi;i.  They  are  widely  and  favor- 
ably known  and  have  a  host  of  warm 
friends  in  the  community  where  tbev  have 
sc  long  made  their  boiue. 


MVROX   \V.   T.VMDLLXC;. 

Myron  W.  Tambling,  the  present  effi- 
cient supervisor  of  Round  Grove  townshii) 
and   one  of  its   leading  citizens,   was  born 


in  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  January  _'0, 
1850,  and  is  a  son  of  \'illeroy  .\.  and  Har- 
riet S.  (  Morgan)  Tambling,  natives  of  New 
York  and  Connecticut,  respectively.  The 
progenitor  of  the  Morgan  family  in  .\merica 
was  James  Morgan,  who  was  lx)rn  in  Wales 
in  1607,  and  removed  with  his  family  from 
that  country  to  Bristol,  England,  prior  to 
1636.  In  ^larch  of  the  latter  year  he  and 
two  lirothers,  John  and  M'les,  sailed  for 
America  and  landed  in  Boston  during  the 
month  of  April.  John  became  one  of  the 
earliest  colonists  of  X'irginia.  and  Miles  was 
one  of  a  colony  from  Roxbin-y.  Massachu- 
setts, to  found  the  city  of  Springfield,  that 
state.  James  Morgan,  from  whom  our  sub- 
ject is  descended,  located  in  Roxbury,  and 
there  be  was  married,  .\ugust  6,  i(')40.  to 
Margery  Hill.  Their  son.  Captain  John 
Morgan,  married  Rachel  Dymond.  and 
among  their  children  was  William  .Morgan, 
who  wedded  :Mary  .\vcry.  Their  son.  Cap- 
tain William  Morgan,  married  Temperance 
.\very,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  Cap- 
tain .Vvery  ^Morgan,  who  served  as  sergeant 
in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  during  the  Rev- 
olutionary war.  He  married  Lydia  Smith. 
Our  subject"s  maternal  grandparents  were 
William  and  Ora  (  I'ellct )   Morgan. 

\'illerov  .\.  Tamliling.  our  subject's  fa- 
ther, was  born  Feliruary  25,  i8jo,  and  when 
a  young  man  removed  from  New  ^  1  >rk  to 
Chester,  Ohio,  where  he  was  married.  May 
17.  1843,  to  Harriet  Smith  Morgan,  who 
was  born  .April  13,  18 14,  and  died  Septem- 
ber 13,  1856,  leaving  five  chidren,  namely: 
Catherine  E..  now  a  resident  of  Lakewood, 
Chautauqua  county.  New  York:  Mary  L., 
who  fir.st  married  a  Mr.  Kellogg,  and  second 
E.  L.  Kenvon.  of  Ratavia.  and  is  now  de- 
ceased: Ora  .\.,  wife  of  W.  II.  Kyle,  of 
Terre  Haute,  Indiana:  Mvron  W.,  our  sub- 


4o6 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


ject;  and  Robert  S..  a  farmer  of  Buchanan, 
Michigan.  Soon  after  his  marriage  the  fa- 
ther of  these  children  moved  to  La  Salle 
county.  Illinois,  where  he  entered  govern- 
n'.ent  land,  but  soon  disposed  of  it  and  about 
185 1  returned  to  Ohio,  where  his  wife  died. 
He  then  came  back  to  Ottawa,  La  Salle  coun- 
t}',  Illinois,  where  he  remained  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  en- 
listed at  the  first  call  for  troops,  becoming 
a  member  of  the  Eleventh  Illinois  \'olunteer 
Infantry,  under  command  of  Colonel  Wal-, 
lace.  Later  he  re-enlisted  in  Company  C, 
Fifty-third  Regiment  and  participated  in 
the  battles  of  Hatchie's  Run  and  Holly 
Springs,  where  Colonel  Earl  was  killed. 
After  serving  three  years  he  veteranized  and 
was  commissioned  lieutenant  of  the  Thir- 
teenth L'nited  States  Colored  Troops.  After 
the  war  Lieutenant  Tambling  located  in  Ot- 
tawa, where  he  worked  at  the  carpenter's 
trade,  but  for  some  time  he  has  been  living 
at  the  \'eterans  Home  in  Napa  county.  Cali- 
fornia. 

Myron  \\'.  Tambling  was  an  infant  when 
his  parents  returned  to  Ohio,  and  was  only 
six  years  old  when  his  mother  died,  after 
which  he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  father. 
He  was  eleven  years  old  when  his  father 
entered  the  army  and  from  that  time  has 
made  his  own  wa}"  in  the  \\(jrld.  During 
the  school  years,  when  eight,  nine  and  ten 
years  old,  he  attended  school  in  Ottawa. 
When  his  father  went  to  the  front,  in  1861, 
he  went  to  work  on  a  farm,  attending 
school  winters.  In  November.  1870.  lie 
came  to  Dwight  to  accept  a  position  as 
clerk  with  Or. son  Potter,  a  hardware  and 
implement  dealer,  with  whom  he  had 
previously  lived  on  a  farm  in  La  Salle 
county.  After  clerking  for  him  three  years 
he  entered  the  Grand  Prairie  Seminarv  at 


Onarga,  Illinois,  where  he  pursued  a  scien- 
tific course,  with  the  intention  of  teaching. 
He  spent  one  summer  in  the  employ  of  Par- 
sons &  Hetzel,  successors  of  Mr.  Potter, 
traveling  in  the  interests  of  the  firm,  and 
then  returned  to  the  seminary.  Later  he 
taught  school  in  Iroquois  county,  and  dur- 
ing the  winter  of  1875-76  taught  in  district 
No.  3.  Round  Grove  township,  this  county. 
On  the  8th  of  March,  1876,  Mr.  Tamb- 
ling married  ]Miss  Emma  E.  Slyder,  who 
was  born  in  La  Salle  county  December  27, 
1853.  Her  father,  Jesse  Slyder.  was  born  in 
Adams  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  at  the  age 
of  fifteen  engaged  in  teaming  from  Cham- 
bersburg,  that  state,  to  Pittsburg  and  Balti- 
more. In  1837  he  married  Hannah  L. 
Lininger,  of  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  to  them  were  born  eight  children, 
namely:  William  H.,  born  Auguist  25. 
1839,  died  on  the  home  farm  February  3, 
1866,  unmarried:  Susan  C,  liorn  August 
10,  1841,  is  the  wife  of  Z.  Simonson,  of 
Dennison,  Te.xas :  Samuel  L.,  born  May  31, 
1843.  '^^"'^^  ^  soldier  of  the  Civil  war;  Jesse 
L..  also  a  soldier,  born  March  14,  1845.  '^ 
an  auctioneer  living  in  Dwight;  Harriet  L., 
born  January  12,  1847,  ^'^'^'^^  ^^'^s  married  at 
the  same  time  as  her  sister,  Emma,  to  James 
H.  Foster,  who  is  master  mechanic  in  a 
stamp  mill  at  Colorado  Springs,  Colorado ; 
David  M.,  born  February  2,  1849,  's  a 
resident  of  Dwight;  Daniel  ]..  born  Sep- 
tember 6.  185 1,  is  employed  in  the  stamp 
mill  at  Colorado  Springs:  and  Emma  E., 
wife  of  our  subject,  completed  the  family. 
In  the  spring  of  1853  this  family  removed  to 
Peru,  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  and  in  1856 
came  to  Roimd  Grove  township,  Living- 
ston comity  where  the  father  bought  school 
land — three-quarters  of  section  16 — but  let 
his    brother-in-law,    Henrv    Jones,    and    a 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


407 


friend  from  Pennsylvania,  Cyrus  Thomas, 
have  two  quarter-sections.  He  made  liis 
Iiome  in  tlie  nortlieast  quarter  and  owned 
and  oi)eratetl  a  good  farm  of  two  liundred 
acres.  In  1868  lie  moved  to  Dwiglit.  wliere 
he  lived  retired  throughout  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  .\t  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  October  15,  1898,  he  also  owned 
the  southwest  quarter  of  section  16,  which 
is  now  a  part  of  the  estate.  He  was  a  cele- 
brated auctioneer,  and  for  some  time  made 
that  his  business.  He  took  an  active  in- 
terest in  public  affairs,  was  a  sui)i)i)rter  of 
the  Republican  party  and  held  several  town- 
ship offices,  including  those  of  su])ervisor 
and  .school  trustee.  1  le  was  reared  in  the 
Lutheran  faith.  Imt  after  his  removal  to 
Dwight  united  with  the  Methodist  Epi.scopal 
church,  and  fraternally  was  a  member  cjf 
the  Independent  Order  of  ( )(ld  I'eJlows.  J  lis 
estimal)le  wife  died  October  9,  1890. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Tambling  are  Albertus  .M.,  who  married 
Harriet  Beatty,  daughter  of  J.  H.  Beatty, 
and  resides  in  Round  Grove  township;  Jesse 
A.,  at  home;  Harriet  L.,  a  popular  teacher 
of  Round  (irove  township;  Robert  R., 
Myron  E.,  Emily  .Mice.  \'illeroy  G.  and 
Lila  B.,  all  at  home. 

Since  his  marriage  Mr.  Taml)ling  has 
made  his  home  in  Round  Grove  township 
and  has  successfully  engaged  in  farming 
and  school  teaching.  He  taught  five  winter 
terms  in  district  Xo.  3,  one  in  district  Xo. 
5  and  one  in  district  Xo.  9.  In  connection 
with  general  farming  lie  has  given  consider- 
able attention  to  stock  raising,  and  always 
keeps  a  good  grade  of  stock.  He  owns  and 
operates  a  good  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  on  section  9. 

Mr.  Tambling  is  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent and  influential  men  in  his  community 


and  a  recognized  leader  of  the  Republican 
party  in  Round  Grove  township.  He  has 
always  taken  an  active  part  in  public  affairs, 
was  a  member  of  the  school  board  when  the 
school  house  was  built  in  his  district,  was 
elected  collector  in  1880  and  re-elected  for 
the  succeeding  term.  He  served  as  school 
trustee  one  year,  township  treasurer  two 
years,  and  in  1895  was  first  elected  super- 
visor, which  office  he  has  now  tilled  six  con- 
secutive years  with  credit  to  himself  and  to 
the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  constituents. 
During  his  first  term  the  town  house  was 
Iniilt.  He  is  an  active  member  and  trustee 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Cam- 
pus, to  which  his  wife  also  belongs,  and 
served  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
school  for  some  years.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
charter  member  of  Dwight  Lodge,  Xo.  513, 
I  ( ).  O.  [•.,  and  is  also  a  member  of  Campus 
Camp.  Xo.  2619,  M.  W.  A.,  and  Dwight 
Lodge,   Xo.   :iS-   i-   (^-   ^f-   A. 


CH.VRLES  H.  GREGORY. 

Four  and  a  half  decades  cover  the  periotl 
of  the  Gregory  family's  residence  in  Liv- 
ingston county,  and  few  of  its  pioneers 
and  founders  have  been  more  highly  es- 
teemed and  honored.  That  beloved  and 
revered  minister  of  the  gospel.  Rev.  T.  J. 
Gregory,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  article, 
did  a  great  and  noble  work  in  this  region, 
and  his  name  was  lovingly  and  familiarly 
spoken  in  hundreds  of  households  whose 
atmosphere  had  been  brightened  and  made 
happier  by  his  presence  and  timely  aid. 
Both  he  and  his  estimable  wife  were  natives 
of  Lancashire,  England,  whence  they  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  in  1855,  at  once 


4o8 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


settling  in  this  country.  The  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Ellen  Hokltsworth.  was 
also  a  licensed  minister,  and  frequently  iic- 
cupied  the  pulpit  and  assisted  her  husband  in 
revival  meetings.  She  was  born  August 
31,  1820.  and  died  August  16.  1900.  He 
died  in  1886. 

The  birth  of  Charles  H.  Gregory  oc- 
curred here,  in  section  29,  Amity  township, 
June  2-.  i860.  His  avantages  education- 
ally were  not  of  the  best,  but  he  made  the 
most  of  his  opportunities,  and  by  private 
study  and  reading  has  made  himself  a  well- 
informed  man.  He  remained  with  his  fa- 
ther until  he  was  twenty-two*  years  old, 
sharing  his  labors  and  caring  for  him  with 
filial  love.  After  the  fathers  death,  the 
young  man  bought  out  the  interests  of  the 
other  heirs,  and  thus  became  the  sole  owner 
of  the  old  homestead — a  place  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sity  acres.  He  has  been  especially 
successful  as  a  stock  raiser,  and  prosperity 
has  attended  most  of  his  business  ventures. 
By  tiling  and  fencing,  the  planting  of  fruit 
and  shade  trees  and  building  a  pleasant,  mod- 
ern house  and  keeping  the  barns,  and  keep- 
ing the  barns  and  everything  about  the  place 
in  excellent  repair,  he  has  won  a  reputa- 
tion for  thrift  and  neatness,  and  at  the  same 
time  has  rendered  his  farm  one  of  the  desira- 
ble country  in)mes  of  the  neighborhood. 

On  the  27th  of  January,  1887,  the  mar- 
riage of  I\Ir.  Gregory  and  Miss  Olive  \\'iddi- 
field  took  place  at  Dana,  Illinois.  Mrs. 
Gregory  was  a  native  of  La  Salle  county, 
and  was  the  only  daughter  of  Mark  and 
Sarah  Widdifield.  Wilbur,  the  first  born 
child  of  our  subject  and  wife,  died  at  the  age 
of  five  years.  Two  children  are  left  to 
them,  namely,  Lela  M.  and  Adrian  Donald. 
I\Jark  Widdifield  was  born  in  New  York, 
and  has  been  a   well-known  citizen,   resid- 


ing near  Dana  for  forty  years.  He  is  now 
living  retired  at  Dana.  The  mother  was 
Sarah  Dowdall,  who  was  born  in  Peoria 
county,  Illinois,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Alex- 
ander Dowdall,  a  pioneer. 

In  national  affairs  Mr.  Gregory  is  a 
true  l)lue  Republican.  Personally  he  never 
has  sought  or  desired  office,  but,  owing  to 
the  special  interest  he  takes  in  the  cause  of 
education,  he  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
district  school  board  for  fully  ten  years. 
I'Vaternally  he  is  identified  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  his  membership  being 
with  the  Cornell  Lodge.  Mrs.  Gregory  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Protestant 
church,  and  both  contribute  liberally  of  their 
means  to  the  support  of  worthy  enterprises. 

Mrs.  J.  Gregory  died  August  16,  1900; 
hirthdav  August  31,    1S20. 


WILLIAM  LUXIXG. 

William  Luning.  who  resides  on  section 
31,  Long  Point  township,  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Livingston  county  since  1871,  com- 
ing to  the  county  from  Marshall  county. 
He  was  l)orn  in  Prussia,  Germany,  Octo- 
ber 22.  1835.  and  is  a  son  of  Bernard  and 
Mary  Luning,  both  of  wliom  were  natives 
of  Germany,  where  their  entire  lives  were 
spent.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  all  of  whom  are  yet  living  in  their 
native  country  save  our  subject. 

William  Luning  spent  his  boyhood  and 
vouth  in  his  native  land  and  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools.  In  his  youth  he 
learned  the  cabinet-maker's  trade,  which  he 
followed  for  a  short  time  after  coming  to 
the  United  States.  When  twenty  years  of 
age  he  came  to  this  countrv,  landing  at  X^ew 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


409 


York  city,  where  he  spent  one  year  work- 
ing at  his  trade.  On  liis  arrival  he  knew 
nothing  of  the  EngHsh  language,  but  his 
youth  was  in  liis  favor,  and  he  soon  actjuired 
a  knowledge  of  the  hmguage  of  the  coun- 
try, as  well  as  of  its  metiiods  of  doing  busi- 
ness. 

In  1856  Mr.  Luning  concluded  to  try 
country  life,  and  for  the  next  three  years  he 
worked  on  farms  near  the  city,  commencing 
on  six  dollars  per  month,  together  with  his 
hoard.  Being  of  a  frugal  and  saving  nature, 
he  laid  by  enough  in  that  time  to  bring  him 
to  Illinois.  Locating  in  Marshall  county, 
he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  the  succeed- 
ing live  years,  and  then,  renting  a  small 
farm,  he  commenced  life  in  earnest.  As  a 
bachelor  he  worked  and  managed  his  farm 
for  two  years.  Realizing  then  the  need  of 
a  "better  half,"  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Mary  Anthony,  who  was  born 
in  Wayne  county,  Pennsyhania.  and  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  and  Susan  .\niliiin\.  both 
of  whom  were  also  natives  of  l'cnns\l- 
\'ania,  but  who  remo\ed  to  Wisconsin  and 
later  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Marshall  coun- 
ty. Her  father  was  by  occupation  a  farmer, 
and  after  following  that  calling  for  a  time 
in  Marshall  county,  he  located  in  Wenona, 
Illinois,  where  he  is  now  living  a  retired  life. 
His  wife,  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Luning,  died 
about  1862,  having  been  the  UKjther  of  six 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living  but  widely 
scattered,  Mrs.  Luning  being  the  only  one 
living  in  Livingston  county.  Mr.  Anthony 
later  married  again,  and  by  his  second  union 
were  born  to  him  live  children,  of  whom 
four  are  li\-ing,  all  making  their  homes  in 
Marshall  county. 

.After  his  marriage  Mr.  Luning  continued 
to  farm  rented  land  in  Marshall  county  for 
two  years,  and  then  moved  to  La  Salle  coun- 


ty. Illinois,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  of 
raw  prairie  land  and  continued  farming  for 
three  years.  Later  he  sold  and  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  his  present  farm,  and  where 
he  has  since  continued  to  reside.  The  last 
tract  he  improved  by  building  fences,  tiling 
the  place,  setting  out  fruit  and  ornamental 
trees,  and  putting  it  in  Hrst-class  condition. 
Success  crowned  his  efforts,  and  to  the  home 
farm  he  later  added  eighty  acres,  in  addi- 
tion to  which  he  owns  an  improved  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  section  30, 
Amity  township.  For  many  years  he  gave 
his  time  princiiially  to  stock  raising,  making 
a  specialty  of  bogs.  He  now  operates  a 
general  farm  and  is  doing  well. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Luning  twelve  chil- 
dren haVe  been  born,  nine  of  whom  are  vet 
living.  Two  died  in  childhood.  Hattie 
grew  to  womanhood,  married  Henry  Drum- 
met,  by  wIkjui  she  had  three  children,  Eva, 
Tern  and  Arthur.  She  died  July  5,  1898. 
Those  living  are  as  follows:  Melissa  is 
now  the  wife  of  George  Drummet,  and  they 
ha\e  f<iur  children.  Ldlie,  Effie,  Orpha  and 
John.  The  family  reside  in  Long  Point 
township,  where  Mr.  Drummet  owns  and 
operates  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres.  Minnie  is  the  wife  of  Hans  Klend- 
worth,  and  with  their  four  children,  Goldie, 
Flossie,  Lee  and  Dewey,  they  reside  in  Long 
Point  township,  where  he  owns  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  Dessa,  Clif- 
ford and  Ira  are  their  children.  Emma 
married  Albert  Miller,  and  they  have  one 
daughter,  Leona.  Their  home  is  in  Dane, 
La  Salle  county,  where  he  is  engaged  in  gen- 
eral merchandizing.  Xellie  is  the  wife  of 
Archie  Winters,  and  they  have  two  children, 
Mournie  and  Birdie.  They  reside  in  Amity 
township,  where  Mr.  Winters  is  engaged  in 
farming.       Laura  is  the  wife    of    Charles 


4IO 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Earp,  and  their  cliildren  are  Hazel  and  Alta. 
Their  home  is  in  Amity  township,  wliere 
Mr.  Earp  lias  a  farm  of  eighty  acres.  Will- 
iam C.  lives  at  home,  assisting  his  father  in 
operating  the  home  farm.  Pearl  and  Jo- 
seph Fifer  are  also  living  at  home. 

In  politics  Mr.  Liming  is  a  Republican, 
and  while  he  manifests  an  interest  in  political 
affairs,  he  would  never  accept  any  township 
office,  although  often  urged  to  accept  some 
position.  He  is  a  firm  belie\er  in  Spiritual- 
ism.    As  a  citizen  he  is  highlv  esteemed. 


RUDOLPH  G.  S^HTH. 

Rudolph  G.  Smith,  pulice  magistrate  of 
Flanagan  and  one  of  the  popular  young 
business  men  of  that  place,  is  a  native  of 
Livingston  county,  born  in  Nebraska  town- 
ship. May  20,  1870,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles 
A.  and  Elizabeth  (Hess)  Smith,  both  na- 
tives of  Germany.  The  father  came  to 
America  in  1846,  and  after  a  brief  residence 
in  New  York  came  to  Illinois,  locating  in 
Nebraska  township,  Livingston  county, 
where  he  has  since  been  extensively  engaged 
in  farming.  He  has  been  prominently  iden- 
tified with  tlie  Democratic  party  in  his  lo- 
cality, and  in  1892  was  its  candidate  for  the 
office  of  sheriff  of  Livingston  county,  but 
owing  to  the  permanently  established  po- 
litical complexion  of  the  county  was  de- 
feated. He  has  held  several  township  offices 
with  credit  to  himself  to  the  entire  satisfac- 
tion of  his  constituents.  His  wife,  who 
came  to  this  country  with  her  parents  at  the 
age  of  four  years,  died  in  1899.  They 
reared  a  family  of  eight  children,  namely: 
Anna  M.,  now  the  wife  of  Frank  Edwards, 
of  Geneseo,  Illinois;  May  E.,  wife  of  John 


Smith,  of  the  same  place ;  Charles  P.  Henry 
W.  and  George  F.,  all  residents  of  Nebraska 
township;  Rudolph  G.,  our  subject;  Jennie, 
wife  of  Frank  Earl,  and  Perry  L.,  all  of  Ne- 
braska township. 

On  the  home  farm  Rudolph  G.  Smith 
grew  to  manhood  and  was  educated  in  the 
district  school  and  Dixon  College,  Dixon, 
Illinois.  In  1893  ^^^  located  in  Flanagan, 
\vhere  he  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  bus- 
iness two  years,  and  since  that  time  has  car- 
ried on  operations  as  an  insurance,  real  es- 
tate and  collecting  agent,  in  which  he  has 
met  with  well  deserved  success. 

On  the  6th  of  August,  1894,  ]\Ir.  Smith 
was  united  in  marriage  with  j\Iiss  Hulda 
]^Iette,  of  Flanagan,  and  they  now  have  one 
child,  Valda  Eveline,  born  June  9,  1896. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  are  both  members  of  the 
Christian  church,  and  he  is  also  connected 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  In  1896  he 
was  elected  police  magistrate  of  Flanagan  to 
fill  an  unexpired  term  of  three  years,  and  so 
acceptably  did  he  fill  the  office  that  in  1899 
he  was  re-elected  for  a  full  term  of  four  years. 
The  Democratic  party  finds  in  him  a  stanch 
supporter  of  its  principles,  and  he  is  usually 
an  active  member  of  its  conventions.  In 
1900  he  was  an  alternate  delegate  to  the  na- 
tional convention  at  Kansas  City,  where 
William  J.  Bryan  was  nominated  for  presi- 
dent. 


THOMAS  H.  THOMSON. 

Thomas  H.  Thomson  is  one  of  the  hon- 
ored pioneers  of  Illinois,  and  within  his 
recollection  remarkable  changes  have  been 
wrought  on  these  western  prairies.  AVhere 
herds  of  deer  and  other  \\ild  game  wandered 
when  he  first  saw  this  region,   flourishing 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


411 


towns  and  villages  have  sprung  up,  railroads 
liave  been  constructed,  and  fertile,  produc- 
tive farms  have  been  developed.  In  this 
grand  work  of  civilization  he  has  lorne  nt) 
unimportant  part,  and  no  one,  therefore,  is 
better  entitled  to  a  place  on  the  roll  of  honor 
of  his  state  and  county. 

When  it  is  considered  that  2\Ir.  Thom- 
son commenced  his  career  in  America  with- 
out any  financial  means  and  has  made  his 
competence  by  the  hardest  larljor  and  inde- 
fatigable energy,  his  example  is  one  which 
should  be  followed  by  the  younger  genera- 
tion, most  of  whom  possess  advantages 
which  were  not  his  portion.  His  father, 
Thomas  T.  Iverson,  was  born  in  Norway, 
in  1777,  and  passed  his  entire  life  in  his 
native  land.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Malinda  Thomson,  and  their  three  sons 
were:  Iver  H.  Thomson,  now  a  resident  of 
La  Salle  county.  Illinois;  Thomas  H.,  of  this 
sketch,  and  Richard  H.,  of  Humboldt  coun- 
ty, Iowa. 

The  birth  of  T.  H.  Thomson  occurred 
upon  his  father's  farm,  near  Stavanger,  Nor- 
way, ^lay  3,  1826.  He  early  learned  the  vari- 
ous duties  ijertaining  to  a  farm,  but  had  no 
educational  advantages  in  his  boyhood.  Com- 
ing to  the  conclusion  that  America  was  the 
"land  of  jjromise,"  he  made  his  plans  ac- 
cordingly, and,  bidding  farewell  to  his 
relatives  and  friends,  sailed  from  the  sea- 
port of  Stavanger,  May  17,  1S49.  The 
voyage  consumed  about  six  weeks,  and 
thence  he  went  to  Buffalo,  and  by  way  of 
the  great  lakes  to  Chicago.  Going  direct 
to  Ottawa,  Illinois,  where  two  of  his  ac- 
quaintances were  residents,  he  soon  obtained 
a  position  with  a  farmer,  receiving  seven 
dollars  a  month,  in  addition  to  his  board. 
For  two  years  he  industriously  worked  and 

economized,  later  investing  his  little  capital 
22 


in  an  ox-team,  with  which  he  commenced 
the  arduous  task  of  breaking  prairie.  After 
spending  several  seasons  at  that  business,  he 
bought  forty  acres  of  land  in  La  Salle  coun- 
ty, and  for  ten  years  toiled  bravely,  im- 
proving the  place,  which  he  finally  sold  at  a 
fair  price.  This  was  in  1865,  since  which 
year  he  has  been  numbered  among  the  citi- 
zens of  Livingston  county,  for  he  then  pur- 
chased one  hundred  acres  of  land  in  section 
4,  Rooks  Creek  township,  and  has  since 
looked  upon  this  as  his  permanent  home. 
Twenty  acres  of  this  property  was  covered 
with  timber,  and  about  the  same  amount  had 
been  broken  for  cultivation.  This  prepared 
ground  and  a  little  cabin,  constitutted  the 
sum  total  of  improvements,  but  the  years 
which  have  since  rolled  by  have  seen  great 
changes,  and  today  the  farm  is  a  monument 
to  the  skill  and  ambition  of  the  owner.  Af- 
ter reducing  the  land  to  cultivation,  and 
when  he  had  built  a  substantial  house  and 
barn  and  fences,  he  realized  good  returns 
from  each  year's  work,  and,  from  time  to 
time  invested  the  proceeds  in  more  land. 
To-day  he  owns  three  farms  in  this  county, 
aggregating  six  hundred  and  twenty-five 
acres,  and  in  addition  to  these,  he  has  a 
good  homestead  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  situated  in  Hardin  county,  Iowa. 

The  marriage  of  ^Ir.  Thomson  and  Isa- 
belle  Johnson,  likewise  a  nati\e  of  Norway, 
was  celebrated  in  La  Salle  county  forty- 
five  years  ago.  Of  the  ten  children  who 
blessed  their  union  two  have  been  called  to 
the  better  land,  Eveta  M.  dying  when  young, 
and  Maria  passing  away  in  1884.  The 
sons,  six  in  number,  are  successful  and  up- 
right citizens,  all  engaged  in  agriculture. 
Thomas  M.,  Ole  .\..  T.  E.,  E.  J.  am!  A.  S. 
are  residents  of  this  county,  while  ^I.  J., 
the  second  son,  is  a  farmer  of  Clay  county. 


412 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Minnesota.  Anna  M.  is  the  wife  of  E.  P. 
Friest,  of  Hardin  county,  Iowa,  and  Chris- 
tina S.  is  the  wife  of  J.  C.  Munson,  of  Amity 
township,  Livingston  county.  The  two 
younger  sons  are  at  home,  aiding  in  the 
work  of  the  farm. 

Since  he  received  the  right  of  francliise 
Mr.  Thompson  lias  been  a  loyal  friend  to 
the  Republican  party.  He  has  Iieen  averse  to 
holding  public  officCj  personally,  but  has  not 
neglected  any  of  his  duties  as  a  citizen,  and 
has  evinced  his  interest  in  the  cause  of  edu- 
cation in  material  ways.  With  his  estima- 
ble wife,  who  was  reared  in  Norway,  he  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  since 
youth. 


JOSEPH  M.  BRADLEY. 

Joseph  M.  Bradley,  residing  in  a  com- 
fortable, modern  farm  house,  beautifully  sit- 
uated on  an  eminence  of  the  western  bank 
of  the  Vermilion  river,  is  one  of  the  honored 
pioneers  of  Livingston  county,  and,  as  such, 
deserves  a  prominent  place  in  the  chronicles 
of  her  development. 

The  family  of  which  Mr.  Bradley  is  a 
sterling  representative  has  been  noted  for 
the  spirit  of  enterprise  and  venturesomeness 
which  has  ever  animated  the  explorer  and 
pioneer — the  van  of  civilization.  His 
grandfather.  Esquire  Bradley,  as  he  was 
called,  owing  to  the  high  offices  held  by 
him  in  his  rural  community,  was  one  of 
the  earliest  settlers  in  Brown  county,  Ohio. 
In  that  wilderness  our  subject's  father, 
James,  was  born  in  1808.  When  twenty 
years  of  age  the  ambitious  young  man  de- 
termined to  further  explore  the  then  far 
west,  and  thus,  in  1828,  he  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Illinois.  Later  he  went  to  Mc- 
Lean county,  and  there  married  Nancy  Bar- 


tholomew, whose  father.  General  Joseph 
Bartholomew,  was  a  hero  of  the  Revolution- 
ary war.  He  also  had  been  noted  as  an 
Indian  fighter,  and  many  a  time  had  partici- 
pated in  the  early  warfare  with  the  red- 
skins. One  of  the  ver}-  first  to  locate  in  I\Ic- 
Lean  county,  he  built  a  fort  near  the  present 
town  of  Clarksville,  and  was  well  known,  far 
and  wide.  After  living  in  ^IcLean  and 
Hancock  counties  for  a  few  years  subse- 
quent to  his  marriage,  James  Bradley  took 
up  his  permanent  residence  in  Livingston 
county,  and  improved  a  farm  in  Amity  town- 
ship. His  death  took  place  at  his  old  home 
here  in  1862.  His  widow,  who  attained 
the  ripe  age  of  eighty-five  years,  passed  her 
last  years  at  the  home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Coe,  in  Pontiac,  Illinois,  her  death  occurring 
in  January,  1899. 

Joseph  M.  Bradley  was  born  at  Clarks- 
ville, Illinois,  September  28,  1840,  and 
though,  in  his  boyhood  he  had  few  advan- 
tages, in  an  educational  way,  he  early  mas- 
tered the  elementary  and  essential  brandies 
of  knowledge.  He  is  practically  a  self- 
made  and  self-educated  man,  for  he  has  been 
dependent  upon  his  own  resources  since  he 
was  a  mere  youth.  For  several  years  he 
rented  farms  and  in  1874  he  had  acquired 
sufficient  capital  to  purchase  land  of  his  own. 
Though  the  homestead  where  he  dwells  to- 
day has  been  in  his  possession  for  twenty- 
six  years,  he  did  not  take  up  his  residence 
here  until  1885.  In  the  meantime  he  con- 
tinued making  improvements  upon  the  place, 
which,  by  long  years  of  well  applied  industry 
and  investments,  he  succeeded  in  bring- 
ing to  its  present  high  state  of  excellence. 
He  cleared  away  much  of  the  timber  with 
which  the  land  was  encumbered,  planted 
fruit  trees  and  constructed  fences  and  farm 
buildings.     Success  has  attended  his  efforts 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


413 


as  an  agriculturist  and  stock-raiser,  and  most 
of  his  financial  ventures  have  prospered. 

During  his  entire  mature  life  Mr.  Brad- 
ley has  had  the  welfare  of  the  people  deeply 
at  heart,  and  in  his  own  community  has 
borne  his  share  of  the  duties  devolving  upon 
him  as  a  patriotic  citizen.  Since  the  time 
when  he  cast  his  first  presidential  vote,  in 
1864,  he  has  been  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
Republican  parly.  When  just  arrived  at  his 
majority  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  con- 
stable, and  later  he  was  honored  with  the 
position  of  highway  commissioner,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  efficiently  for  nine  years. 
He  als(j  held  the  post  of  township  collector 
for  one  term,  and  was  clerk  of  the  township 
five  consecutive  terms.  During  the  past 
three  years  he  has  been  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  frequently  he  has  been  sent  as  a  dele- 
gate to  dift'erent  con\entions  of  a  political 
nature.  Few  of  our  citizens  have  been  more 
influential  in  promoting  the  cause  of  educa- 
tion than  he,  and  to  his  earnest  efforts  must 
be  attributed  much  of  the  prosperty  of  the 
'"little  red  school  houses"  of  this  locality. 

In  1878  ]\Ir.  Bradley  married  Florence, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Julia  A.  Patterson, 
and  sister  of  S.  H.  Patterson,  whose  sketch 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Mrs. 
Bradley  was  born  in  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  child- 
hood. She  was  reared  in  La  Salle  county, 
and  received  a  good  education  in  the  schools 
of  Ottawa.  Mabel  E.,  eldest  child  of  our 
subject  and  wife,  and  now  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful teachers  of  this  county,  pursued  her 
higher  studies  in  the  Pontiac  high  school  and 
in  Dixon  (Illinois)  College.  Samuel  M.  is 
employed  in  a  mercantile  establishment  at 
Pontiac,  and  Daisy  M.,  Julia  and  Joseph 
Ross  are  still  living  at  home  with  their  par- 
ents, who  are  giving  them  good  advantages. 


HOX.  JAMES  A.  SMITH. 

Hon.  James  A.  Smith,  of  Chatsworth, 
has  been  closely  identified  with  the  history 
and  growth  of  Livingston  county  for  a  third 
of  a  century.  Like  many  of  our  prominent 
citizens  he  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  \'er- 
million,  August  6,  1845.  His  father,  Aaron 
B.  Smith,  was  a  native  of  Xevv  Jersey,  and  a 
lawyer  by  profession.  He  came  to  Illinois 
in  1846,  and  located  in  Ottawa,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  his  profession  with 
fine  success.  He  is  distinguished  in  a  histor- 
ical way  as  having  drawn  uji  the  first  bill 
introduced  in  the  legislature  nf  this  state 
for  the  establishment  of  a  free  school,  that 
of  a  school  in  his  adopted  city  of  Ottawa. 
During  his  boyhood  days  James  A. 
Smith  attended  the  public  schools  of  Ottawa 
and  read  law  in  the  office  of  his  father  until 
he  was  seventeen  years  old.  He  then  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  bookkeeper  and  cashier 
for  a  prominent  firm  in  that  city,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  until  1867.  when  he  came  to 
Chatsworth  and  engaged  in  the  grain  busi- 
ness. He  continued  in  that  business  for 
money  on  real  estate.  In  1880  ho  purchased 
the  Chatsworth  Plaindealer  and  has  since 
been  engaged  in  its  publication,  making  it 
one  of  the  most  substantial  and  newsy 
papers  in  Central  Illinois.  'J'his  business 
he  has  carried  on  in  connection  with  other 
private  interests  that  has  re(-|uirc(l  much  uf 
his  time  and  attention. 

Mr.  Smith  has  held  a  number  of  import- 
ant public  positions,  chief  among  which  has 
been  the  Democratic  representative  from  the 
Eighteenth  district,  of  which  Livingston 
county  forms  a  part,  for  three  terms,  serv- 
ing in  the  thirty-sixth,  thirty-seventh  and 
thirty-eighth  general  assembly.  His  record 
there  is  a  most  ccimniendaVjle  one.     He  at 


414 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


once  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  councils 
of  his  party  and  was  placed  on  various  im- 
portant commiittees.  In  the  tl-^irty-sixth. 
general  assembly  he  was  on  the  educational 
committee  which  codified  the  school  laws 
of  the  state.  In  the  thirty-seventh  assembly 
he  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  muni- 
cipal corporations,  and  in  the  thirty-eighth 
assembly  he  was  chairman  i:)f  the  cmnmittee 
/in  congressinal  apprtionment,  and  his  com- 
mittee frametl  the  congressional  apportion- 
iiient  bill  which  is  the  law  at  the  present  time. 
During  his  three  terras  he  was  on  the  steer- 
ing committee  of  his  party,  and  in  the  last 
two  terms  he  was  the  disciplinarian  of  this 
committee.  Ho  was  one  of  the  one  hundred 
and  one  members  oi  the  legislature  that  voted 
for  General  Palmer  in  his  memorable  con- 
test for  tho  United  States  senate  in  1891. 
His  associates  had  in  him  the  utmost  confi- 
dence and  he  was  regardetl  by  them  as  a 
worthy    leader. 

Mr.  Smith  was  president  of  the  village 
l)oard  of  Chatsworth  for  thirteen  }-ears, 
ele\-en  of  which  were  consecutive.  When  he 
was  first  elected  president  of  the  board  tlie 
village  was  heavily  in  debt,  but  during  his 
adnninistration  ni_)t  only  were  substantial 
impro\-ements  made,  but  the  debt  was  entiro- 
Iv  wiped  out  and  mone}-  left  in  the  treas- 
urv.  During  his  term  of  oitice,  and  through 
his  efforts,  a  good  system  of  water  works 
was  installed  and  paid  for,  electric  lights 
were  secured  for  the  village,  and  four  miles 
of  brick  walk  were  laid.  His  last  term  ex- 
pired in  1895,  and  tlie  \illage  owes  him  a  debt 
of  gratitude  which  will  be  hard  to  repay. 

For  twent}--two  consecutive  years  Mr. 
Smith  was  a  member  and  secretary  of  the 
Chatsworth  schmil  Ijoard,  and  during  all 
that  time  he  was  tho  guiding  spirit  of  the 
board.     Few  men  not  actually  engaged  in 


school  work  have  been  more  closely  in  touch 
with  the  public  schools,  and  he  has  e\er  had 
the  intercuts  of  the  schools  at  heart,  and 
was  willing  to  give  of  liis  time  to  make  them 
more  efficient. 

As  a  delegate  to  county  conventions  f'-.r 
twenty-fi\e  years,  and  as  a  delegate  to  con- 
gressional and  state  conventions,  and  ti)  the 
national  Democratic  convention  at  St.  Louis 
in  1888,  he  has  done  valiant  service  for  the 
success  of  his  party,  but  like  many  other  pa- 
triotic Democrats,  he  was  not  in  sympathy 
with  the  views  expressed  in  the  platform 
adopted  by  the  Democratic  national  conven- 
tion which  assembled  in  Chicago  in  1896. 
He  is  a  Democrat  from  ])rinciple  and  not  for 
the  spods  of  office. 

Air.  Smith  is  one  of  the  largest  real  estate 
owners  in  central  Illinois,  and  has  large 
property  interests  in  the  village  which  has 
been  his  home  for  thirty-three  years.  He  is 
the  owner  of  sevoral  fine  buddings  in  the 
\illage,  including  the  one  occupied  by  Bush- 
way  &  Co.,  of  which  he  is  the  company. 
He  and  his  family  enjoy  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  a  large  circle  of  friends,  and  judg- 
ing from  the  record  of  his  life  he  is  worthy 
of  all  the  honors  bestowed  upon  him. 


ISAAC  O.  TAXQUARV. 

Isaac  O.  Tanquary,  deceased,  was  iden- 
tified with  the  agricultural  interests  of  Liv- 
ingston county  for  twenty  years,  and  was 
accounted  one  of  the  most  highly  respected 
citizens  of  Fayette  township,  his  home  being 
on  section  8.  .\  natix'e  of  Ohio,  he  was 
born  in  I'ickaway  county,  in  181 5,  and  his 
early  life  was  passed  at  his  birthplace,  where 
he  received  a  common  school  education.    In 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


415 


1840  he  came  to  Illinois  and  first  located  in 
Marshall  county,  where  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing upon  rented  land  for  a  number  of  years. 
In  1S75  he  moved  with  his  family  to  Liv- 
ingston county  and  purchased  a  farm  on  sec- 
tion 8,  Fayette  township,  consisting  of  one 
hundred  and  si.xty  acres  of  land,  which  he 
broke  and  placed  under  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation. He  erected  thereon  a  goctl.  sub- 
stantial farm  house,  a  barn  and  other  build- 
ings, and  soon  made  the  farm  (jne  of  the 
best  in  that  section  of  the  county. 

In  Marshall  county  Mr.  Tanquary  was 
married,  in  1842,  to  Miss  Mary  Jane  Wat- 
kins,  a  native  of  Athens  county,  Ohin,  and  a 
daughter  of  Isaiah  and  Mary  (Douglass) 
W'atkins.  The  father  was  born  in  Wales, 
and  when  a  young  man  came  to  the  United 
States,  locating  in  Athens  county,  Ohio.  He 
died  in  1830  at  the  age  of  forty  years,  his 
wife  in  Marshall  county,  Illinois,  in  1865, 
at  the  age  nf  seventy  years.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Tanquary  were  born  the  following  chil- 
dren :  (  I )  Angeline  married  Ethan  Drake, 
of  Marshall  county,  and  died  in  Kansas, 
where  they  moved  in  1873,  leaving  seven 
children,  Robert,  .\lvin.  Joseph,  (jeorge,  Ly- 
man, Carrie  and  Nellie.  (2)  Caroline  died 
in  Fayette  township,  Livingston  county,  in 
l^/^-  (3)  Nancy  is  the  wife  of  John  Cus- 
sard,  village  marshal  of  Strawn,  and  they 
had  si.K  children :  Charles,  Angeline,  Ida, 
Henry  and  Grover,  all  living;  and  I'earl, 
deceased.  (4)  Lucinda  married  J.  S.  Mar- 
shall, a  carpenter  of  Strawn,  and  died  in  that 
place  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  years,  leav- 
ing three  children  :  Le  Roy,  Grace  and  Lilly. 
(5)  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  Lewis  Xighson- 
ger,  a  farmer  of  Marshall  county,  and  their 
children  are:  Lulie,  Lillie.  Solomon,  Bay- 
ard, William,  David,  Elvirah.  Edith,  Evan- 
gel, .\lta  and  Rav.  Of  these  Luke  and  P.avard 


are  deceased.  (6)  David  died  in  Fayette 
township,  Li\ingston  county,  in  1S79.  at 
the  age  of  twenty-seven  years.  (7)  Will- 
iam J.,  liorn  in  Marshall  county,  December 
-3'  1857,  was  educated  in  the  comnn)n  schools 
of  that  county,  and  resides  on  the  home  farm 
with  his  mother.  He  is  an  industrious,  en- 
ergetic man,  indepemlent  in  politics,  who 
votes  for  the  man  who  in  his  judgment  is 
best  c|ualified  to  hll  the  (jftice.  (8)  Jaliial 
died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Tanquary  was  a  self-made  man, 
whose  success  in  life  was  due  to  his  inchis- 
tr}-.  perseverance  and  good  management, 
and  at  his  death  he  left  his  family  in  com- 
fortable circumstances.  His  widow  still 
resides  on  the  farm  on  section  8,  Fayette 
townshrip.  lie  died  there  September  18, 
1895,  honored  and  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him.  Politically  he  was  identified 
with  the  Rcptiblican  party,  but  never  took 
a  very  active  part  in  ])olitics,  caring  nothing 
for  official  honors,  although  he  was  a  public- 
spirited  man  and  an  advocate  of  all  meas- 
ures that  tended  toward  the  improvement 
and  advancement  of  the  community  in  which 
he  lived.  He  was  a  devmit  member  of  the 
Methodist  church,  and  his  life  was  ever  in 
harmony  with  his  professions. 


XKW  i:i.L    P.   C.I^ORGE. 

Xewell  P.  George,  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful and  enterprising  farmers  of  Brongh- 
ton  township,  Living.ston  county,  whose 
home  is  on  section  i,  was  born  in  Sunapee, 
.\ew  1  lamiishire,  July  -'3.  183J.  ;uid  is  a  son 
of  Worthen  and  Kache!  (  lunerson  I  George, 
both  of  whom  l)e]onged  to  old  Xcw  luiglancl 
families  and  traced  thc.r  ancestry  back  to 
Scotland.     Fi  r  generations  the  George  fam- 


4i6 


THE    BICGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


ily  ha\-e  flourislied  in  New  Hampshire,  and 
at  one  election  twenty-three  votes  wore  cast 
by  those  bearing  tlie  name  in  one  town. 
Elijah  George,  our  subject's  paternal  grand- 
father, was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812. 
The  father  followed  farming  throughout  life 
and  died  in  1881.  The  mother  had  died 
when  our  subject  was  only  ten  years  old. 
They  were  consistent  and  faithful  me-mbers 
•of  the  Baptist  chtuxh.  and  the  father  was  a 
Democrat  in  politics.  Of  the  si.x  children 
born  to  them  one  daughter  died  in  infancy. 
The  others  are  Clifton  and  James,  both  res- 
idents of  Newport,  New  Hampshire;  Mary, 
wife  of  Rufus  Baker;  Abbie,  widow  of 
Oliver  Buell,  who  was  a  resident  of  Prince- 
ton, Illinois,  for  many  years,  where  she  now 
resides ;  and  Newell  P. 

Our  subject  obtained  a  good  high  school 
education  in  his  native  state,  and  commenced 
teaching  school  at  the  age  of  twenty-one, 
making  his  home  with  his  father  up  to  this 
time.  Later  he  worked  for  a  Mr.  Buell 
in  the  mercantile  business  for  five  years  and 
has  profited  much  by  that  experience.  While 
thus  employed  he  was  maiTied,  in  1855,  to 
Miss  1  hucy  A.  \\'eeks.  who  was  born  in 
Vermont,  in  1837,  '^'•'t  ^vas  living  with  her 
parents  in  Massachusetts  at  the  time  of  her 
marriage.  By  this  union  six  children  were 
born,  of  whom  Charles  H.  died  in  1892,  at 
the  age  of  thirty-five  years,  leaving  a  wife 
and  two  sons.  Newell  J.  and  Frank.  Those 
hving  are  as  follows:  (i)  Eugene  IL.  a 
farmer  of  Broughton  township.  Livingston 
county,  is  married  and  has  three  children ; 
Oliver  and  Olive,  twins,  and  }]arr\-.  (j) 
Frank  S..  who  lives  on  the  old  Clapp  farm 
in  Broughton  township,  is  married  and  has 
three  children,  Cora,  Mabel  and  Hazell.  (3  > 
Bert  is  engaged  in  farming  east  of  Emhig- 
ton.    (4)    Dell  is  married  and  also  lives  in 


Briiughton  township.  (5)  Edward  is  mar- 
ried and  lives  on  the  old  home  place.  The 
sons  have  receixed  good  common  school 
educations  and  are  now  prosperous  farmers 
and  men  of  good  habits. 

On  first  coming  to  Illinois,  Mr.  George 
settled  in  Kendall  county,  where  he  rented 
land  and  successfully  engaged  in  farming 
until  i86g,  when  he  removed  to  Livingston 
county  and  purchased  forty  acres  of  partially 
improx-ed  land  in  Broughton  township. 
Here  he  steadily  prospered  and  at  one  time 
owned  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land 
and  still  retains  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres, 
which  he  has  placed  under  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tixation  and  nnpro\'ed  liy  the  erection  of 
good  and  substantial  buddings,  including  a 
comfortable  modern  residence.  He  taught 
school  for  two  years  after  comins^  to  this 
state,  but  has  principally  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock  raising.  Although  he 
came  to  Illinois  a  poor  man.  he  has  by  hard 
work  and  gootl  manageme-it  become  tiuite 
well-to-do,  and  is  now  assessed  higher  than 
any  other  man   in  the  township. 

Politically  Mr.  George  is  an  ardent  Dem- 
ocrat and  has  most  creditalily  and  acceptably 
filled  the  offices  of  road  commissioner  twelve 
}'ears  and  school  director  twenty-five  years 
in  his  district,  having  always  taken  an  active 
interest  in  maintaining  good  schools.  His 
support  is  always  given  any  enterprise  which 
he  believes  calculated  to  advance  the  moral, 
intellectual  anil  material  welfare  of  his 
adopted  countw  and  l)oth  he  and  his  wife 
are  widelv  and  fax'orablv  known. 


ALFRED   ERICKSON. 

Lix'ingston  county  has  no  truer  patriot 
or  more  industrious,  upright  citizen  than  he 
of   whom   the   following  sketch   is  penned 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


417 


His  course  in  life  has  l)een  jiursued  in  a 
slraiglittorward  manner,  eminently  wnrthy 
of  commendation,  and  the  young  man  of 
this  period  can  find  no  example  better  fitted 
for  his  emulation  and  inspiration. 

One  of  the  five  children  of  Erick  antl 
Anna  M.  Xelson,  the  birth  of  our  subject 
took  place  near  Stockholm.  Sweden.  Septem- 
ber I.  1835.  ^^  grew  to  manhood  on  a 
farm  and  received  fair  educational  advan- 
tages, and.  as  the  years  passed,  he  be- 
came more  antl  more  determined  to  seek 
his  fortune  in  the  United  States.  In  i860 
he  took  passage  in  a  sailing  vessel,  bound 
for  Xew  York  city,  and  for  seven  weeks  and 
four  days  was  tossed  to  and  fro  upon  the 
broad  Atlantic,  one  severe  storm  lasting  four 
clays,  when  all  of  the  ship's  sails  were  furled 
and  she  seemed  entirely  at  the  mercy  of  the 
waves.  From  Xew  York.  Mr.  Erickson  pro- 
ceeded to  Galesburg,  where  some  of  his 
friends  were  then  residing,  and  ere  long  he 
obtained  a  ])osition  on  a  farm,  and  during  the 
ensuing  year  acquired  a  fair  knowledge  of 
the  language  and  custom  of  this  country. 

That  the  young  man  had  indeed  become 
a  devoted  son  of  the  land  of  his  adoption 
was  proved  when,  in  August.  1861,  he  vol- 
unteered Iiis  services  in  the  defense  of  the 
Union,  and  from  that  day  to  this  he  has 
faithfully  performed  every  duty  devolving 
upon  him  as  a  citizen.  As  a  private  of 
Company  C,  Forty-second  Illinois  Infantry, 
he  served  in  the  army  of  the  Cumberland, 
and  ])articipated  in  the  battles  of  Island  X<1. 
10.  Corinth  and  Murfreesboro.  At  the  last 
named  place  he  received  a  tiesh  wound  in  the 
left  leg,  and  was  sent  to  the  local  hospital, 
and  later  transferred  to  one  at  Xashville, 
thence  to  Louisville  and  Chicago.  W'iien 
he  had  sufficiently  recovered  he  was  assigned 
to  the  veteran  reserve  corps,  and  thus  filled 


out  the  term  of  his  enlistment,  which  expired 
in  September,  1S64,  when  he  was  hiMiorably 
discharged  at  Chicago. 

Returning  to  Knox  county,  Mr.  Erickson 
worked  in  a  factory  until  he  had  entirely  re- 
gained his  health,  and  then  he  went  to  Mon- 
tana, where  he  engaged  in  freighting  for 
some  time.  The  ensuing  year  he  turned 
his  attention  again  to  agriculture,  and  in 
the  sjjring  of  1867  bought  an  eighty-acre 
tract  of  land  in  Livingston  county.  Only 
fifteen  acres  had  been  broken  and  a  small 
cabin  constituted  the  chief  improvement  on 
the  place.  At  the  end  of  a  few  years  he  had 
reduced  the  entire  farm  to  cultivation,  and 
by  means  of  fences,  ditches  and  tiling  made 
a  model  homestead.  Buying  another  tract 
of  forty  acres,  in  section  4,  Rt)oks  Creek 
township,  and  later  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  more,  he  thus  increased  the  home  farm 
to  two  hundred  and  forty  acres.  Subse- 
quently, when  a  favorable  opportunity 
offered,  he  purchased  another  quarter-section 
of  land,  and  now  has  a  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  in  Amity  township. 
By  strict  attention  to  business,  economy  anrl 
judicious  investments,  he  gradually  amassed 
a  snug  f(jrtune,  and  few  in  this  community 
who  commenced  making  their  own  way  in 
the  world  without  means  ha\'e  l)een  more 
successful. 

From  the  time  of  his  settlement  here, 
Mr.  Erickson  has  used  his  inllucnce  in  be- 
half of  good  roads,  schools  and  churches 
and  everything  of  lasting  benefit  to  the 
county  and  state.  Since  1S64,  when  he 
cast  his  first  presidential  ballot  for  Lincoln, 
he  has  been  a  loyal  adherent  of  the  Repub- 
hcan  party.  With  the  exception  of  a  period 
when  he  acted  in  the  capacity  of  a  school 
director,  he  has  never  held  public  ofifice,  as 
lit  prefers  to  keep  to  the  ([uiet  walk-;  of  life, 


4i8 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


and  finds  his  time  well  occupied  in  looking 
after  his  varied  business  interests.  \\'itl; 
his  estimable  wife,  he  luilds  membership  in 
the  Lutheran  church,  and  is  a  liberal  con- 
tributor to  religious  and  benexolent  organ- 
izations. 

In  1 8/ I,  Mr.  Erickson  and  Helen  E\-en- 
son  were  united  in  wedlock  in  this  county. 
She  is  a  native  of  Norway  and  was  a  child 
of  five  years  when  she  accompanied  her  par- 
ents to  the  United  States.  They  located  in 
Amity  township,  this  county,  and  there  the 
parents  dwelt  until  they  were  claimed  bv 
death.  Fi\e  children  blessed  the  union  of 
Mr.  and  Airs.  Erickson,  but  only  one  of 
the  number  survives,  Caroline.wifeof  Charles 
Carlson,  who  is  engaged  in  carrying  on  a  por- 
tion of  our  subject's  home  farm.  They  are  the 
parents  of  three  children  :  Alfred.  Emer\-  and 
Florence.  Emily,  who  wedded  Frank  Carl- 
son, died  and  left  two  little  ones  to  mourn 
her  loss,  namely;  Arthur  and  Clara.  The 
angel  of  death  indeed  left  our  subject  and 
wife  desolate,  when,  within  two  short  weeks, 
three  of  their  dear  ones  were  \-ictims  of  diph- 
theria. Ida  was  in  her  tenth  year ;  Edward, 
the  only  son,  was  a  promising  little  fellow. 
five  years  old,  and  Tilda  was  only  two  years 
old.  The  many  sincere  friends  of  the  family 
truly  share  their  sorrow,  and  in  many  ways 
have  manifested  a  deep  esteem  in  which 
they  hokl  these  worthy  pioneers. 


THEODORE   McCORMICK. 

This  well-known  and  popular  citizen  of 
Oclell  township,  Livingston  county,  Illinois, 
was  born  in  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania, 
October  26,  1837,  and  is  a  son  of  Seth  and 
Mary    (Hill)    McCormick,   also   natives  of 


that  state  and  representatix'es  of  one  of  the 
oldest  familios.  When  a  young  man  the 
father  learned  the  trade  of  a  wagonmaker, 
which  he  followed  during  his  residence  in 
Pennsx'hania.  InU  on  first  coming  to  Illinois 
in  1857.  he  turned  his  attention  to  .agricul- 
tural pursuits,  operating  a  re-.ited  farm  in 
Stephenson  county  three  years.  He  then 
came  to  Livingston  county  and  purchased  a 
tract  of  unimproved  land  in  Odell  township, 
which  he  converted  into  a  good  farm  sup- 
plied with  all  necossary  improvements  for 
successful  farming.  Later  he  rented  his 
place  and  purchased  a  home  in  Oilell,  where 
he  also  oijened  a  wagon  shop  and  w  1  irked  at 
his  trade.  He  died  there  January  8.  1882, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years,  and  his  wife,, 
who  was  always  strong  and  health}-,  died 
at  the  home  of  her  youngest  daughter,  in  Ne- 
braska, in  1892,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three. 
Both  were  earnest  and  consistent  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  in  pol- 
itics the  father  was  a  Republican  for  many 
years  but  later  joined  the  Deiuocratic  party. 
To  this  worth}'  couple  were  biirn  eleven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  three  died  in  childhood.  The 
others  are  as  fijllows :  Theodore,  our  subject, 
is  the  only  one  now  residing  in  Li\-ingston 
county ;  John  is  a  stock  raiser  of  Start'ord 
county,  Kansas;  Henrietta  is  the  w.fe  of 
Orville  Inman,  of  Benton  county,  Iowa ; 
Oliver  was  a  member  of  an  Illinois  regiment 
in  the  Civil  war  and  died  of  disease  at  Chat- 
tanooga; Margaret  is  the  wife  of  David  M. 
Brown,  of  St.  Louis;  Robert  is  a  farmer 
and  stock  raiser  of  Gage  county,  Nebraska ; 
Nancy  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Lee,  a  city  offi- 
cial of  Beatrice,  Nebraska;  and  Daniel  P. 
is  a  mechanic  living  in  Colorado.  The  two 
youngest  were  born  in  Illinois,  the  others  in 
Pennsylvania. 

Theodore  McCormick  was  educated   in 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


419 


the  district  schools  of  liis  native  state,  and 
commenced  work  as  a  lahorer.  In  1856  lie 
came  to  Illinois,  and  while  at  Freeport  cast 
his  first  vote  for  Buchanan.  After  working 
as  a  farm  hand  for  one  year,  he  was  joined 
by  his  father  and  the  other  members  of  the 
family,  and  they  worked  together  three 
years  in  Stephenson  county  before  coming 
to  Livingston  county.  Here  our  subject  re- 
mained with  his  father  one  year,  and  then 
commenced  farming  for  himself  upon  rented 
land. 

On  the  19th  of  December,  1861,  Mr.  Mc- 
Cormick  married  Miss  Martha  J.  Snyder, 
who  was  born  in  Pennsyhania,  November 
16,  1S4J,  and  died  September  30,  1899. 
Her  parents,  Daniel  and  Mary  (\\'illiams) 
Snyder,  were  also  natives  of  Pennsylvania, 
where  the  mother  died  when  Martha  was 
young.  The  father  afterward  married 
again,  and  by  the  second  union  had  one  son, 
Frank  P.,  an  attorney  of  Chicago.  His 
last  days  were  spent  in  Mendota,  Illinois. 
By  the  first  marriage  there  were  four  chil- 
dren: Albert,  a  resident  of  Mendota;  Mar- 
tha J.,  deceased  wife  of  our  subject:  Kate, 
widow  of  Isaac  Eckert  and  a  resident  of 
Mendota ;  Tulietta,  wife  of  Henrj^  Bockoven, 
of  Clark  county,  South  Dakota.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McCormick  were  born  four  chil- 
dren, namely:  Seth,  born  January  4,  1863, 
is  a  farmer  of  Pontiac.  He  married  Louisa 
Drake,  and  has  two  children,  Mattie  and 
Elmer.  (2)  Xettie,  born  .\ugust  16,  1865, 
is  the  wife  of  J.  \V.  Ferguson,  of  Topeka, 
Kansas,  and  they  have  two  children,  Irma 
and  Harry.  (3)  .Mbert.  born  Septemljer 
30,  1871,  lives  at  home  and  manages  the 
farm.  (4)  Mattie,  born  March  24,  1876,  is 
keeping  house  for  her  father. 

Mr.  McCormick  engaged  in  farming 
upon  rented  land  until  1868,  when  he  pur- 


chased eighty  acres  of  partially  improved 
land  in  Odell  townshi]),  which  he  operated 
three  years,  and  then  had  charge  of  his  fa- 
ther's farm  for  the  same  lengtli  of  time.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  purchased  another 
eighty-acre  tract  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
township,  and,  meeting  with  success  here,  he 
subsequently  bought  one  hundred  and  si.xty 
acres  on  section  25,  where  he  now  resides, 
liaving  sold  his  two  eighty-acre  tracts.  In 
earlier  days  he  handled  stock  quite  extensive- 
ly, but  now  gives  his  entire  time  and  atten- 
tiiin  to  general  farming.  Although  he  has 
met  with  many  rever.ses,  through  sickness, 
l)ank  failures  and  hog  cholera,  he  has  stead- 
ily prospered,  overcoming  all  the  obstacles  in 
the  path  to  success,  and  is  today  one  of  the 
substantial  citizens  of  his  community.  He 
has  made  all  the  improvements  upon  his 
father's  farm,  including  the  erection  of  a 
beautiful  home  in  1893,  at  a  cost  of  about 
two  thousand  dollars.  His  land  is  thor- 
oughly tiled  an<l  under  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation. 

In  the  death  of  his  wife  Mr.  McCormick 
lost  a  devoted  companion  and  faithful  help- 
meet. She  was  a  most  estimable  lady,  well 
liked  by  all  who  knew  her,  and  always  took 
an  active  interest  in  everything  which  would 
advanced  the  welfare  of  her  family.  She  was 
never  ill.  but  passed  quietly  away  eight  min- 
utes after  suffering  a  stroke  of  paralysis. 
She  and  her  husband  traveled  fjuite  exten- 
sively i)\cr  the  east  and  west,  and  spent 
many  pleasant  days  in  this  way. 

Mr.  McCormick  has  always  attiliated 
with  the  Democratic  party,  has  efficiently 
served  as  road  commissioner  for  twelve 
years,  being  again  re-elected  in  1900,  and 
has  also  filled  the  office  of  school  director. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  .Mutual 
Aid  of  Odell. 


420 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


WHAT  IS  LIFE  ? 

Life  IS  a  narrow  vale  between  the  new 

and  the  old, 
A  narrow  path  betw-een  two  mountains 

bold, 
In  vain  we  try  to  look  beyond  those 

peaks  so  high, 
Still  we  see  nothing  but  the  varied  blue 

in  the  sky; 
Tho'  we  weep  aloud  with  anguish 

and  care. 
Our  voice  is  lost  on  the  empty  air. 
And  the  only  answer  we  receive  as 

the  years  roll  by. 
Is  the  resounding  echo  of  our  wailing 

cry; 
But  love  and  hope  see  a  star,  and  list- 
ening can  hear 
The  rustle  of  angel's  wings  as  their 

shadowy  forms  draw  near. 
We  are  humble  mortals  born  of  hopes 

and  fears, 
And  our  path  through  life  is  strewn 

with  smiles  and  tears. 
Of  all  there  is  in  life  of  sad  griefs  and 

joys  bright, 
There  is  not  much  between  the  happy 

morn  of  birth  and  death's  sad  night. 
We  march  on  through  life  ever  veiled 

in  mystery  and  dread, 
For  there  comes  no  answer  from  the 

voiceless  lips  of  the  dead. 
Tho'  the  stars  may  look  down  upon  us 

with  compassion  and  love, 
From  their  far  away  places  in  the  blue 

heavens  above, 
Tho'  learned  in  art  and  science  as 

taught  here  below, 
We  can  never  tell  in  what  channels 

our  lives  wdl  flow. 
Tho'  we  cry  aloud  in  our  vain  efforts 

the  future  to  learn, 
No  answer  will  ever — no  never — return; 
Tho'  the  heavens  for  information  we 

eagerly  scan. 
We  never  can  tell  the  true  destiny  of 

man. 

— REVILO. 


FRAXKLIX    OLIVER. 

Franklin  Oliver,  deceased,  was  nunibered 
among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Livingston 
county,  locating  in  ^^■hat  is  now  known  as 
Oliver's  Grox'c,  about  five  miles  south  of 
Chatsworth.  He  was  born  in  Bordentown, 
X'^ew  Jersey,  April  8,  1786,  and  b}-  profession 
was  a  civil  engineer  and  surveyor,  and  was 
following  that  occupation  at  the  breaking  out 
of  the  war  of  181 2.  He  enlisted  in  the 
service  almost  as  soon  as  war  was  proclaimed 
and  served  through  it  with  distinction.  He 
was  at  one  time  employed  as  general  man- 
ager for  Joseph  Bonaparte,  ex-king  of  Spain, 
a  brother  of  the  great  Napoleon  the  First. 
He  was  married  three  times,  his  first  wife 
being  Hannah  L.  Ruckle,  a  native  of  New 
Jersey,  whom  he  married  in  18 19.  She 
bore  him  five  children,  as  follows :  Ed- 
ward R.,  who  served  as  a  private  soldier  in 
the  Mexican  war,  and  was  also  a  captain  in 
the  Confederate  service  during  the  civil  war. 
He  now  resides  in  Corpus  Christi,  Texas, 
where  he  owns  Montreal  ranch,  consisting  of 
twenty  thousand  acres,  and  is  one  of  the 
wealthy  men  of  that  region;  Elias  B.,  who 
is  a  survevor  residing  near  Topeka,  Kan- 
sas; Helen  and  Franklin  C,  who  are  both 
deceased,  and  James,  who  is  a  civil  engineer, 
and  is  engaged  in  engineering  and  mining  at 
Ophir,  California. 

In  1833  Franklin  Oliver  came  with  his 
family  to  Livingston  county,  Illinois,  set- 
tling, as  already  stated,  in  Oliver's  Grove, 
which  continued  to  be  his  home  until  his 
death.  He  was  one  of  the  first  county  sur- 
veyors of  Livingston  county,  and  selected 
and  surveved  all  the  swamp  land  in  the 
county.  He  also  became  the  owner  of  four 
thousand  acres  of  choice  land  in  Livingston 
and  adjoining  counties,  but  never  actively 


REVILO  OLIVER. 


MISS  GERTIE  ROSS. 


The  Authors  Little  Niece. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


421 


engaged  in  farming,  tlie  land  beint;-  unly 
used  for  pasturing  during  his  lifetime. 

John  Oliver,  the  father  of  Franklin  Oli- 
ver, was  born  and  educated  in  Dublin.  Ire- 
land. He  emigrated  to  this  country  some- 
time prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war,  in 
which  he  served  as  quartermaster-general. 
He  was  a  warm  friend  of  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin, who  at  one  time  gave  him  a  portrait  of 
himself,  being  one  of  only  three  that  were 
ever  made.  It  was  painted  by  Francis  Hop- 
kins, one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence.  The  family  yet  have  that 
portrait  in  their  possession,  and  it  goes  with- 
out cpiestion  to  say  that  it  is  highly  prized. 
John  01i\er  was  the  pioneer  of  the  Oliver 
family  who  settled  in  Bordentmvn.  Xew 
Jersey. 

For  l:is  second  wife  Franklin  Oliver  mar- 
ried Sarah  Wert,  in  1846,  who  was  born  in 
Illinois,  and  bv  this  union  there  was  one 
daughter,  Caroline,  now  the  wife  of  Theo- 
dore Dorr,  residing  in  Livingston  county. 
For  his  third  wife  he  married  Amaretta 
Smith,  in  1850,  who  was  born  in  Oswego 
county,  New  York,  March  6,  1833.  Her 
father,  Luther  L.  Smith,  was  born  in  West- 
minster, Vermont,  and  married  Amaretta 
Fellows,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Captain 
Fellows,  of  war  fame.  His  father,  Luther 
Smith,  was  also  born  in  Vermont,  where  he 
married  Love  Leavitt,  of  Vermont,  whose 
mother  was  Love  Howard,  and  whose  grand- 
parents achieved  fame  by  coming  over  in  the 
Mayflower. 

Luther  L.  Smith  came  to  Livingston 
county  when  Mrs.  Oliver  was  a  small  child. 
He  settleil  on  what  is  known  as  Smith's 
Mound,  north  of  Pontiac,  and  which  is  the 
highest  elevation  in  the  county.  The  ma- 
ternal grandfather  of  Mrs.  Oliver,  Captain 
F"ellows,  who  served  in  the  Revolutionary 


war.  went  into  the  service  as  a  teamster 
when  very  young,  and  was  promoted  to  a 
captaincy  during  the  war.  His  father  was 
Colonel  Fellows,  who  held  that  title  during 
the  Revolutionary  war.  Captain  Fellows 
married  Miss  Anna  Grant,  of  Old  Hartford, 
Ctjnnecticut,  relative  of  General  Grant. 
Adelia  Smith,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Oliver,  was 
the  first  lady  teacher  in  Pontiac.  teaching 
school  in  the  nld  court  lnuise.  She  was  a 
very  talented  lady,  and  the  belle  of  Living- 
-ston  county.  She  is  now  the  wife  of  Hor- 
ace Scripture,  df  t)swego,  Xew  York.  Ada- 
line  .Smith,  who  died  yoiuig.  was  also  a 
school  teacher  and  a  minister  in  the  Meth- 
odist church.  She  was  a  fine  public  speaker. 
Jerome  B.  Smith  lives  on  the  old  homesteatl 
on  Smith's  Mound,  where  he  owns  about 
six  hundred  acres  of  well  improved  lantl. 
Solomon  J.  Smith  is  now  living  retired  near 
Chicago.  Xiles  was  a  soldier  in  the  civil 
war,  and  served  until  the  end.  He  later 
went  to  Oklahoma  where  he  died  in  1895. 
To  Franklin  and  Amaretta  Oliver  were 
born  three  children:  Revilo,  John  L.  and 
Florence.  Revilo,  e.x-iuayor  of  Chatsworth, 
the  famous  song  composer,  author  of  "Sol- 
diers of  the  Maine."  the  great  Spanish- 
American  war  song;  "The  Hero  of  Manila," 
the  famous  Dewey  song;  "Xineteen  Hun- 
dred Years  Ago,"  a  Christmas  song  and 
chorus  relating  to  the  Savior  of  the  world; 
"The  V'olunteers,"  a  war  song  and  chorus, 
representing  the  largest  army  in  ilic  world, 
and  other  beautiful  songs  and  poems.  He 
has  the  distinction  of  being  both  an  author 
and  inventor,  a  characteristic  seldom  found 
in  one  per.son.  He  inherits  his  Christian 
and  ])oetic  nature  from  his  mother,  who  is 
a  noble.  Christian  woman,  and  a  great  finan- 
cier. His  family  consists  of  his  mother 
and  his  little  niece.  Miss  Gertie  Ross,  whose 


42: 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


pliotograph  appears  in  this  work.  She  is 
a  bright  little  girl  of  considerable  oratorical 
al)ility,  to  whom  the  poet  is  very  much  at- 
tached. He  also  has  the  distinction  of  being 
the  first  and  only  person  in  the  world  who 
bears  the  name  of  Revilo,  which  is  consid- 
ered by  many  to  be  the  sweetest  and  pret- 
tiest name  kno\\n  to  the  English  language, 
being  a  new  name  originating  with  his  fa- 
ther, from  whom  he  inherits  his  mechanical 
ingenuity.  One  thing  that  makes  him  lo- 
cally famous  is  the  peculiarity  of  his  name. 
Revilo,  when  read  backwards  spells  Oliver, 
and  Oliver  when  read  backwards  spells  Re- 
vilo. He  is  a  natural  orator  and  a  good 
judge  of  law  and  equity,  and.  like  most  all 
poets,  he  is  endowed  with  a  genial,  kind- 
hearted  and  sympathetic  nature,  but  when 
thoroughly  aroused  by  injustice  he  is  un- 
yielding and  of  a  warlike  disposition.  He 
is  styled  Revilo,  the  Christian  poet,  because 
there  is  something  about  his  compositions 
that  reminds  one  of  the  other  world.  His 
songs  and  poems  are  sad,  but  beautiful. 
They  have  a  sublimity  of  thought  and  a 
tenderness  of  feeling  that  touches  the  heart 
of  everyone. 

John  L.,  who  is  residing  on  part  of  the 
home  farm,  is  a  successful  agriculturist  and 
raiser  of  blooded  stock,  is  married,  and  has 
five  children — Ralph,  Daisy,  Arthur,  Orvile 
and  Oma.  Florence  is  the  wife  of  Thomas 
Ross,  and  they  now  reside  in  Lake  Village, 
Indiana.  He  is  a  farmer,  and  also  a  horse 
trainer  and  track  driver.  They  have  four 
children — Gertie,  Charles,  Joseph  R.  and 
Murrell  D.  The  first  named  makes  her 
home  with  her  uncle.  Revilo  and  her  grand- 
mother Oliver,  and  is  a  bright  and  talented 
young  elocutionist. 

Ann  Oliver,  a  sister  of  Franklin  Oliver, 
was  a  natural  artist,  and  some  of  her  work 


is  in  possession  of  the  family  at  the  present 
time.  She  is  buried  at  Pontiac,  where  she 
distinguished  herself  during  the  cholera  epi- 
demic of  1848  by  taking  care  of  a  number  of 
afflicted  ones,  who  all  recovered,  but  she  her- 
self was  taken  with  the  dread  disease  and 
her  life  was  thus  ofifered  a  sacrifice  to  others. 
Franklin  Oliver,  after  a  long  and  useful 
life,  died  September  19,  1881.  His  widow. 
Mrs.  Amaretta  Oliver,  survives  him,  and 
now  makes  her  home  in  the  city  of  Chats- 
worth,  where  she  owns  a  fine  residence. 
She  is  also  the  owner  of  over  eleven  hun- 
dred acres  of  choice  farm  land  in  Living- 
ston county,  from  which  she  derives  a  hand- 
some income. 


WILLIAM   WILLARD   SHEDD. 

William  Willard  Shedd,  formerly  a 
prominent  farmer  of  Yates  townsh'p,  Mc- 
Lean county,  who  is  now  living  a  reLred 
life  in  Fairbury.  was  born  in  Alstead.  Xew 
Hampshire.  July  14.  1835  and  is  a  smi  of 
William  and  Abigail  (  Wallace)  Shedd,  also 
natives  of  that  state,  the  former  hovn  in 
Mason,  in  1801,  the  latter  in  Greenfield,  in 
1 8 10.  Both  belonged  to  old  Xew  England 
families,  and  the  paternal  ancestry  was  of 
French  descent,  the  maternal  of  Scotch. 
In  their  family  were  nine  children,  namely : 
]\Iary  E.,  now  the  widow  of  John  G.  Graves 
and  a  resident  of  Evanston,  Illinois;  Silas 
L.,  a  resident  of  Corvallis.  Oregon:  William 
W.,  our  subject:  Herman,  who  served  as  a 
pri\-ate  in  the  Ci\-il  war  and  was  killed  at 
the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  in  1862;  Jonas  W., 
a  resident  of  Rensselaer,  Indiana;  Spalding 
S..  also  a  resident  of  that  place;  Edwin,  of 
Lewiston,  California ;  John  G.,  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Marshall  Field  &  Company,  of 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


423 


Cliicagc) :  and  one  wlio  died  in  infancy.  The 
lather  was  a  prosi)erous  farmer  of  Xe.v 
Hampshire,  but  after  his  children  were  al' 
^nnvn  and  Iiad  left  the  parental  rnof,  he 
M.ld  the  old  home  and  came  to  Illinois  to 
live  with  them.  He  died  at  the  home  of  his 
dauj^hter  in  Knox  county,  Illinois,  in  De- 
cember, 1875 ;  and  his  wife  died  at  the  home 
of  our  subject  in  F"airbury,  in  December. 
1894.  Both  were  faithful  members  of  the 
Congregational  church  and  active  workers 
m  the  same. 

Our  subject  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  state  and  aided 
in  the  work  of  the  home  farm  until  eighteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  found  employment 
as  a  clerk  in  a  general  store  for  two  years. 
He  was  then  appointed  as  an  attendant  in 
the  asylum  for  insane  at  Taunton.  Massa- 
chusetts, a  position  he  held  one  year.  De- 
ciding to  go  to  the  far  west,  on  the  12th  of 
April,  i860,  in  company  with  \\  .  \\  .  Iviger 
and  family.  John  Hardenburg  and  William 
Phillips,  he  started  to  cross  the  plains  with 
ox  teams.  Thc\-  crossed  the  Mississip])i 
river  atOcjuawkaand  the  Missouri  at  Council 
Bluffs.  .\t  that  time  there  was  not  a  house 
standing  on  the  present  site  of  Omaha.  They 
continued  their  slow  journey  to  Salt  Lake 
and  Honey  Lake  X'allcy,  and  arrived  in  Ore- 
gon September  i,  taking  fi\e  months  to 
complete  their  trij).  They  met  many  Indians 
on  the  plains,  but  they  were  nearly  all  friend- 
ly, doing  considerable  trading  with  the  emi- 
grant trains  that  were  continuously  crossing 
to  the  gold  regions.  l.Ir.  Shedd  remained 
in  Oregon  some  time  and  found  employment 
at  good  wages.  In  the  snring  of  1863  he 
conducted  a  second  pack  train  into  the  wilds 
of  Idaho,  and  spent  six  years  in  the  west, 
mostly  in  California  and  Oregon. 

In    1866  he  came  to   Illinois  and   pur- 


chased eighty  acres  of  land  in  Yates  town- 
ship, McLean  county,  which  at  that  time  was 
wild  prairie  anil  swamp  land,  but  by  industry 
and  perseverance  he  soon  placed  it  under 
cultivation,  .\ftcr  erecting  thereon  a  rude 
house,  he  returned  to  his  boyhod  home  in 
1867  for  a  wife,  and  was  there  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Rhoila  M.  Graves.  He 
brought  his  bride  to  his  newly  acquired  home 
in  Illinois,  and  for  many  years  successfullv 
followed  general  farming  and  stock  raising 
in  McLean  county.  He  added  another  one- 
hundred-and-sixty-acre  tract  to  his  posses- 
sions, and  built  a  pleasant  residence.  By 
good  management  and  hard  work  he  placed 
the  land  under  cultivation  and  made  manv 
improvements  thereon.  He  sold  eighty  acres 
at  a  good  profit,  but  still  retains  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  which  he  now  rents  while 
living  retired  in  Fairbury,  enjoying  a  well- 
e.irned  rest.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shedd  are  the 
[jarents  of  three  children,  namely :  Herman, 
who  is  successfully  engaged  in  farming  on 
the  old  homestead,  is  married  and  has  two 
children.  Mary  R.  and  Florence  M. ;  John 
W.  is  a  leading  dentist  of  Chicago :  and  D(jra 
G.  is  at  home. 

Politically  Mr.  Shedd  has  always  been 
identifietl  with  the  Republican  party,  and  has 
held  office  almost  t(Mitinuously  sinceattaining 
his  majority,  being  one  of  the  leading  and 
influential  citizens  oi  his  community.  He 
served  as  assessor  for  twelve  consecutive 
years,  supervisor  two  terms,  and  township 
school  trustee  twenty  years,  having  always 
taken  a  firm  stand  for  good  schools.  He 
has  served  his  fellow  citizens  most  faithfully 
and  to  the  best  of  his  ability.  Reaching 
the  age  when  he  felt  farm  work  too  arduous, 
he  purchased  a  lot  in  Fairbury  in  1894  and 
erected  a  modern  residence,  fitted  with  all 
conveniences  obtainaljle  and  there  he  is  li\- 


424 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


ing  a  quiet,  retired  life  with  his  wife  and 
daughter.  He  lias  been  elected  justice  of  the 
peace  and  is  now  filling  that  office.  He  is 
a  man  of  jovial  disposition,  who  makes 
many  friends  and  is  held  in  high  regard  by 
all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact  either  in 
business  or  social  life. 


W.   H.   BARICKMAN. 

W.  H.  Barickman,  a  prominent  musician 
and  a  successful  farmer,  residing  on  section 
30,  Newtown  township,  Livingston  county, 
Illinois,  was  born  upon  his  present  farm, 
May  II,  1865,  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Mary 
Augusta  Barickman,  represented  elsewhere 
in  this  volume.  He  began  his  education  in 
the  district  schools  of  Reading  township, 
the  same  county,  and  later  attended  college 
iit  Dixon,  Illinois,  where  he  gave  special  at- 
tention to  the  study  of  music.  Since  his 
return  home  in  1889  he  has  had  charge  of  the 
farm,  and  now  successfully  operates  two 
hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  of  land  in 
Newtown  township.  He  also  owns  one 
hundred  and  three  acres  on  section  19,  the 
same  township,  which  he  rents. 

On  the  loth  of  July,  1889,  Mr.  Barick- 
man was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Eliza 
Semans,  a  native  of  Livingston  county,  and 
a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Rebecca  Semans, 
whose  sketch  appears  on  another  page  of 
this  volume.  By  this  union  have  been  born 
five  children,  namely :  Earl  Wade,  Ray  W., 
Winifred,  Charles'Max  and  Edwin  K. 

In  his  social  relations  Mr.  Barickman  is 
a  charter  member  of  Ancona  Camp,  No. 
1835,  M.  W.  A.;  in  politics  is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party.  For  the  past 
,se\cn  vears  he  has  served  as  school  director 


in  district  number  ten,  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  all  enterprises  calculated  to  ad- 
vance the  moral,  social  and  material  wel- 
fare of  his  community.  He  has  always  been 
an  ardent  lover  of  music,  and  has  devoted 
considerable  attention  to  the  study  of  that 
art,  as  he  possesses  much  talent  in  that  di- 
rection. He  has  a  good  voice,  and  is  able 
to  play  on  several  different  instruments.  For 
the  past  ten  years  he  has  been  a  musical  di- 
rector, and  at  present  is  instructing  two 
brass  bands  of  eighteen  pieces  each,  and  an 
orchestra  of  eight  pieces,  principally  string 
instruments.  He  also  has  many  private 
scholars,  and  was  formerly  a  cornet  player 
in  the  Fourth  Regiment  Band  located  at 
Streator.  He  is  cjuite  popular,  both  in  mu- 
sical and  social  circles,  and  justly  merits  the 
hioh  regard  in  which  he  is  held. 


AMMON  DEFENBAUGH. 

Amnion  Defenbaugli,  one  of  the  most 
successful  farmers  and  stock  raisers  of 
Reading  township,  Livingston  county,  as 
well  as  one  of  its  most  enterprising  and  pub- 
lic-spirited citizens,  was  born  in  Xewtown 
township,  that  same  county,  May  27,  1854, 
and  is  a  son  of  Elijah  and  Catherine  (Defen- 
baugli) Defenbaugh,  a  sketch  of  whom  ap- 
pears on  another  page  of  this  volume.  He 
was  only  able  to  attend  school  about  three 
months  during  the  year,  but  continued  his 
studies  in  the  district  schools,  as  he  found 
opportunity,  until  he  attained  his  majority. 
He  aided  his  father  in  the  work  of  the  home 
farm  until  the  latter's  death  in  1S86,  and 
then  commenced  farming  on  his  own  ac- 
count. He  now  operates  se\-en  hundred  and 
seventy  acres  of  land  in  Reading  township. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


425 


tour  hundred  acres  of  wliicli  belongs  to 
him.  Having  become  tliorouglily  familiar 
with  all  the  duties  which  fall  to  the  lot  of 
the  agriculturist,  he  met  with  marked  suc- 
cess at  the  beginning  nf  his  career,  and  todax' 
is  one  of  the  most  prosperous  farmers  of  the 
township.  He  feeds  annuall}-  about  one 
hundred  head  of  cattle  and  two  hundred 
b-ogs,  in  this  way  using  all  the  grain  raised 
upon  his  land.  .\s  a  business  man  he  is  re- 
liable, energetic  and  progressive,  and  has 
the  entire  confidence  and  respect  of  those 
with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Defenbaugh  alKiliates 
with  Ancona  Camp,  Xo.  1S35,  M.  W.  A., 
and  politically  is  identified  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  He  has  always  taken  an  ac- 
tive interest  in  anything  pertaining  to  the 
good  of  his  party;  for  the  past  twenty  years 
has  been  committeeman  of  Reading  town- 
ship; and  for  many  years  has  been  a  dele- 
gate to  county,  congressional  and  state  con- 
ventions. He  takes  a  prominent  and  in- 
fluential part  in  local  affairs;  was  assessor 
of  his  township  one  year,  and  supervisor 
three  years,  during  which  time  he  was  a 
member  of  several  of  the  most  important 
committees,  including  the  one  on  jail  and 
jail  accounts.  Fie  has  also  ser\'ed  as  school 
director  and  is  now  school  trustee. 


GEORGE  E.  BENNETT. 

George  E.  Bennett,  a  highly  esteemed 
farmer  of  Rooks  Creek  township,  Living- 
ston county,  is  a  citizen  of  whom  it  may  be 
truly  said  wherever  he  has  resided  the  com- 
munity has  been  the  better  and  more  pros- 
perous for  his  presence.  He  has  firmly 
stood  for  public  improvements,  schools  and 


churches,  and  progress  in  all  lines,  and  by 
voice  and  means  has  used  his  influence  for 
the  good  and  right.  .\s  he  justly  deserves, 
success  has  attended  his  industrious,  well  a])- 
]ilied  efforts  in  business,  ami  his  innumer- 
able friends  in  this  portion  of  the  state  re- 
joice in  his  good  fortune. 

In  tracing  the  ancestral  history  of  our 
subject,  it  is  found  that  he  is  of  French  de- 
scent, on  both  sides  of  the  family.  His 
paternal  grandfather.  Colonel  Green  Ben- 
nett, won  his  title  during  some  of  the  early 
wars  of  this  country.  He  resided  in  Che- 
mung CDUiity.  New  \  iirk.  in  the  early  part  of 
this  century,  and  there  his  .sun,  Thomas  S., 
lather  of  our  subject,  was  born  and  reared 
to  manhood.  He  married  Mary  Brown, 
likewise  a  native  of  Chemung  county,  and  in 
1850  they  removeil  to  Kendall  county,  Illi- 
nois. Later  the  family  located  in  Kane 
county,  and  in  1867  they  removed  to  this 
county,  with  which  their  name  has  since 
l)een  closely  associated.  Mr.  Bennett  was 
summoned  to  the  silent  land  in  1869,  and 
was  survived  a  score  of  years  by  his  widow, 
who  made  her  home  with  her  son  George 
until  her  death,  in  February,  1899.  This 
beloved  couple,  whose  lives  have  much  of 
inspiration  to  the  younger  generation,  are 
now  sleeping  their  last  sleep  in  Johnson 
cemetery. 

George  E.  Bennett  was  born  on  the  old 
family  estate  in  Chemung  county,  New 
York,  November  9,  1848,  and,  as  he  was 
young  when  he  was  brought  to  Illinois,  he 
knows  no  other  home.  Here  he  received  a 
common  school  education,  and  laid  the  foun- 
dations for  his  future  success  by  practical 
application  to  his  chosen  calling.  When 
he  was  less  than  twenty  years  of  age  he  came 
to  this  county  and  purchased  eighty  acres  of 
land  in  section  10,  Rooks  Creek  township 


426 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


his  present  homestead.  True,  this  was  a 
wild  trict  of  land,  and  ahoiit  its  only  im- 
provement was  a  small  cabin,  but  the  young 
man,  with  true  foresight,  believed  that  a 
fine  farm  could  be  developed  here.  W'ithin 
a  few  years  he  had  developed  the  land  and 
reaped  good  harvests  each  year.  Besides  this, 
he  rented  additional  land,  which  yielded 
large  crops  annually,  and  later  he  increased 
the  boundaries  of  his  farm  to  two  hundred 
and  eight  acres. 

With  characteristic  enterprise,  Mr.  Ben- 
nett was  the  first  one  in  this  township  to 
purchase  and  lay  tiling,  the  experiment 
being  made  in  1883,  when  he  laid  thirteen 
hundred  rods  of  tile,  at  a  cost  of  eleven  hun- 
dred dollars.  This  venture  proving  a  suc- 
cess, as  some  land  that  otherwise  had  not 
been  of  much  value  was  thereby  made  highly 
productive,  he  invested  more  capital  in  til- 
ing, and  his  example  was  followed  by  many 
of  his  neighbors.  Today  a  pleasant  modern 
farm  house,  well  built  barns,  a  thrifty  or- 
chard and  beautiful  fields  of  grain  and  hay 
proclaim  the  judicious  care  and  industry  of 
the  owner. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Bennett  and  Martha 
E.  Douglas  was  solemnized  in  this  county, 
February  i,  1881.  Her  father.  Reason  N. 
Dotiglas,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Livingston  county,  coming  here  from  Ohio. 
Mrs.  Bennett  was  born  in  this  pioneer  home, 
and  was  reared  to  maturity  here,  enjoying 
the  benefits  of  the  common  schools  and  com- 
pleting her  education  in  Eureka  (Illinois) 
College,  after  which  she  engaged  in  teach- 
ing. Four  children  bless  the  union  of  our 
subject  and  wife,  namely:  Myron  E., 
Ivlary  E.,  Thomas  R.  and  Mabel.  Leroy, 
the  first  born,  died  at  the  age  nf  three  and 
one-half  years. 

Upon  receiving  the  right  of  franchise, 


\h-.  Bennett  voted  for  General  U.  S.  Grant, 
Ijut  of  late  years  he  has  kept  free  from  party 
obligations,  and  uses  his  ballot  for  the  plat- 
form and  nominee  which  he  deems  best 
suited  for  the  emergency  and  times.  For 
many  years  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  education,  as  township  clerk  and 
trustee,  and  ga\-e  entire  satisfaction  to  the 
people  in  his  discharge  of  his  duties  of 
citizenship.  Air.  and  ]Mrs.  Bennett  are 
members  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Gray- 
mont,  and,  besides  being  one  of  the  ofticial 
board,  he  is  a  great  worker  in  the  Sunday 
school,  and  is  president  of  the  Sunday  School 
Association  of  this  township. 


F.  K.  HACK. 


F.  K.  Hack,  a  well-known  citizen  and 
leading  agriculturist  of  Sullivan  township, 
Livingston  county,  Illinois,  residing  on  sec- 
tion 14,  was  born  Februar}'  4,  1862,  in  that 
township,  just  two  miles  south  of  his  present 
home,  and  is  a  son  of  Frederick  and  Martha 
iKnorr)  Hack,  natives  of  Baxaria,  Ger- 
many. The  father  x\as  born  [March  6,  1828, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1852  emigrated  to  the 
L'nited  States.  From  New  York  city  he 
went  to  Pittsburg,  and  found  employment 
as  a  farm  hand  in  Butler  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia, where  he  remained  four  years.  He 
then  came  to  Grundy  county,  Illinois,  and 
two  years  later  to  Livingston  county,  where 
he  has  since  made  his  home.  In  1857  he 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
government  land  in  Sulliwan  township, 
which  at  that  time  was  vevy  swampy  and  all 
wild  and  unimpri:>\-ed,  Init  he  soon  trans- 
formed it  into  a  good  farm.  He  added  to  his 
landed  possessions  from  time  to  time  as  his 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


427 


financial  resources  increased  \intil  lie  hail 
over  six  hundred  acres  o£  well  improved  and 
valuable  land,  some  of  which  he  sold  for 
ninety-two  dollars  and  a  half  per  acre.  His 
success  in  life  was  due  entirely  to  his  own 
unaided  efforts  for  he  started  out  empty- 
handetl.  He  engaged  in  farming  until  the 
village  of  Cullom  sprang  into  existence,  when 
he  embarked  in  the  lumber  and  hardware 
business  at  that  place  and  later  he  also  dealt 
in  grain.  For  many  years  he  was  promi- 
nently identified  with  public  affairs,  repre- 
senting Sullivan  township  on  the  county 
board  of  supervisors  three  years,  and  serv- 
ing as  road  commissioner  eighteen  years, 
school  director  sixteen  years,  and  president 
of  the  village  board  several  years.  He  was 
formerly  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  now 
votes  independently,  and  is  an  acti\e  and 
faithful  member  of  the  Lutheran  church. 
On  the  1st  of  June,  1852,  he  married  Miss 
Martha  Knorr.  who  died  July  4.  1898,  and 
Ik.  is  now  living  retired  among  his  children 
in  Sullivan  township.  In  his  family  are 
the  following:  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Ezra 
Grush.  of  Dwight  township,  Livingston 
county;  Lena,  wife  of  Ernest  Opperman,  of 
Sullivan  township;  Caroline,  wife  of  An- 
drew H.  Haag.  supervisor  of  Sullivan  town- 
ship; Katie,  who  married  Leonard  Haag  and 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years;  Ezra, 
who  is  living  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Sulli- 
van township;  and  Frederick  K.,  our  sul)ject. 
During  his  boyhood  Frederick  K.  Hack 
attended  the  district  schools  of  Sullivan 
township,  and  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  he  attained  his  majority,  when 
•he  commenced  farming  upon  land  rented 
from  his  father.  On  the  8th  of  October, 
1884,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Lizzie  Keck,  of  the  same  township,  a  daugh- 
ter of  .\ndrew   and   Catlierine   Keck,   who 


came  fnmi  IV-nnsyhania  to  Livingston 
county,  Illinois,  at  an  early  day,  and  are  now 
living  retired  in  Cullom  at  the  ages  of 
seventy-six  and  seventy-two  years,  respect- 
ively. In  their  family  of  eight  children 
Mrs.  Hack  is  the  seventh  in  order  of  birth. 
Our  subject  and  his  wife  have  five  children, 
namely:  Albert,  Ernest,  Willie,  Roy  and 
Gertie,  all  attending  the  home  school  with 
exception  of  the  youngest. 

In  1889  Mr.  Hack  purchased  eighty  acres 
of  land  on  section  14.  Sullivan  town.ship,  of 
Edward  Cook,  a  part  of  which  was  improved 
and  under  cultivation,  and  which  he  has 
since  tiled  and  converted  into  an  excellent 
farm.  In  1895  he  bought  an  adjoining 
eighty  acres  of  Linden  Bute,  and  the  same 
year  erected  a  barn,  crib  and  wind-mill.  He 
lias  no  specialty,  but  is  successfully  engaged 
in  general  farming.  For  three  years,  from 
1892  to  1895,  ^i^  '^^*i  charge  of  his  father's 
general  store  in  Cullom,  but  since  then  has 
devoted  his  energies  to  agricultural  pursuits 
alone. 

Mr.  and  ^Irs.  Hack  are  both  active  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  church,  of  Cullom,  of 
which  he  has  been  a  trustee  for  the  past  two 
years.  On  national  issues  he  votes  the 
Democratic  ticket,  but  at  local  elections  sup- 
ports the  men  whom  he  believes  best  qualified 
for  office  regardless  of  party  lines.  In  the 
spring  of  1900  he  was  elected  road  commis- 
sioner, and  is  now  most  creditalily  filling 
that  office. 


.\LBERT  M.WtlSER. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  is  now 
successfully  engaged  in  farming  in  Nebras- 
ka township.  Livingston  county.  Illinois,  was 
born  in  Germanv.  on  the  4th  of  Xo\ember, 


42t 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


1852.  and  is  a  son  of  Manert  and  Fannie 
(Strunk)  Manhser,  also  natives  of  that 
country.  In  1873  the  family  emigrated  to 
America  and  on  landing  proceeded  at  once 
to  Illinois.  They  first  located  in  Mason 
county,  where  they  remained  two  years,  and 
then  removed  to  Tazewell  county.  Shortly 
afterward  the  parents  settled  in  Amden,  Illi- 
nois, where  they  now  reside.  After  a  long 
and  useful  career  the  father  is  spending  his 
declining  years  in  the  quietude  of  a  retired 
life.  He  is  now  eighty  years  of  age,  while 
his  wife  is  eighty-six,  but  they  still  enjoy 
good  health.  In  1897  this  venerable  couple 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding.  They  are 
widely  and  favorably  known  and  are  held 
ill  the  highest  regard  in  the  community  in 
which  they  reside.  In  their  family  are  six 
children,  namely :  John,  a  resident  of  Am- 
den; Maggie,  wife  of  Lambert  Helman.  of 
San  Jose,  Illinois;  Barney,  of  Pekin,  Illi- 
nois; Albert,  our  subject;  Maynard,  of  Dela- 
\an,  Illinois;  and  Lena,  wife  of  Albert  W'ei- 
mer,  of  San  Jose. 

Albert  Manhser  was  reareil  and  edu- 
cated in  his  native  land,  and  during  his 
youth  served  in  the  German  army.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-one  he  came  with  the  family  to 
the  Lnited  States,  and  worked  as  a  farm 
hand  in  Mason  and  Tazewell  counties  until 
1 89 1,  when  he  mo\'ed  to  Livingston  county, 
and  was  engaged  in  tile-making  in  Flana- 
gan for  eight  years.  In  1899  he  commenced 
farming  upon  his  present  place  in  Nebraska 
township,  and  has  since  de\'oted  his  ener- 
gies to  that  occupation,  meeting  with  good 
success  in  his  labors. 

In  1880  Mr.  Manhser  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Kate  Sleeter,  also  a  nati\e 
(^f  Germany,  and  to  them  ha\e  been  born 
five  children:  Timothy,  (irace.  I'annie, 
Jennie  and  Maggie.      Politically  Mr.  Manh- 


ser affiliates  with  the  Democratic  partv,  and 
religiously  is  a  member  of  the  German  Re- 
formed church.  L'pright  and  honorable  in 
a  1.1  things,  he  commands  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  those  with  whom  he  comes  in  con- 
tact, either  in  business  or  social  life. 


FRED  REIXEKE. 

Fred  Reineke,  one  of  the  most  energetic 
and  progressive  agriculturists  of  \\'aldo 
township,  Livingston  county,  was  born  in 
Germany,  October  28,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of 
Ludwig  and  Geshe  (Theesfield)  Reineke, 
natives  of  Germany,  and  now  residents  of 
Cissna  Park,  Illinois.  He  is  the  oldest  of 
their  seven  children,  the  others  being  as  fol- 
lows:  Maggie,  born  April  2.  1866,  mar- 
ried John  Toelstede,  of  Nebraska  township, 
and  she  died  April  30,  1892;  Ulrich,  born 
January  i,  1868,  resides  in  Iroquois,  Illinois; 
Henry,  born  January  5,  1871,  lives  in  Indian 
Territory;  Charles,  born  February  9,  1877, 
resides  in  Iroquois,  Illinois ;  Christian,  born 
May  10,  1879,  is  also  a  resident  of  Indian 
Territory;  and  John,  born  January  13.  1887, 
lives  with  his  parents. 

Our  subject  came  to  .\merica  with  his 
parents  when  eleven  years  old,  was  reared 
on  the  home  farm  in  Livingston  county,  and 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. Since  starting  out  in  life  for  him- 
self he  has  devoted  his  time  and  energies  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  and  in  his  labors  has 
met  with  well  deserved  success.  That  he 
thoroughly  understands  his  chosen  occupa- 
tion is  shown  by  the  neat  and  thrifty  ap- 
l)earance  of  his   farm  in  Waldo  townsh'p. 

On  the  17th  of  November,  1887,  Mr. 
Reineke  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


429 


Adelliaid  Jeiisoii.  of  Rooks  Creek  township, 
Livingston  county,  vvlio  died  December  i. 
1896,  leaving  tliree  cliiklren,  namely  :  Tena, 
horn  December  19,  1889;  Ludwig,  born  Sep- 
tember 7,  1891  :-and  Maggie,  born  June  lO, 
1893.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Reineke 
married  Miss  Grace  Sprague,  an  adopted 
daughter  of  Nicholas  Randall  Sprague,  of 
Wot  1(1  ciiuntv,  Ohio. 


GEORGE  W.  BEXTLEV. 

George  W.  Bentley,  who  is  now  success- 
fully engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  on 
section  20,  .\\-oca  township,  has  l)een  a  resi- 
dent of  Livingston  C(nmty  since  1866,  and 
since  reaching  manhood  has  been  actively 
identified  with  its  business  interests.  He  is 
a  native  of  Illinois,  born  in  Peoria  county, 
December  21,  1857,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
W.  and  Diana  M.  (Myers)  Bentley,  the 
former  a  native  of  England,  the  latter  of 
I'ennsyhania.  They  are  now  living  in 
Pontiac  a  quiet,  retired  life,  after  many  years 
of  hard  work,  during  which  they  acquired  a 
competence  sufficient  to  keep  them  the  re- 
mainder of  their  days.  The  father  followed 
farming  quite  successfully  until  1891,  when 
lie  moved  to  the  city,  after  selling  his  farm. 
He  also  owned  a  farm  in  Kansas  which  he 
tlisposed  of  a  few  years  ago.  He  has  al- 
ways affiliated  with  the  Republican  party, 
and  is  an  active  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  as  well  as  one  of  its  lib- 
eral supporters.  Ten  children  were  born  to 
John  \V.  Bentley  and  wife,  of  whom  two 
died  in  early  childhood.  Those  living  are 
-Vlbert  M.,  a  farmer  living  near  Rochelle, 
Ogle  county,  Illinois:  William  H..  a  resident 
of  Pontiac;  Roger  P.,  a  farmer  of  .\voca 


township:  George  W..  our  subject:  Edward 
.v.,  a  ])rosperiius  farmer  of  E])pards  Point 
townshi]):  lohn  E..  who  lives  in  the  north- 
ern i)art  of  Pontiac  township:  Gilbert  11., 
an  employe  in  a  lumber  yard  at  Pontiac  :  and 
Benjamin  F.,  a  farmer  of  Esmen  township. 
George  W.  Bentley  attended  the  common 
schools  of  Livingston  county,  and  remained 
at  home  with  his  father  on  the  farm  until 
1878.  In  1885  he  married  Miss  Dora  Bod- 
ley,  a  native  of  Avoca  township,  and  a 
daughter  of  John  Bodley,  one  of  the  old  set- 
tlers still  living  in  that  township.  She  died 
in  1888,  leaving  one  daughter,  Daisv,  who 
is  with  her  father.  After  the  death  of  his 
wife  Mr.  Bentley  sold  his  stock  and  imple- 
ments and  moved  to  Pontiac,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  coal  business  and  later  dealt  in 
lumber  for  two  years.  He  was  identified 
with  the  representative  men  of  Pontiac,  and 
served  as  assistant  postmaster  of  that  city 
lor  three  years.  By  good  business  ability 
he  succeeded  in  saving  some  money,  and  in 
1895  1'^  purchased  one  hundred  and  fiftv- 
(jue  acres  of  improved  land  on  section  20, 
Avoca  township,  paying  eighty-seven  and  a 
half  dollars  for  the  same.  He  located  upon 
his  farm  three  }ears  later,  and  there  he  has 
since  successfully  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising.  He  has  erected  new- 
outbuildings  and  made  other  improvements, 
and  the  farm  n(jw  yields  hiiu  g(jod  returns. 

In  1893  Mr.  Bentlev  was  again  married, 
his  second  union  being  with  Miss  Martha 
.Augustine,  who  was  born  in  l'enns\l\ani;i, 
and  came  to  this  state  with  her  parents  w  hen 
((uite  young.  In  his  political  \iews  Mr. 
Bentley  is  a  Reiniblican,  and  while  a  resi- 
dent of  Pontiac  served  as  city  trea.surer  two 
years,  as  well  as  assistant  pf)stmaster.  He 
has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  political 
affairs,  and  was  appointed  census  enumer- 


430 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


ator  in  Avoca  township  in  1900.  He  is  a 
member  of  Pontiac  Lodge,  No.  294,  F.  &  A. 
]\I.,  and  Pontiac  Lodge,  No.  262,  I.  O.  O. 
F.,  and  in  social  as  well  as  business  circles 
lie  is  higlilv  respected  and  esteemed. 


GEORGE  W.  HORTON. 

George  W.  Horton,  superintendent  of  the 
city  schools  of  Dwight,  Illinois,  was  born  in 
Channahon,  Will  county,  near  Joliet,  this 
state,  June  17,  185S.  a  sun  of  William  H. 
and  Charlotte  (Lish)  Hortun,  both  natives 
cf  Sussex  county.  New  Jerse}-,  the  former 
born  in  1825,  the  latter  in  1835.  The  fam- 
ily was  foundeil  nn  Long  Island  at  an  early 
da_\',  antl  was  represented  in  the  Revolutiijn- 
ary  war  and  the  war  of  1812.  The  Pro- 
fessor's paternal  great-grandparents  -were 
Caleb  (or  Caleph)  and  Phebe  (Terry)  Hor- 
ton, while  his  grandparents  were  Terry  and 
Rosanna  (  Stine )  Horton,  natives  of  Sus- 
sex and  \\  arren  counties.  New  Jersey,  re- 
spectiveh'. 

In  the  early  '30s  William  H.  Hurton,  our 
subiect's  father,  came  west,  and  first  located 
in  Wisciinsin,  but  remained  there  onl}-  a 
short  time  befure  removing  to  Juliet,  Illinnis. 
where  he  engaged  in  wagon-making,  carry- 
ing on  the  business  quite  extensively  there 
and  elsewhere  until  that  class  of  manufactur- 
ing was  monopolized  by  the  large  factories. 
In  i860  he  moved  his  business  to  Lincoln, 
Illinois,  where  he  conducted  it  until  1874, 
and  then  w  eiit  to  Fresno,  California,  at  which 
place  he  ctjntinued  to  engage  in  the  manu- 
facture of  wagons  and  carriages  until  1899, 
when  he  returned  to  Illinois,  and  has  since 
made  his  iK.mie  with  our  subject  in  Dwight, 


living  a  retired  life  at  the  age  of  seventy-five 
}  ears.  He  is  a  man  of  sterling  character  and 
strict  integrity,  who  has  won  the  respect  of 
a  wide  circle  of  friends  and  ac(|uaintances, 
and  whose  word  has  always  been  consideretl 
as  good  as  his  bond.  In  jjolitical  affairs  he 
lias  never  been  an  aspirant  for  oifice,  though 
a  stanch  Whig  and  Republican.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  tlied  in  February, 
1863,  when  he  was  only  four  years  old, 
leaving  three  children.  The  oldest,  Henry 
Lish  Horton,  is  a  resident  of  Joliet,  Will 
count}',  Illinois;  and  the  youngest,  h.ihn 
Curry  Horton,  is  a  resident  of  El  Paso, 
i  exas. 

At  the  age  of  twelve  years  Mr.  Horton 
began  learning  the  painter's  trade  with  G. 
^1.  Seick,  a  painter  and  decorator  of  Lincoln, 
Illinois.  After  four  years'  apprenticeshii:)  he 
removed  to  Joliet,  Illinois,  and  to  that  busi- 
ness gave  his  attention  until  1881.  His 
preliminary  education  was  recei\"ed  in  the 
ct)mmon  schools,  from  private  teachers,  and 
from  the  \Vest  Chicago  Commercial  Col- 
lege, which  he  attended  at  intervals  while  at 
work.  In  iSSi  he  entered  Doane  College, 
Crete.  Nebraska,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated a  bachelor  of  arts  in  1886.  .\fter  his 
graduation  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Judge 
John  K.  Cra\'ens,  of  Kansas  Cit}',  ^^lissouri, 
and  devoted  a  year  and  a  half  to  the  stud\- 
Lif  law,  but  on  account  of  failing  health  he 
was  forced  to  give  up  study,  and  then  turned 
his  attention  to  teaching  in  Lyon  county, 
Kansas.  Altogether  he  spent  five  years 
leaching  in  the  district  and  city  schools  of 
that  state,  his  last  position  being  as  princi- 
\>n\  of  the  high  school  of  Beloit,  which  he 
ga\e  up  to  take  the  chair  of  languages  at 
Salisbury  .\cademy,  Salisbury,  Missouri.  In 
Septemlier,  1895,  he  came  to  Dwight,  Illi- 
nois, to  accept  the  pi.isitioii  of  superintendent 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


431 


of  schools,  whicli  under  liis  management 
have  been  greatly  improved.  The  present 
high  scliool  building  has  also  been  erected 
during  his  administration  and  other  improve- 
ments made.  Dwight  now  has  two  school 
buildings,  the  other  being  known  as  the  West 
Side  school ;  thirteen  teachers  are  emploved 
and  five  hundred  pupils  enrolled.  The 
high  school  curriculum  comprises  a  Complete 
prejiarati  )ry  course  of  four  years  which  fits 
the  student  for  entering  the  State  Univer- 
sity, and  many  of  the  graduates  of  this  school 
are  now  attending  various  colleges  and  state 
universities,  including  those  of  Illinois  and 
Missouri,  and  Brown  University,  of  Rhode 
Island. 

On  the  31st  of  December,  1890.  at  Gay- 
lord.  Kansas,  Professor  Horton  married 
Miss  Cora  A.  Blake,  who  was  born  in  Mus- 
catine, Iowa,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Emily 
(Berkshire)  Blake,  natives  of  Pennsylvania 
and  Indiana,  respectively.  She  is  one  of  a 
family  of  nine  children,  two  of  whom  died 
in  infancy,  the  others  being  as  follows :  Ella, 
wiio  resides  with  her  mother  in  Sargent, 
Missouri ;  Philip,  a  merchant  at  Sargent, 
Missouri;  Emma,  a  resident  of  Willow 
Springs,  Missouri :  Edward,  an  attorney'  of 
Gaylord,  Kansas;  Charles,  a  merchant  at 
Dawson,  Iowa;  and  Martha,  a  teacher  in  the 
schools  of  Mazon,  Illinois. 

In  politics  Mr.  Horton  is  a  Republican, 
supporting  the  men  and  measures  which  in 
his  estimation  serve  the  best  interests  of  the 
public.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Master  Mason, 
and  has  filled  most  of  the  offices  in  his  lodge. 
He  is  a  leading  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  of  Dwight,  and  as  a  teacher 
takes  an  active  interest  in  Sunday  school 
work.  He  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  able 
and  progressive  educators  of  the  state,  whose 
influence  and  personality  are  demonstrated 


in  the  high  standard  and  satisfactory  condi- 
tion of  the  Dwight  city  schools  at  the  pres- 
ent time. 


ALEX.KXDER  S.  PIPER. 

Alexander  S.  Piper,  a  well-known  citi- 
zen of  Amity  township,  is  classed  among  the 
influential  and  successful  agriculturists  of 
Livingston  county.  He  has  been  a  stanch 
friend-  to  education  and  public  improve- 
ments and  has  loyally  given  his  aid  and  voice 
to  progress  along  all  lines. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject 
was  Samuel  Piper,  of  Revolutionary  fame, 
for  he  fought  for  the  indei)endence  of  this 
land,  with  whose  destiny  he  had  cast  his  own 
some  years  before.  He  was  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, and  prior  to  his  emigrat  on  from  the 
Emerald  Isle  he  married  Jane  Alden.  After 
his  arrival  in  the  new  world  he  located  in 
Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  con- 
ducted a  large  flouring  mill  there  for  sev- 
eral years.  He  owned  considerable  prop- 
erty, carried  on  a  large  farm,  and  was  looked 
upon  with  respect  as  a  man  of  means  and  en- 
terprise. He  died  when  eighty-four  years 
old,  and-  his  wife  at  the  age  of  ninety-three 
years.  His  son,  John  Piper,  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  on  the  old  home  place  in 
Cumberland  county,  in  1788.  and  when  he 
arrived  at  maturity  he  married  Maria  Ran- 
dolph. Four  children  were  born  to  them, 
and  after  the  death  of  the  wife,  Mr.  Piper 
wedded  Ann  Quigler.  the  mother  of  .\lex- 
ander  S.,  of  this  .sketch.  He  spent  his  en- 
tire life  in  his  native  county,  and  died  at  the 
ripe  age  of  seventy-five  years. 

The  birth  of  .\le.xander  S.  Piper  oc- 
curred July  ri,  1835,  in  Cumberland  county, 
I'emisylvania.     His  youth  was  spent  in  the 


432 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


labors  ol    tlie     farm    and   in   the  common 
schools,  where    he  obtained  a  good    educa- 
tion.    In  1858  he  came  to  Illinois,  and  in  or- 
der to  make  a  financial  start  he  worked  by 
the  month  for  farmers  in  Woodford  county. 
He  was  still  industriously  employed  in  this 
manner,  and  was  about  to  embark  in  inde- 
pendent business  for  himself,  when  the  great 
crisis  of  the  past  half  century  occurred.     As 
soon  as  he  was  able  to  enlist  in  the  defense 
of  the  Union,  the  young  man  became  a  mem- 
ber of  Company    I.    Eleventh    Illinois  In- 
fantry, and  was  sent  to  the  front  immedi- 
ately.       His  first   important  battle   was  at 
Fort  Donelson.  and  in  the  charge  he  was 
wounded  in  the  knee  and  calf  of  his  leg. 
Thus  seriously  disabled,  he  was  necessarily 
sent  to  the  hospital,  and  when  able  to  travel 
he  was  given  a  furlough  and  returned  home. 
In  the  following  May  he  joined  his  regi- 
ment at  Jackson,  Tennessee,  and  soon  after- 
wards   took    part    in    the    battle    of    Holly 
Springs,   and   later  in   the  siege  of   \'icks- 
burg.     \Mien  that  city  had  surrendered  his 
regiment  was  sent  to  Yazoo  City,  and  there 
a  severe  fight  occurred,  and,  later,  it  partici- 
pated in  the  battle  of  Morganza.  Louisiana. 
Many  minor  engageiuents  and  se\eral  dis- 
astrous battles  were  waged  by  the  Eleventh 
Illinois  against  the  Confederates,  as  the  rec- 
ords of  the  war  department  show,  and  from 
first  to  last  of  the  term  of  their  enlistment 
these  brave  boys  in  blue  won  commendation 
and  high  praise  from  their  superior  ofiicers. 
They   were   honorably  discharged    Septem- 
ber 25.  1864.  at  Springfield,  Illinois. 

On  the  28th  of  December.  1865.  Mr.  Pi- 
per married  Delaney  F.  Rice,  whose  birth 
had  occurred  in  Cazenovia,  Xew  York,  and 
wdio  had  removed  to  Woodford  county  with 
her  father,  Elisha  Rice,  when  she  was  a 
child.      A  son  and  two  daughters  were  born 


of  this  union :  Rebecca  Ann  is  living  in 
Woodford  county,  Illinois.  Charles  is  liv- 
ing on  part  of  the  home  farm.  Ada  is  the 
wife  of  Frank  Swords,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  this  county,  and  is  now  engaged 
in  cultivating  a  portion  of  our  subject's 
farm. 

For  some  time  after  his  marriage  Mr. 
Piper  was  employed  by  a  brother-in-law  on 
bis  farm.  In  the  spring  of  1867  he  pur- 
chased a  quarter  of  section  31,  Amity  town- 
ship, and  ever  since  has  made  his  home  here. 
The  old  house  and  stable  was  supplanted 
by  commodious,  modern  buildings  in  the 
course  of  time,  a  good  orchard  was  set  out 
and  many  other  improvements  were  institu- 
ted Iw  the  energetic  owner.  Beginning  life 
a  poor  man.  he  has  steadily  pressed  forward 
to  the  goal  of  success  which  he  always  has 
had  in  view,  and  long  ago  prosperity 
crowned  his  efforts. 

In  1856  Mr.  Piper  cast  his  first  presi- 
dential vote  for  Fillmore,  but  in  i860  he 
voted  for  Lincoln,  and  since  that  time  has 
been  a  stalwart  supporter  of  the  Republican 
party.  He  has  been  axerse  to  holding  pub- 
lic oftices,  but  his  interest  in  our  schools  led 
to  his  acceptance  of  a  portion  of  the  respon- 
sibility of  acting  on  the  local  board  of  trus- 
tees. In  religious  faith  he  was  reared  as  a 
Presbyterian,  but  now  holds  his  membership 
with  the  Methodist  Protestant  church. 


MICHAEL  SOMERS. 

Michael  Somers,  a  prominent  farmer, 
who  owns  and  operates  a  valuable  and  well- 
impro\ed  farm  of  two- hundred  and  eighty 
acres  of  land  on  section  31,  Forrest  town- 
ship, was  l)orn  in  Cambria  county,  Pennsyl- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


433 


vania.  March  21,  1846,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter 
and  Mary  Ann  (McAteer)  Somers.  The 
father  was  born  in  county  Westmeath.  Ire- 
land, June  23,  181 5,  and  his  early  life  was 
spent  with  his  grandparents  in  his  native 
land.  In  1835  he  emigrated  to  .\nierica. 
and  on  landing  in  this  country  found  him- 
self in  a  strange  land  with  only  half  a  dollar 
in  his  pocket.  When  he  sailed  he  had  a 
little  money,  most  of  which  he  loaned  to  his 
fellow  passengers  ami  never  received  again. 
Immediately  after  his  arrival  he  set  to  work 
as  a  laborer  to  supply  his  daily  wants.  In 
1836  he  settled  in  Cambria  county.  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  engaged  in  farming  until 
coming  to  Livingston  county.  Illinois,  in 
March,  1867.  Renting  an  acre  and  a  half 
1. 1  land  on  section  20,  Forrest  townshij),  he 
located  thereon  and  made  it  his  home  until 
the  latter  part  of  the  following  year,  when 
he  removed  to  his  own  farm  on  section  ^2. 
the  same  township,  having  purchased  a  half- 
section  of  land  on  coming  to  the  county. 
In  the  meantime  he  began  its  improvement, 
and  soon  converted  the  raw  land  into  a  well- 
improved  and  highly  cultivated  farm,  tiling 
and  draining  it,  and  erecting  thereon  good 
and  substantial  buildings.  He  was  a  very 
progressive  man,  and  in  connectii)n  w  ith 
general  farming  engaged  in  stock  raising  to 
some  extent.  In  July,  1842,  he  married 
Mary  .\.  Mc.\teer,  of  Pennsj'lvania.  who 
died  in  that  state  in  August,  1859.  By  that 
union  were  born  se\en  children :  Michael, 
our  subject;  Peter  F.,  a  retired  farmer  and 
grain  dealer  of  Fairbury;  Mary  A.,  wife  of 
Joseph  Mangan.  a  retired  farmer  of  Gales- 
burg,  Illinois,  formerly  of  Forrest  township, 
Livingston  county:  and  four  who  died  c|uite 
young  of  diphtheria.  The  father  was  again 
married,  Se])tember  18,  i860,  his  second 
union  being  with  Elizabeth  Kearns,  also  a 


native  of  Pennsylvania,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children :  William  A.,  who  is  mentioned 
IjcIow:  and  I'rank  P.,  a  resident  of  Kanka- 
kee. Illinois.  The  family  hold  membership 
in  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  and  the  fa- 
ther always  atirtliated  with  the  Democratic 
party.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Forrest 
township,  in  February,  1892,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six  years,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in 
Strawn,  Livingston  countv.  He  was  a  i)ub- 
lic-spirited  citizen,  and  was  highly  resjiected 
and  esteemed  by  all  wlm  knew  him. 

The  early  education  of  Michael  Somers 
was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  his  na- 
tive state.  He  came  to  Illinois,  in  August, 
1866.  and  purchased  the  home  place  for  his 
father  in  Forrest  township,  Livingston  coun- 
ty. He  aided  in  its  operation  until  twenty- 
se\en  years  of  age,  when  he  bought  a  part 
of  his  present  farm  on  section  31,  the  same 
township,  to  which  he  has  added  from  time 
to  time  as  his  financial  resources  have  in- 
creased until  he  now  owns  two  hundred  and 
eightv  acres  of  land.  He  has  built  a  com- 
modious and  pleasant  residence,  a  large 
barn  and  granary,  has  tiled  the  land,  and 
placed  it  under  a  high  stale  of  culti\ation. 
A  thorough  and  systematic  farmer,  his  la- 
bors have  ever  been  crowned  with  success, 
and  he  well  deserves  the  prosperity  that  has 
come  to  him.  By  his  ballot  he  supports  the 
men  and  measures  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  he  has  efficiently  served  as  school  direc- 
tor twenty-eight  years,  during  which  time 
he  has  been  instrumental  in  getting  better 
schools  and  teachers.  Religiously  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 

In  January.  1873,  at  I'airbury,  Illinois, 
Michael  Somers  married  Bridget  Cami)I)ell, 
who  was  also  born  in  Pennsyhania,  but 
came  to  Illinois  with  her  jiarents  when  only 
three  years  old,  locating  in  La  Salle  county. 


434 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Her  father,  Philiu  Campbell,  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  died  at  the  age  of  sevemy-three 
years.  Mr.  and  ]Mrs.  Somers  have  a  family 
of  six  children,  all  born  in  Forrest  township, 
and  all  still  at  home.  They  are:  Alary  A., 
born  in  September,  1875;  Peter  M.,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1877;  Philip  A.,  in  October,  1879; 
Marcella,  in  December,  1881 ;  Bridget,  in 
August,  1885;  and  Michael,  in  Augu.st, 
1S89, 

W'lLLi.vM  .\.  Somers,  a  brother  of  Mi- 
chael, was  l)orn  at  W'ilmore,  Cambria  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  June  11,  1861,  but  was 
onlv  five  years  old  when  the  family  came 
to  Forrest  township,  Livingston  cnunty, 
Illinois.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
married,  .Vugust  2.  1883,  to  Miss  Minnie  J, 
McCormick,  a  daughter  of  James  McCor- 
mick,  whose  sketch  appears  on  another  page 
of  this  volume.  To  them  were  born  nine 
children,  but  only  six  are  now  living,  name- 
ly :  Frank,  Lizzie,  Peter,  Cora,  Marie  and 
William,  all  born  in  Livingston  county,  and 
educated  in  its  pul)lic  schools.  Those  de- 
ceased are :  William,  who  died  in  Kansas 
City  at  the  age  of  one  year :  Geneva,  who 
died  in  Streator,  Illinois,  at  the  age  of  three 
years:  and  Katherine,  who  died  in  Strawn, 
at  the  age  of  ten  years. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Somers  contin- 
ued on  his  father's  farm  until.  1886,  when  he 
went  to  Kansas  City  and  worked  in  the  shops 
of  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railroad  one  year. 
The  following  two  years  were  spent  in 
Kangley,  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  where 
he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Star  Coal  Com- 
pany, and  from  there  he  came  to  Strawn, 
Livingston  county,  where  he  has  purchased 
a  residence  and  still  makes  his  home.  As  a 
Democrat  he  has  taken  quite  an  active  and 
prominent  part  in  public  afTairs,  has  ser\'ed 
as  marshal  of  the  village  se\-en  vears,  and 


clerk  of  Fayette  township  four  years.  He 
and  his  family  hold  membership  in  the  Cath- 
olic church,  of  Strawn,  and  are  highly  es- 
teemed bv  all  who  know  them. 


WILLIAM   S.   BRUXSKILL. 

William  S,  Brunskill,  a  prosperous  and 
successful  farmer  and  stock  raiser  on  sec- 
tion 5,  Esmen  township,  is  one  of  Living- 
ston county's  native  sons,  for  he  was  born 
in  that  township  August  8,  1867.  His  fa- 
ther, William  Brunskill,  was  born  and  reared 
in  England,  and  in  1S54,  when  a  young  man, 
emigrated  to  the  new  world  and  became  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  this  county.  Here 
he  married  Susan  Ross,  who  was  Ijorn  in 
Ohio  of  English  parentage,  and  came  to 
Livingston  county  with  her  parents,  Moses 
and  Elizabeth  Ross,  during  childhood.  For 
many  years  the  father  of  our  subject  was 
actively  engaged  in  farming  in  Esmen  town- 
ship, where  he  still  owns  a  valuable  farm  of 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  but  is  now  liv- 
ing a  retired  life  in  Cayuga. 

On  the  home  farm  William  S.  Brunskill 
grew  to  manhood,  and  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  the  neighborhood.  He 
remained  under  the  parental  roof,  assisting 
in  the  operation  of  the  place  until  he  at- 
tained his  majority,  and  then  bought  eighty 
acres  of  his  present  farm,  which  he  at  once 
commenced  to  improve  and  cultivate.  He 
has  added  to  the  original  purchase  from 
time  to  time  until  he  now  has  a  valualile 
f;;rm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  rich 
and  arable  land,  which  he  has  placed  inider 
;;  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  has  a  half- 
interest  in  a  large  stock  farm  of  se\en  bun- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


435 


dred  and  sixty  acres  in  La  Porte  county,  In- 
diana. His  wife  is  also  the  owner  of  an 
eighty-acre  tract.  Since  1889  he  has  devoted 
considerable  attention  to  buying,  feeding 
and  shipping  stock,  and  now  ships  on  an 
average  of  fortj^-five  car  loads  of  cattle  and 
hogs  annually,  and  has  a  herd  of  seventy 
steers  fattening  for  market.  He  is  a  most 
progressive  and  energetic  business  man,  and 
is  meeting  with  marked  success  in  his  un- 
dertakings. 

On  the  1 6th  of  September.  1891,  in  Es- 
men  townshij),  Mr.  Brunskill  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Olive  Rhodes,  a  native 
of  Wisconsin.  Her  parents,  Leland  M.  and 
Caroline  (Clark)  Rhodes,  were  born,  reared 
and  married  in  Xew  York,  and  from  that 
state  removed  to  Walworth  county,  \\'iscon- 
sin.  where  he  improved  a  farm,  making  it 
his  home  until  1878,  when  he  came  to  Liv- 
ingston county,  Illinois,  and  purchased  the 
farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  on 
which  oor  subject  now  resides.  Here  Mrs. 
Brunskill  was  reared  and  educated.  She 
presides  with  gracious  dignitj-  over  her 
liome,  and  holds  membership  in  the  Baptist 
church.  Politically  Mr.  Brunskill  is  an  in- 
dependent, and  by  the  people  he  was  elected 
and  filled  the  office  of  township  clerk  for 
three  years,  but  he  has  never  cared  for  po- 
litical preferment,  his  time  being  fully  occu- 
jiied  by  his  extensive  business  interests. 
While  independent  in  politics,  his  choice  for 
president  in  1900  is  William  J.  Bryan. 


HARRY  WRY  WAGEXSELLER. 

Harry  Wry  Wagenseller,  one  of  the 
rising  young  farmers  of  Avoca  townshiv, 
Livingston  county,  is  a  native  of  Pennsvh  a- 


nia.  born  in  Perry  county,  October  26,  1870, 
and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Rice) 
Wagenseller,  also  natives  of  that  state,  and 
of  German  descent.  His  ancestors  settled 
in  Pennsylvania  in  the  early  part  of  the  nine- 
teenth century.  By  trade  the  fatiier  of  our 
subject  was  a  carriage  maker,  but  for  some 
time  was  engaged  in  mercantile  business, 
and  after  coming  to  Illinois,  in  1871,  con- 
ducted an  eating  house  in  Chenoa,  McLean 
county,  until  iiis  death,  in  1873.  He  had 
four  children,  of  whom  William  and  John 
died  in  childhood.  Juniata  W.,  the  only 
daughter,  is  now  the  wife  of  John  Green,  a 
promising  young  farmer  living  near  Pon- 
tiac,  and  to  them  were  born  two  children, 
but  one  died  in  infancy,  and  Mabel  M.  is 
living.  Harry  W.,  our  subject,  completes 
the  family.  After  the  death  of  her  husl^and 
the  mother  conducted  an  eating  house  at 
Weston  for  a  time.  In  1876  she  married 
Richard  Stratton,  a  prosperous  farmer  of 
Livingston  county,  and  they  took  up  their 
residence  upon  his  farm,  but  are  now  living 
in  Fairbury,  where  Mr.  Stratton  purchased 
.'t  comf()rtal)le  home  on  retiring  from  farm 
life. 

Our  subject  received  the  greater  part  of 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Liv- 
ingston county,  and  also  took  a  six  months' 
course  at  Baker's  Business  College  at  Bloom- 
ington,  fitting  himself  to  carry  on  any  voca- 
tion on  business  principles.  In  1888  he 
v.ent  to  Nebraska  and  oi»ened  the  first  school 
near  North  Platte,  since  which  time  a  school 
has  has  been  conducted  in  that  district  each 
year  regularly.  At  the  end  of  a  three 
in.onths'  term  he  returned  to  Illinois.  He 
lived  with  his  mother  until  he  attaine<I  his 
majority  and  superintended  Mr.  Stratton's 
farm,  carrying  on  a  successful  business  for 
him  until  1895,  when  Mr.  Stratton  moved 


436 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


to  Fairbury,  and  Mr.  Wagenseller  pur- 
cliased  eighty  acres  of  land  on  section  19, 
Avoca  township,  paying  for  the  same  ninety 
dollars  per  acre.  He  continues  to  operate 
Mr.  Stratton's  farm,  consisting  of  a  half- 
section  of  land,  and  his  own  eighty  acres, 
and  is  successfully  engaged  in  generaf  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising.  He  is  not  only  a 
thorough  and  systematic  farmer,  but  is  a 
man  of  good  business  and  executive  ability. 

In  1895  Mr.  Wagenseller  married  Miss 
B'anny  Goold,  who  was  born  in  Illinois,  in 
1872,  a  daughter  of  Marvin  and  Jennie 
Goold,  now  residents  of  Eppards  Point 
township,  where  the  father  carries  on  gen- 
eral farming.  In  the  Goold  family  were 
eight  children,  of  whom  four  died  when 
young.  Those  living  are  Helen,  Jay,  Roy 
and  Fanny.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wagenseller 
have  two  children :  John  Richard  and  Ruth 
Mae,  who  are  the  joy  of  the  household. 

Politically  Mr.  Wagenseller  has  always 
adhered  to  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  but  has  never  sought  office.  He 
favors  good  schools  and  gives  his  support  to 
all  enterprises  calculated  to  advance  the 
moral,  intellectual  or  social  welfare  of  the 
community  in  which  he  lives.  Religiously 
he  is  an  active  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  of  Lodemia,  and  is  now 
a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees. 


C.   V.   ELLINGWOOD,  M.   D. 

C.  V.  Ellingwood,  M.  D..  of  Chats- 
worth,  Illinois,  is  a  well  known  physician  of 
established  reputation,  both  in  medicine  and 
surgery,  having  a  very  extensive  practice 
in  Livingston  and  adjoining  counties.  He 
was  born  in  Eastport,  Washington  county, 


Maine,  October  12,  1858.  His  father.  Cap- 
tain M.  A.  Ellingwood,  was  born  on  Grand 
Menan  island,  an  English  isle  off  the  coast 
of  Maine,  and  who  for  many  years  followed 
the  seas.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  he 
took  charge  of  a  vessel  as  its  captain,  and 
continued  to  hold  that  position  until  he  left 
the  ocean  and  settled  down  to  the  life  of  a 
farmer.  He  married  Matilda  Pendleton,  a 
native  of  Deere  island,  also  an  English  isle 
off  the  coast  of  Maine.  They  became  the 
parents  of  two  sons,  Clarence  A.  and  C.  V. 
The  former  is  a  resident  of  Whitewater, 
Wisconsin.  In  1870  Captain  Ellingwood 
came  with  his  family  west  and  located  in 
Whitewater,  W'isconsin,  and  there  his  death 
occurred  in  1898.  His  widow  is  yet  living 
in  that  city. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  much  of 
his  early  life  on  the  ocean  with  his  father, 
and  with  him  visited  nearly  all  the  foreign 
countries.  He  was  twelve  years  of  age 
when  the  family  mo\-ed  to  Whitewater, 
Wisconsin,  and  in  the  high  school  and  the 
Normal  school  at  that  place  he  received  his 
literary  education.  Leaving  school,  he  en- 
gaged in  telegraphy,  and  continued  in  the 
same  capacity  until  1885,  when  he  entered 
Bennett  Medical  College,  Chicago,  having 
in  the  meantime,  as  the  opportunity  was 
afforded  him,  read  medicine.  Pursuing  the 
regular  course  he  was  graduated  from  that 
institution  in  March,  1887.  In  the  follow- 
ing summer  he  came  to  Chatsworth  for  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  arriving  here  i-)n 
the  9th  of  August,  the  day  before  the  terri- 
ble wreck  on  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Western 
Railroad,  in  which  a  large  number  were 
killed  and  many  were  severely  injured.  For 
an  entire  week  following  he  secured  little  or 
no  sleep,  his  attendance,  with  other  local 
physicians,  lieing  required  to  give  relief  t') 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


437 


tlie  suffering.  The  e.xperience  and  skill 
sliown  by  tlie  Doctor  on  that  occasion  has 
lieen  beneficial  to  Iiim  in  the  years  fo]k)\\- 
ing.  He  has  always  kept  up  with  the  prog- 
ress made  in  his  profession,  and  in  1895 
took  a  post-graduate  course  in  the  Cliicagi) 
Polyclinic  Hospital. 

In  1883  Dr.  Ellingwood  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Fannie  .\.  Bentley.  a  na- 
tive of  Michigan,  and  daughter  of  H.  J. 
Bentley.  who  settle<l  in  that  state  at  an  early 
(lay,  coming  west  from  Xew  York,  of  which 
state  he  was  a  native.  During  his  active 
life  he  followed  farming,  but  he  is  now  liv- 
ing retired,  making  his  lionie  with  our  sub- 
ject in  Chats  worth.  Mrs.  Ellingwood  was 
one  of  two  children.  Hall,  her  brother, 
v»as  drowned  when  but  se\en  years  of  age. 
To  our  subject  antl  wife  two  children  have 
also  been  born.  Lulu  A.  is  now  attending 
Si.  Mary's  .\cademy,  Notre  Dame,  huliana, 
a  noted  seminary  for  young  ladies.  Jennie 
is  attending  the  academy  at  Chatsworth. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Ellingwood  is  a  memljer 
of  Chatsworth  Lodge,  Xo.  539.  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.:  r)f  Fairbury  Chapter.  Xo.  99.  R.  .\. 
M. ;  St.  Paul's  Commandery,  Xo.  34,  of  Fair- 
bury;  and  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  Peoria,  and 
of  the  Peoria  Consistory.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Republican,  and  a  firm  believer  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  party.  He  has  been  trustee  of 
the  village  two  years:  a  member  of  the  board 
of  education  nine  years,  three  years  of  which 
time  serving  as  its  president.  He  has  served 
as  pensicju  examiner,  and  secretary  of  the 
Livingston  county  board  of  pensioners.  He 
is  now  examining  physician  for  his  locality 
for  nearly  all  the  leading  life  insurance  com- 
panies, including  the  \\'ashington  Xational, 
the  Ecjuitable,  Home,  Phcenix,  Mutual  Life 
of  Xew  York,  Xew  York  Life.  John  Han- 
cock,   Iowa    Life.    Manhattan.    American, 


Union.  Connecticut.  Mutual,  Penn  Mutual 
and  Security  Trust  and  Life.  He  is  local 
surgeon  for  the  Illinois  Central  Railroail, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  International  Ass(3- 
ciation  of  Railroad  Surgeons.  As  a  physi- 
cian and  surgeon  he  ranks  among  the  best, 
as  a  citizen  he  is  enterprising  and  ready  at 
all  times  to  assist  any  worthy  enter])rise. 
His  friends  are  many  throughout  Livingston 
and  adjoining  counties,  where  he  is  so  well 
known. 


JOHX  B.  SCTTOX. 

John  B.  Sutton,  the  well-known  pcjst- 
niaster  at  Wing,  and  one  of  the  earlv  edu- 
cators of  Livingston  county,  was  burn  near 
Zanesville.  Ohio.  January  31.  1831.  His 
father.  Samuel  Sutton,  was  born  near  Egg 
Harbor.  Xew  Jersey,  where  he  grew  to 
manhood  and  engaged  in  farming  for  a 
time,  but  later  he  was  interested  in  the 
produce  business  in  Philadelphia.  From  that 
city  he  mo\ed  to  Ohio,  locating  on  a  farm 
near  Zanesville.  There  he  married  lili/a- 
beth  Slack,  a  natixe  of  lUicks  count\'.  Penn- 
syKania.  and  a  daughter  of  John  Slack,  who 
on  leaving  Pennsylvania  went  to  Loudoun 
county.  Virginia,  and  later  moved  by  wagons 
l(»  Ohio,  also  settling  near  Zanesville.  The 
Slack  family  is  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch  de- 
scent, while  the  Suttons  are  of  English  ex- 
traction. During  the  childhood  of  our  sub- 
ject his  parents  located  in  .Adamsville.  Ohio, 
where  they  made  their  home  until  death. 
The  father  served  as  justice  of  the  peace 
frjr  some  years,  and  was  a  man  of  consider- 
able prominence  in  his  community. 

John  B.  Sutton  was  reared  in  Musking- 
um county.  Ohio,  and  obtained  his  education 
in  the  country  schools  and  those  of  Zanes- 


438 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


\ille.  He  remained  on  his  father's  farm 
imtil  reaching  manhood,  and  then  engaged 
in  teaching  school  during  the  winter  months 
and  in  farming  during  the  summer  season, 
his  time  being  spent  in  this  way  from  the 
age  of  eighteen  to  fifty  years,  missing  only 
a  few  winter  terms.  In  Muskingum  coun- 
ty, he  was  married,  February  12,  1852.  to 
Miss  Johanna  Hanks,  a  nati\'e  of  that  coun- 
ty. Her  father,  Jeremiah  Hanks,  was  from 
\  irginia,  and  was  a  second  cousin  of  AIira- 
ham  Lincoln. 

In  186;  Mr.  Sutton  sold  his  farm  in 
Ohio  and  moved  to  Wayne  county,  Ljwa, 
where  he  purchased  one  tract  of  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  of  land,  another  of  two 
hundred  acres.  He  made  a  number  of  im- 
provemen.ts  upon  these  and  engaged  in  their 
cultivation  until  1868,  when  the  doctors  ad- 
vised a  change  of  climate  in  the  hopes  of 
benefiting  his  wife's  health,  and  he  came  to 
Livingston  county,  Illinois.  He  first  lo- 
cated in  Indian  Grove  township  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  near  Fairbury.  which  he  im- 
proved, and  in  connection  with  its  cultixa- 
tion  he  engaged  in  school  teaching.  On 
selling  that  place,  in  1880,  he  bought  a  farm 
in  Charlotte  township,  upon  which  he  maile 
most  of  the  improvements.  The  first  house 
he  erected  thereon  was  destr(wed  bv  fire, 
but  was  soon  replaced  by  another,  and  he 
also  built  good  barns,  cribs  and  other  build- 
ings. He  tiled  the  land,  planted  an  orchard 
and  set  out  shade  trees,  making  his  farm 
one  of  the  best  in  the  township.  This  place 
he  still  owns,  but  has  made  his  home  in 
Wing  since  June,  1897,  and  has  erected  a 
comfortable   residence   there. 

Mrs.  Sutton  died  October  20,  1898,  leav- 
ing four  children,  namely :  ( i )  Charles, 
^vhose  wife  is  dead,  has  two  children.  I\-v 
and    Effie,   and   now   li\-es   in    Wing.      (2) 


Albert,  who  lives  on  his  father's  farm,  mar- 
ried Almina  W'illiams.  and  they  have  fi\e 
children,  Edna,  Lois,  John,  Clifford  and 
Homer.  (3)  Howard  and  (4)  Elmore  are 
with  their  father.  One  daughter,  Clara 
-Ann,  married  William  Large,  and  died  July 
3,  1894,  leaving  four  children  :  Maude  E., 
Dwight.  Marion  and  Ethel  l\Iay. 

^^'hile  a  resident  of  Ohio,  Mr.  Sutton 
served  as  clerk  of  his  township,  and  in  Char- 
lotte township,  Livingston  county,  was  two 
or  three  times  elected  justice  of  the  peace, 
but  refused  to  qualify.  Since  casting  his 
first  presidential  vote  for  John  C.  Fremont 
he  has  been  a  stanch  Republican,  and  a  dele- 
gate to  the  different  conventions  of  his  party. 
I'"or  a  number  of  years  he  had  been  a  patron 
of  the  \\'ing  postoffice,  and  in  September, 
1897,  '^'^''^^  appointed  postmaster,  which  office 
he  has  since  most  creditably  filled.  Besi  les 
his  residence  he  has  erected  a  postoffice  bu  Id- 
ing  in  that  place.  Mr.  Sutton  is  one  of  the 
five  charter  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  of  Wing,  which  was  organized 
in  a  school  house,  and  ^vas  chairman  of 
the  building  committee  when  the  church 
edifice  was  erected.  He  has  always  taken 
an  active  and  prominent  part  in  church  work 
and  has  served  as  class  leader  and  steward. 


willia:\i  ^^■.  Zollinger. 

^^'illiam  W.  Zollinger,  who  is  success- 
fully engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  on  sec- 
tion 13.  Sullivan  township.  Li\-ingston 
ciiunty,  Illinois,  \\-as  born  on  the  30th  of 
June.  1852,  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsyl- 
\'ania,  of  which  his  parents,  George  K.  and 
Mary  (Britton)  Zollinger,  are  also  nati\es. 
The    father    followed     farming    for    manv 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


439 


vears.  but  is  now  living'  retired  in  (ireen  vil- 
lage, that  ctiunty.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are 
seventy-tiiree  years  of  age.  In  politics  he  is 
a  Democrat,  and  has  been  active  in  advanc- 
ing the  interests  of  his  party.  His  father, 
Frederick  Zollinger,  was  of  German  extrac- 
tion and  a  life-long  resident  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Oin-  subject  is  the  oldest  in  a  family 
of  three  children,  the  others  being  Lucy, 
wife  of  J.  D.  Ludwig.  of  Chambersburg. 
Pennsylvania:  and  Maggie  L..  wife  of  El- 
mer Bollinger,  of  Cireen.  that  state. 

In  the  couhty  of  his  nativity  William  W. 
Zollinger  was  reared  and  educated.  .\t  the 
age  of  twenty-two  years  he  came  to  Liging- 
ston  county.  Illinois,  and  found  employment 
in  Sullivan  township  at  twenty-two  dollars 
per  month.  Here  he  workeil  for  live  years. 
(Jn  the  20th  of  February,  1880.  he  wedded 
Miss  Mary  ^lartin,  a  native  of  Bureau 
cuimty,  Illinois.  Her  father.  James  Martin, 
was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  that  county, 
and  a  large  land  owner,  having  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  there  and  nine  hun- 
dred acres  in  Livingston  county.  For  some 
time  he  made  his  home  in  Sullivan  town- 
ship, the  latter  county,  and  in  1890  moved 
to  Oklahoma  territory,  where  he  died  six 
years  later.  In  his  family  were  seven  chil- 
dren: Sarah,  Emma,  Jane,  Sanford,  ^lary, 
William  and  Ella,  all  yet  living.  Sarah,  the 
v.ife  of  (1.  W.  Boeman,  of  Cullom.  and  Mrs. 
Zollinger  are  the  only  ones  living  in  Li\- 
ingston  county.  Our  subject  and  his  wife 
have  two  children:  George  W.  and  Lee  W'.. 
both  attending  the  district  school. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Zollinger  i)ur- 
chased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Ford  county, 
just  across  the  line  from  Livingston  coun- 
ty, and  after  living  there  for  thirteen  years 
bougiit  his  ])resent  farm  of  two  hundred 
acres    on    section     13,    Sulli\an    township, 


Livingston  county.  He  is  engaged  princi- 
pally in  general  farming,  but  devotes  con- 
siderable attention  to  the  raising  of  Xorman 
draft  horses.  Success  has  attended  his  well- 
directed  efforts  and  to-day  he  is  one  of  the 
well-to-do  citizens  of  his  community  as  well 
as  one  of  its  most  highly  respected  men.  For- 
merly he  aiiiliated  with  the  Independent  Or- 
derof  Odd  Fellows  and  was  a  supporter  of  the 
Democratic  party  until  1896,  when  he  \-oted 
lor  William  iMcKinley  and  sound  money, 
lie  has  scr\cd  as  road  commissioner  three 
years  and  sc1i(J(j1  director  nine  years,  and 
has  always  taken  an  active  and  commend- 
able interest  in  educational  affairs. 


WILL  L.  T.M.BOTT. 

Will  L.  Talbott.  the  present  wcll-knciwn 
and  popular  sheriff  of  Livingston  county, 
was  born  in  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  Septemljer  23, 
1862.  and  is  a  son  of  Lewis  William  and 
Lorena  (Ottwell)  Talbott.  His  paternal 
grandfather  was  William  Talbott.  at  one 
time  chief  of  police  in  Indianapolis  and  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  war  from  New 
Jersey.  He  was  a  pioneer  of  Indiana,  lo- 
cating first  at  Bloomington,  near  Indianapo- 
lis, and  later  removing  to  that  city,  where 
lie  died.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky  and  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  Ottwell,  who  belonged  to  a  promi- 
nent family  of  that  state,  but  was  a  strong 
anti-slavery  man  and  Abolitionist.  He  .was 
also  an  early  settler  and  made  his  home  in 
a  village  near  Indianapolis  until  after  the 
marriage  of  his  daughter. 

Lewis  W.  Talbott,  our  subject's  father, 
was  Ixjrn  and  reared  on  a  farm  in  Indiana 
and    later   followed    farming.      In    c(jvered 


44° 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


wagons  drawn  by  ox-teams  lie  and  his  wife 
crossed  Indiana  and  Illinois:  were  ferried 
across  the  Mississippi  river  at  Davenport, 
and  proceeded  to  Iowa  City,  in  1846,  lo- 
cating there  before  the  town  was  established. 
There  he  engaged  in  merchandising  for 
many  years,  and  also  served  as  city  marshal 
at  an  early  day  when  the  locality  was  con- 
sidered the  frontier.  Later  he  served  as 
alderman  of  the  city,  and  for  three  years 
was  a  member  of  Company  I.  Twenty-sec- 
ond Iowa  \'olunteer  Infantry,  during  the 
Civil  war.  and  for  one  hundred  days  as 
first  lieutenant  in  the  Thirty-third  Regiment. 
Among  the  many  engagements  in  which  he 
took  part  was  the  siege  of  Vicksburg.  He 
was  never  wounded,  but  contracted  disease, 
which  ultimately  caused  his  death.  He  con- 
tinued ti)  engage  in  merchandising  after  the 
war  until  failing  health  caused  his  retire- 
ment. He  was  a  good  musician  in  early 
davs  and  was  a  prominent  and  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  his 
home  being  the  stopping  place  for  circuit 
riders.  He  served  as  class  leader,  steward, 
trustee  and  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
school,  in  fact  was  one  of  the  pillars  of  the 
church  to  which  he  belonged.  He  was  al- 
ways an  active  Republican  and  held  differ- 
ent local  offices.  He  died  in  1888,  honored 
and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  His 
estimable  wife  and  eight  children  survive 
him. 

Our  sul^ject.  who  is  the  fifth  child  and 
youngest  son  in  this  family,  began  his  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  Iowa  City 
and  completed  the  high  school  course.  Hav- 
ing considerable  oratorical  ability '  and  de- 
siring to  become  an  actor,  he  went  upon 
the  stage  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  and 
spent  ten  years  before  the  footlights,  meet- 
ing with  marked  success.     He  played  in  all 


of  the  principal  cities  of  the  L'nited  States 
and  Canada. 

On  the  30th  of  December.  1890.  Mr. 
Talbott  married  Miss  Grace  E.  Munger,  of 
Iowa  City,  a  daughter  of  Don  A.  Munger, 
who  was  for  some  years  proprietor  of  the 
Phoenix  hotel  of  Pontiac,  and  one  of  the 
Munger  Brothers,  who  had  hotels  all  through 
this  section  of  the  United  States.  Later  he 
moved  to  Iowa  City,  where  he  was  proprietor 
of  the  St.  James,  the  leading  hotel  of  the 
place,  for  some  years.  By  this  union  has 
been  born  a  daughter.  Helen  Lorraine. 

On  leaving  the  stage,  Mr.  Talbott  was 
engaged  in  the  hotel  business  in  Sandwich 
for  one  year,  and  on  selling  out  came  to  Pon- 
tiac, after  which  he  was  a  commercial  trav- 
eler for  a  Chicago  house  five  years.  He  was 
then  appointed  deputy  sheriff  and  filled  that 
position  two  vears.  As  a  Republican  he  has 
taken  an  active  and  prominent  part  in  local 
politics,  and  in  1898,  out  of  five  candidates, 
receiveil  the  nomination  of  his  party  for 
sheriff.  He  was  elected  by  a  majority  of 
fourteen  hundred  and  thirteen,  though  the 
usual  majority  was  less  than  ten  hundred, 
it  being  the  largest  majority  ever  given  a 
candidate  in  this  county.  He  assumed  the 
duties  of  the  office  December  5.  1898,  and 
up  to  the  present  time  has  had  charge  of 
over  two  hundred  criminals  and  has  proved 
a  most  efficient  and  capable  officer.  He 
worked  up  the  case  of  the  Cornell  Bank  rob- 
ber\-.  the  Rightsell  murder  case,  and  a  great 
manv  others,  such  as  horse  stealing,  liigh- 
wav  n)l)l)ery.  etc.  As  a  detective  he  has 
been  remarkably  successful,  and  he  has  also 
performed  a  large  amount  of  civil  business 
in  a  most  satisfactory  manner.  The  duties 
of  the  office  have  never  been  more  ably  or 
satisfactorilv  discharged  than  under  his  ad- 
ministration, and  he  is  certainly  the  right 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


441 


man  in  the  riglit  place.  Sucially  Mr.  Tal- 
bott  is  an  Iiunored  nieiiiber  of  tlie  Masonic 
fraternity,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  lie  lias 
been  a  member  of  the  board  of  managers 
of  the  last  named  i^-ganization  for  a  number 
of  vears.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Toilers 
and  Pioneer  Reserves. 


JL'D(]E  THOM.\S  KEXXEDY. 

Hon.  Thomas  Kennedy,  the  present 
county  judge  of  Woodford  county,  is  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the 
legal  profession  in  the  county.  He  was  born 
on  a  farm  in  Minonk  township.  December 
6,  1858,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Cath- 
erine (Flynn)  Kennedy,  the  father  a  native 
of  Ireland  and  the  mother  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. She  died  in  1S63.  at  the  age  of 
thirt\'-t\vo  years,  leaving  a  family  uf  live 
children,  of  whom  Thomas  is  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  Mary  and  Charles  reside  u])on 
the  lujme  farm  in  Minonk  tciwnshi]i.  Wood- 
ford county.  Emmeline  li\es  in  San  b'ran- 
cisco.  California.  Elizabeth  Rose  taught 
school  for  awhile  in  Woodford  and  La  Salle 
counties.  .She  is  now  employed  as  a  stenog- 
rapher and  bookkeeper  in  the  office  of  the 
Chicagci  &  Minonk  Cual  and  Tile  Com])any. 

Thomas  Kennedy,  sr..  li\ed  in  Ireland 
until  he  was  about  eighteen  years  nf  age 
when  he  went  to  Jersey  island,  off  the  coast 
of  I'rance,  where  he  lived  about  four  years. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  about  1831, 
landing-  at  Pioston.  About  1854  he  came 
west  with  Mr.  Fisher,  a  jjork  packer  of 
Lacon.  Marshall  county,  Illinois,  and  en- 
tered the  emjiloy  of  that  gentleman,  with 
whom  he  cimtiiuied   fnr  two  or  three  vears. 


He  then  came  to  Minonk.  Woodford  countv. 
in  185').  and  went  on  a  farm  on  .section  2, 
belonging  to  .Mr.  Fisher,  and  there  contin- 
ued to  reside  for  eleven  or  twelve  years. 
The  farm  is  now  owned  by  Michael  Mc- 
Xamara.  .Afterwards  he  rented  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Joseph  E.  Hindret.  in  the 
same  township,  where  he  remained  for  ten 
years.  In  1875  he  bought  the  farm  now 
known  as  the  Kenned\-  farm  on  secjion  4. 
Minonk  township,  to  which  he  removed  in 
1878.  and  there  continued  to  reside  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  He  died  November  i. 
1878,  when  about  fifty  years  of  age.  leaving 
an  unimpeachable  reputation  for  honesty  and 
faithful  i)erformance  of  life's  duties. 

On  those  farms  in  Alinonk  tuwnshi])  the 
subject  (if  this  sketch  grew  to  manhood, 
and  by  reading  such  books  as  were  obtain- 
able and  attending  the  common  .schools  of 
the  neighborhood  during  the  winter  months, 
olitained  his  education,  .\fter  attaining  his 
majority  he  taught  school  for  about  three 
years,  and  in  1884  commenced  reading  law 
with  M.  1..  Xewell  of  Minonk.  and  in  June. 
1886.  was  admitted  to  ])ractice  in  the  courts 
ot  the  state,  .\fter  his  admission  he  worked 
tor  his  ])receplor  for  one  year.  In  Se])teni- 
ber.  1887,  Mr.  Kennedy  moved  to  Meta- 
n.ora.  then  the  county  seat  of  Woodford 
county,  where  he  engaged  in  general  practice 
for  a  year  and  a  half,  during  which  time  he 
served  as  master  in  chancery  of  Woodford 
county.  In  1888  he  was  elected  state's  at- 
torney of  the  county,  and  served  in  that  office 
eight  years.  From  1889  to  1893  'le  was  in 
partnership  with  .M.  1.,  Xewell  at  Minonk. 
Illinois,  under  the  tirni  name  of  Xewell  & 
Kennedy.  Mr.  .Xewell  moved  to  Spring- 
field. Illinois,  in  1893  '"i^I  ^^^-  Kennedy  suc- 
ceeded to  the  business  of  the  firm.  In  189S 
he  was  elected  county  judge  for  a  term  of 


442 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


four  \-ears  and  is  iidw  tilling  that  responsible 
position,  with  credit  tn  himself  and  ti>  the 
satisfaction  of  the  people. 

On  July  12.  1894,  Judge  Kennedy  was 
married  to  Miss  Clara  E.  Hart,  of  Blc^om- 
ington.  Illinois,  daughter  of  Allen  Hart, 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Palestine  town- 
ship, in  ^^'oodford  countv.  For  several 
years  prior  to  her  marriage.  Airs.  Kennedy 
was  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Ali- 
nonk,  where  she  won  an  enviable  reputation 
as  a  teacher.  One  child  has  come  to  bless 
their  union.  Ka}'win  Kennedy,  liorn  Decem- 
])er  J4.  1895.  T^K  family  reside  in  a  jjleas- 
ant  home  in  the  city  of  Minonk.  The  Judge 
spends  onh'  part  of  his  time  at  his  office  in 
Minonk,  his  duties  as  county  judge  requu'- 
ing  his  presence  at  the  court  house  in  Eureka. 
the  first  week  of  each  month  and  every 
Thursday. 

Since  his  admission  to  the  bar,  the  Judge 
lias  been  in  active  practice  and  has  met  with 
gratifying  success.  He  is  well  read  in  law 
and  is  a  thorough  student.  He  has  the 
confidence  of  his  colleagues  in  the  jirofession. 
and  the  people  trust  him  implicitly.  A  life- 
long resident  of  the  county,  he  has  made 
many  friends  and  is  held  in  the  highest 
esteem. 


GEORGE  W.  HEMSTREET. 

(ieorge  W.  Hemstreet,  one  of  the  patriots 
wh(.i  ga\-e  up  their  li\-es  for  the  preser\-ation 
of  the  Uniun  and  the  cause  of  freedom,  was 
horn  in  Syracuse.  New  York.  November  20, 
1835.  His  father.  William  Hemstreet.  was 
born  in  Holland,  November  15.  1807.  and 
when  a  small  boy  came  to  this  country  with 
his  parents.  He  was  married  in  Lafayette, 
Onondaga  countv.   New   York,   March    10. 


I  S3 1,  to  Miss  Sophia  Parker,  and  from 
there  removed  to  Syracuse,  where  as  a  black- 
smith and  carriage  maker  he  was  engaged  in 
business  for  many  years.  Aliout  1883  he 
came  to  La  Salle,  Illinois,  where  he  carried 
on  the  same  business,  being  one  of  the  pio- 
neer carriage  makers  of  that  place,  but  in 
1 860  he  sold  his  property  there  and  moved  to 
his  farm  in  Blue  Mound  township,  AIcLean 
county,  not  far  from  Bloomington.  To  the 
improvement  and  culti\ation  of  that  place 
he  devoted  his  energies  for  some  years,  but 
finally  disposed  of  it  and  made  his  home 
with  a  son  in  Delawan.  W'iscnnsin,  where  he 
died  about  1893.  His  wife  died  at  the  home 
of  a  daughter  in  Chicago,  five  years  later. 
Both  were  earnest  and  consistent  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

George  \\'.  Hemstreet  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  his  native  city,  and 
there  he  was  engaged  in  l>usiness  with  his 
father  for  a  short  time,  but  later  learned  the 
trade  of  a  mason,  to  which  he  e\er  after- 
ward de\'oted  his  attention.  He  came  to 
Ivintiac,  Illinois,  in  1855,  and  engaged  in 
building,  working  on  the  most  prominent 
Iniildings  erected  at  that  time,  including  the 
first  brick  court  house  at  this  place.  Here 
he  continued  to  follow  his  chosen  occupa- 
tion until  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war.  He 
was  married.  May  14.  1858,  to  Aliss  Nancy 
j\I.  Rollins,  of  Pontiac.  He  enlisted  in  the 
Fifty-third  Illinois  \'olunteer  Infantry,  and 
participated  in  all  of  the  engagements  in 
which  his  legiment  took  part  up  to  the  battle 
of  Jackson,  ^Mississippi,  where  he  was  killed 
July  12.  1863.  He  entered  the  service  as 
orderly,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  had 
risen  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant,  being  pro- 
moted for  gallant  and  meritorious  .service  on 
the  field  of  battle.  Besides  his  widnw.  he 
left  one  daughter.   Alinnie  M..  now  a  resi- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


443 


dent  of  Cliicago.  He  was  liighly  respected 
and  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  iiini.  and  in 
his  death  the  community  realized  that  it  iiatl 
lost  a  valued  citizen. 

Mrs.  Hemstreet  is  a  native  of  Cicero.  In- 
diana, and  a  daughter  of  Philip  and  Martha 
(  De  Moss)  Rollins.  The  father  was  horn 
in  Coshocton  county,  Ohio,  and  as  a  youth 
removed  to.  Indiana,  where  he  met  his  fu- 
ture wife,  then  a  witlow — Mrs.  Hannaman. 
There  he  engaged  in  farming  until  October, 
1842.  when  he  came  to  Livingston  county, 
and  located  two  miles  east  of  Pontiac,  where 
he  built  a  log  cabin  on  his  two-hundred-acre 
tract  of  wild  land.  To  the  further  improve- 
ment and  cultivation  of  his  farm  he  gave 
his  entire  time  and  attention,  and  prosi}er- 
ing  in  his  undertakings,  he  added  to  it  until 
he  had  a  valuable  land  of  three  hundred  acres 
under  excellent  cultivation.  L'pon  that 
place  he  continued  to  make  his  home  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  January  9,  1897, 
and  his  wife  passed  away  July  22.  1896. 
She  was  long  an  earnest  and  faithful  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  Mr.  Rol- 
lins was  baptized  into  the  same  ciiurch  late 
in  life.  He  served  as  justice  of  the  peace 
and  school  director,  and  filled  other  local 
offices  in  a  most  creditable  manner.  At  tiie 
corner  of  Plum  and  Howard  streets  he  built 
the  first  brick  house  ever  erected  in  Pontiac, 
and  lived  there  for  five  years  that  lie  might 
give  his  children  better  educational  advan- 
tages than  the  country  schools  afforded,  af- 
ter which  he  returned  to  his  farm.  He 
had  much  to  do  in  selling  and  conveyancing 
land,  and  was  a  business  man  of  much  more 
than  ordinary  business  ability.  In  his  fam- 
ily were  two  sons  and  three  daughters,  be- 
sides a  step-son.  Peter  Hannaman.  who  re- 
sided in  Pontiac  until  recently,  but  is  now 

living    in    Los    Angeles,    California.      His 
24 


own  children  were:  Charles  \\'.,  wlm  lived 
on  a  farm  adjoining  the  old  homesteatl  and 
died  recently  at  the  age  of  sixty  years :  Nan- 
cy M..  now  Mrs.  Hemstreet:  Martha  M., 
wife  of  Mr.  Lidell.  of  Chicago:  Emeline, 
widow  of  Harry  Hill:  and  William  H..  who 
lives  on  the  old  home  farm. 

Mrs.  Hemstreet  well  remembers  when 
with  her  parents  she  came  to  Livingston 
CDunty.  driving  through  Pontiac  when  not 
a  tree  or  a  house  marked  the  site  of  that 
present  thriving  city,  and  she  has  watched 
with  interest  its  entire  growth  and  de\elop- 
ment.  For  tliirty  years  she  has  been  an  act- 
i\e  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  has 
served  as  president  of  the  Ladies'  Aid  So- 
ciety of  the  church,  and  has  taken  a  promi- 
nent part  in  all  its  work.  She  has  also  been 
a  leading  member  of  the  Ladies'  Relief 
Corps,  an  auxiliary  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  and  often  meets  with  them  at 
their  encampments,  \\here\er  known  she 
is  held  in  higli  regard  and  her  friends  are 
many  in  the  city  which  has  so  long  been  her 
home. 


REV.  M.  P.  O'BRIEX. 

Father  O'Brien,  pastor  of  St.  Patrick's 
church,  of  Dwight,  Illinois,  was  born  in 
county  Waterford.  Ireland,  in  1846.  and 
when  a  boy  of  five  years  moved  to  England 
with  his  parents.  John  and  Anastasia  (Fo- 
ley) O'Brien,  also  natives  of  county  Water- 
ford.  The  family  located  in  county  Dur- 
ham. England,  where  the  father  followed 
his  chosen  occupation  of  farming  uj)  to 
within  a  year  of  his  death,  when  he  returned 
to  Ireland  and  there  died.  In  his  father's 
family  were  four  children,  three  of  whom 
are  still  living,  namelv:  Peter.  James  and 
M.  P. 


444 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


During  his  boyhood  and  youth  Father 
O'1'.rien  attended  St.  Augustine's  CathoHc 
schiMil  at  Arlington,  and  after  completing 
his  studies  at  that  institution  lie  taught 
school  in  London  and  Liverpool  at  the 
French  Christian  Brothers  school  for  two 
years.  He  was  then  advised  by  his  spiritual 
director  to  the  study  of  Paul  and  enter  the 
ranks  of  the  priesthood,  which  he  decided 
to  do.  With  this  purpose  in  view  he  went  to 
Italy  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  stopping- 
first  at  Turin  and  later  at  Montori.  After 
his  ordination  he  was  attached  to  the  diocese 
in  northern  England,  in  charge  of  churches 
in  Hexham  and  Newcastle,  where  he  re- 
mained as  priest  for  a  number  of  years. 

On  coming  to  America  Father  O'Brien 
entered  the  Peoria  diocese,  and  for  six  years 
was  pastor  of  St.  Mary's  church  at  Carthage, 
Illinois,  during  which  time  he  made  many 
improvements  in  the  church  property.  He 
conducted  services  in  Carthage  two  Sundays 
out  of  the  month;  while  one  Sunday  was 
spent  in  La  Harpe,  the  other  in  West  Point 
and  Giddings  Mount,  as  he  was  in  charge 
of  the  congregations  at  all  four  places.  In 
July,  1896,  Father  O'Brien  came  to  Dwight 
as  pastor  of  St»  Patrick's  churcli,  and  has 
since  erected  their  new  house  of  worship  at 
a  cost  of  eleven  thousand  dollars.  The  fur- 
nishings were  all  put  in  by  the  Springfield 
Manufacturing  Company  at  a  cost  of  forty- 
five  thousand  dollars,  and  the  heating  appa- 
ratus— a  hilt  air  system — cost  one  thousand 
dollars.  Father  O'Brien  also  built  St.  Ber- 
nard's church  at  Sunbury,  Livingston  coun- 
tv,  in  August,  1898,  at  a  cost  of  eight  thou- 
sand dollars.  It  is  also  well  heated  and  fur- 
nished in  the  same  manner  as  the  Dwight 
church.  Through  his  indefatigable  energy 
and  perseverance  both  churches  have  been 
freed   from  debt  and  now  have  a  surplus. 


He  holds  services  at  each  church  two  Sun- 
days in  the  month. 

The  parish  of  Dwight  is  one  of  the  oldest 
in  the  diocese  of  Peoria,  and  has  had  as  out- 
missions  at  different  times  the  parishes  of 
Odell,  Pontiac,  Kinsman,  Flanagan,  Ran- 
som and  Campus.  It  has  had  a  resident 
priest  since  1867,  its  first  pastor  being  Rev. 
L.  Dunne,  who  served  from  1867  to  1870; 
followed  by  Rev.  L.  Hanley,  froin  1871  to 
1877;  and  Rev.  J.  Halpin,  from  1878  to 
1882.  The  last  named  was  succeeded  by 
Rev.  J.  Recouvreur,  who  remained  until 
1885.  Then  came  Father  Belanger  for  a 
year,  who  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  S.  B. 
Hedges,  who  remained  until  1889.  Rev.  F. 
B.  Moore  succeeded  him  and  remained  until 
1897.  He  began  the  new  church,  which 
was  completed  by  his  successor,  the  present 
pastor,  Rev.  M.  P.  O'Brien,  who  has  labored 
untirino-lv  for  the  church  and  its  interests. 


THOMAS  A.  DANIELS. 

This  well-known  citizen  of  F"lanagan, 
Illinois,  an  honored  veteran  of  the  civil  war, 
was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  April  19, 
1847,  ^"d  is  of  English  and  Scotch  descent. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  John  Daniels,  was 
for  many  years  a  prominent  marble  mer- 
chant of  Liverpool,  England,  and  when  last 
heard  from  was  still  doing  an  extensive  busi- 
ness at  that  place.  The  father,  John  Dan- 
iels, Jr.,  was  born  in  Liverpool,  and  came 
to  America  with  his  twin  brother,  Henry,  in 
1845,  when  quite  young,  locating  first  in 
St.  Louis.  There  he  married  Margaret 
I'urnbull,  a  native  of  Edinburg,  Scotland, 
who  came  to  this  country  with  her  parents 
when  only  eleven  years  old.     For  se\^eral 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


445 


vears  lier  fatlier  was  engaged  in  business  as 
a  merchant  tailor  at  St.  Louis,  and  tliere 
reared  his  family,  numbering  the  following 
named  children :  Georgiana,  wife  of  Sam- 
uel J.  Richards,  of  St.  Louis;  Kate,  wife  of 
Ale.xander  Yale,  of  the  same  place ;  Bessie, 
wife  of  James  Graham,  of  Nashville,  Ten- 
nessee; Margaret,  mother  of  our  subject; 
John,  who  died  while  serving  as  an  ofificer 
in  the  Confederate  army  during  the  Civil 
v.ar;  William,  who  is  operating  a  flouring 
mill  near  St.  Louis;  and  Frank,  a  resident 
of  that  city.  The  children  born  to  John 
and  Margaret  (Turnbull)  Daniels  were  as 
follows:  Thomas  A.,  of  this  revSew; 
Frank,  who  dietl  in  Ferndale,  California, 
Xoveml)er  2.  1894;  William,  a  harness  deal- 
er, of  San  l-rancisco,  California;  and  Ella, 
who  is  the  widow  of  Edward  Grogan,  a 
shoe  merchant  of  San  Francisco,  and  is  now 
engaged  in  missionary  work  in  Japan  and 
China.  The  father  of  this  family  died  in 
1854,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  3ears,  and 
for  her  second  husband  the  mother  married 
his  twin  brother,  Henry  Daniels,  who  died 
shortly  after  their  marriage.  She  now 
makes  her  home  at  1625  Church  street,  San 
Francisco,  California. 

Thomas  A.  Daniels  was  only  a  month 
old  when  his  parents  moved  to  Nashville, 
Tennessee,  but  after  the  death  of  his  step- 
father, in  1859,  the  family  returned  to  St. 
Louis.  Later  they  lived  in  Independence 
and  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  and  from  the  lat- 
ter place  again  returned  to  St.  Louis,  where 
the  mother  made  her  home  until  going  to 
California.  Thomas  A.  was  educated  by 
private  tutors.  He  was  quite  young  when 
the  Civil  war  broke  out,  but  on  the  8th  of 
August,  1862,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years, 
he  enlisted  at  Benton  Barracks,  St.  Louis, 
ir.  Company  C,  Thirty-third  Missouri  Vol- 


unteer Infantry,  as  a  musician,  in  which  ca- 
pacity he  served  all  through  the  war.  In 
the  fall  of  1862  he  was  in  the  southwestern 
Missouri  campaign  against  General  Price, 
and  returning  to  St.  Louis  in  a  very  danger- 
ous condition,  he  was  sent  to  the  Fifth  street 
hospital.  On  his  recovery  he  went  south, 
up  the  Yazoo  river,  and  participated  in  the 
storming  of  Fort  Pemberton.  and  in  the 
operations  in  the  rear  of  Vicksburg.  He 
next  went  to  Helena,  Arkansas,  and  was  in 
battle  at  that  place,  July  4,  against  General 
Price.  He  was  in  the  Black  river  and  Mer- 
idian campaigns  against  General  Johnston, 
and  took  part  in  the  Red  river  expedition, 
being  in  several  engagements  on  the  Louis- 
iana side.  With  his  command  he  next  went 
up  the  Mississippi  to  ]Memphis,  Tennessee, 
and  was  in  battle  at  Tupela  against  General 
Forrest.  After  the  defeat  of  Sturgess.  Mr. 
Daniels  was  sent  to  the  Overton  Hospital  in 
Memphis,  dangerously  ill.  \Mtile  con\-a- 
lescing  he  was  sent  to  Fort  Pickens,  and 
there  volunteered  to  act  as  guard  over  new. 
recruits,  bounty  jumjiers  and  deserters. 
While  returning  to  Memphis,  he  took  part 
in  the  engagement  at  Grand  Prairie,  where 
he  was  slightly  wounded.  After  the  battle  of 
Nashville  he  was  sent  to  Fort  Pickens,  later 
to  Schopafield  Barracks,  St.  Louis,  and  from 
there  to  Camp  Douglas.  Chicago.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1865.  he  was  transferred  to  Company 
A,  I-'ifteenth  Regiment  Veteran  Reserve 
Corps,  and  was  ordered  to  Cairo,  where  he 
was  mustered  out  July  13,  that  year,  by  gen- 
eral order  of  the  war  department. 

At  the  close  of  the  waV  Mr.  Daniels 
served  an  apprenticeship  at  carriage  making 
in  Johet,  Illinois.  In  1868  he  removed  to 
Odell,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  until 
1887.  and  later  followed  the  same  occupa- 
tion  at    Washington.     Since    1889   he    has 


446 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


made  his  home  in  Flanagan  and  is  numbered 
among  its  honored  and  highly  respected  citi- 
zens. Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  Post  of  Pontiac. 

On  the  _'4th  of  December,  1870,  Mr. 
Daniels  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mary  A.  Halm,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Helen 
( Muller )  Halm,  of  Odell,  and  by  this  union 
have  been  born  eight  children,  namely :  Lil- 
lian Eglantine,  born  October  9,  1871,  is  the 
wife  of  J.  J-  Miles,  of  Flanagan;  Margaret 
Elizal)€th,  born  December  26,  1873,  is  the 
wife  of  C.  B.  Howe,  of  the  same  place ; 
Viola  Elsie,  born  October  _'5,  1875,  is  the 
wife  of  R.  G.  Murphy,  of  Flanagan;  Bessie 
Rosa  Lola,  born  October  25,  1878,  is  the 
wife  of  Dr.  J.  K.  Means,  of  Pontiac;  Elsie 
May  Alferetta,  born  January  20,  1881,  is 
clerking  in  the  postoffice  at  Flanagan ;  Cleve- 
land Francis,  born  December  11,  1883,  died 
August  21,  1895 ;  Grover  Clifford,  born  May 
4,  1885,  and  George  \'alentine,  born  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1888,  are  both  at  home. 


MARSHALL  DeFOREST  WILDER. 

Among  the  leading  agriculturists  of 
Waldo  township,  Livingston  county,  is  the 
subject  of  this  review,  who  was  bcirn  in 
'Washingtonville,  Oswego  county.  New 
York,  May  17,  1836,  a  .son  of  Edson  and 
Susan  ( Titus )  Wilder.  The  former  died 
March  4,  i8(;6.  The  mother  is  yet  li\-ing 
and  makes  her  home  in  Pontiac.  Our  sul)- 
ject  attended  school  almost  uninterruptedly 
until  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  then  entered 
the  emplo}-  of  Le\'i  ^Matthews,  of  ^lexico- 
ville,  with  whom  be  remained  four  nionths. 
Returning  home  at  the  end  of  that  time  he 
accepted  a  clerkship  in  the  store  of  E.  \'. 


Robbins,  but  on  the  first  of  the  following 
December  he  entered  the  seminary  at  Fort 
Plain  in  Montgomery  county,  Xew  York, 
where  he  studied  until  spring,  when  he  re- 
sumed wiirk  in  the  store,  remaining"  with 
Mr.  Rolibins"  successors,  Pruyn  &  Alton, 
until  Januar}-.  He  then  attended  school 
until  spring,  when  he  procured  employment 
as  clerk  for  I.  C.  &  A.  N.  Harding,  re- 
maining with  them  two  years.  In  1855,  at 
the  age  of  twenty  years,  he  remo\'ed  to 
Peoria  county,  Illinois,  where  his  father 
rented  land,  and  in  connection  with  his  two 
brothers  be  engaged  in  farming.  Two 
years  later  they  bought  i>ne  Inuulred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land,  but  in  1864  sold  that 
place  and  came  to  Livingston  county,  where 
they  jointly  purchased  a  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred antl  fifty-six  acres.  In  partnership  they 
engaged  in  its  operation  until  1880,  when 
the  connection  was  dissolved  by  mutual  con- 
sent. Our  subject  now  owns  a  well-im- 
proved and  highly  cultivated  farm  in  \\'aldo 
township,  and  is  successfullv  engaged  in  its 
operation. 

On  the  25th  of  :May,  1873,  Mr.  Wilder 
was  united  in  marriage  with  I\Iiss  Fran- 
ces Adelaide  Dingman,  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Lavinia  (Ferguson)  Dingman,  of 
Oswego  county,  Xew  York.  Her  fa- 
ther, who  was  of  German  flescent, 
was  born  in  1797,  and  died  Jul\-  12, 
1876,  while  her  mother,  who  was  of 
Scotch  origin,  was  born  in  181 1,  and  died 
Julv  12,  1864.  Their  other  children  were 
as  follows :  Johanna,  deceased  wife  of 
Thomas  Tripp;  Margaret,  deceaseil  wife  of 
Jonathan  Salisbury,  of  Iowa;  James,  of 
Oswego  county.  New  ^'ork,  who  married 
Olive  Sheldon;  Hannah,  the  second  wife  of 
John  Cain,  his  first  wife  being  her  )-ounger 
sister,     Marv    Jane;    Hem-v,    who    married 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


447 


Mary  Smith  niul  li\es  in  Jeffersdii  county. 
Xt'w  \'(irk;  La\inia,  wife  of  Martin  H. 
Tiiomas.  of  Oswego  county.  Xew  York; 
Samantlia.  wife  of  James  Kelly,  of  Read- 
ing, Michigan:  Al\ira.  wlio  first  married 
Xewti>n  Ames,  wlio  (hed  in  tlie  army. 
ar.d  second  married  Julm  Raymond,  of 
Canada:  and  Annetta,  wife  of  Delos 
\\'atkins.  of  Oswego  county.  Xew  ^'ork. 
Mrs.  \\'iider  was  born  in  Orwell,  Oswego 
county,  A])ril  14.  1840.  and  is  the  tenth  in 
order  of  birth  in  this  family  of  eleven 
children  . 

Our  subject  and  his  wife  have  four  chil- 
dren: Xetta  !)..  born  January  J4,  1874. 
was  married  February  10,  1897.  to  Gilbert 
Blaine  Farman.  of  Gridley.  Illinois,  and  has 
one  child,  Marshall  Howard,  born  Julv  ^r. 
1898:  .Mary  ]..  born  September  <>.  1875. 
v>as  married  October  15.  1895.  to  Charles 
Shanebrook,  of  Gridley,  and  has  one  child, 
Clarence  Chester,  born  August  14,  1896. 
Henry  H..  born  December  6,  1876,  and  Cleo 
I'earl,  born  Sejitember  8.  1885,  'T'c  both  at 
home. 

During  the  Civil  war  .Mr.  Wilder  en- 
listed in  [-"ebruary,  1863.  in  Cunipanv  15. 
Seventh  Illinois  Ca\alry,  and  was  commis- 
sioned second  lieutenant.  His  command  was 
assigned  to  (leneral  Sherman's  arm\'  and 
from  Springfield,  Illinois,  went  to  Xew 
York,  thence  down  the  coast  to  Morehead 
City,  Xorth  Carolina.  P'rom  there  they 
inarched  to  Raleigh,  where  they  joined  the 
regiment,  and  remained  with  it  until  the 
surrender  of  Johnston.  They  participated 
in  the  grand  review  at  Washington,  D.  C, 
and  while  there  received  orders  to  jjroceed 
to  Texas,  but  these  orders  were  afterward 
countermanded  and  they  then  went  to 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  where  they  were  mus- 
tered out  of  service.     Mr.  Wilder  was  hoii- 


(■rably  discharged  July  9,  1865.  .Among 
biis  most  highly  treasured  jx^ssessions  is  a 
sword  presented  him  by  his  company  at 
Springfield,  Illinois. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Wilder  is  a 
Democrat  and  cast  his  first  presidential  \ote 
for  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  In  .April,  1877, 
he  was  elected  township  clerk,  which  office 
he  held  continuously  until  1882,  when 
elected  supervisor,  and  re-elected  the  follow- 
ing year,  after  which  he  refu.sed  longer 
to  accept  the  ofifice.  In  December,  1878, 
he  was  appointed  townshi])  collector  to  fill  a 
vacancy  and  when  he  retired  from  the 
ofifice  of  super\-isor  was  re-elected  townshij) 
clerk,  which  position  he  filled  for  many 
years.  He  was  census  enumerator  in  i8()o. 
and  has  held  the  office  oi  justice  of  the 
l)eace  since  1896.  In  Sei)tember,  1899,  he 
was  appointed  .supervisor  at  a  meeting  of  the 
board  of  auditors  to  fill  a  \acancy,  and  on 
the  expiration  of  that  term  in  the  spring  of 
1900  he  was  elected  to  that  position,  which 
he  is  now  so  creditably  and  acccptalily  filling. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Alart'n  Post, 
.\o.  291.  (i.  .\,  R.,  of  Gridley,  and  he  is 
liighly  res])ccted  and  esteemed  by  all  who 
know  him. 


n^:xR^■  sf.m,\xs. 

On  the  5tli  <if  .\oveniber.  1878.  there 
passed  away  at  his  home  in  Reading  town- 
shi]),  l.i\ingston  county,  Henry  Semans. 
who  for  se\eral  years  was  prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  agricultural  interests  of  that 
section.  .\  native  of  Illinois,  he  was  liorn 
ii'i  LaSalle  county.  Mav  11.  1835,  and  was 
the  son  of  Fzra  and  Mar\-  (  Macky)  Semans, 
natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  early  settlers  of 
LaSalle  cmmty,  where  tlie  father  took 
a  farm,  mak'ug  his  home  there  throughout 


448 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


the  remainder  of  liis  life.  He  died  at  the 
iige  of  sixtv-four  rears,  his  wife  at  tlie  age 
of  se\'entv-eig"ht.  In  their  famil}-  were  six 
children,  namel}- :  Amanda,  blacky  and 
Henry,  all  deceased :  Cirena.  wife  of  David 
Besore,  of  Ottawa;  ]\Iary  .\..  widow  of 
Ephraim  Boserman  and  a  resident  of  Ot- 
tawa: and  Almira.  also  a  resident  of  that 
place. 

In  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
connty  Henry  Semans  acquired  his  educa- 
tion, and  he  remained  at  Imme  until  he  at- 
tained his  majority.  On  the  17th  of  De- 
cemher.  i860,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Rebecca  Wade,  a  native  of  Massachu- 
setts, and  to  them  were  l)orn  six  children, 
as  follows:  Robert  H.,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  creamery  business  in  Streator,  Illinois. 
married  Eva  Harris,  and  they  have  two  chil- 
dren, Lloyd  H.  and  Virgil  R.  Arthur  is 
connected  with  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
at  Chicago.  Hugh  D.,  a  resident  of  New- 
ton township,  who  is  engaged  in  farming 
on  the  home  place,  married  Xellie  Defen- 
l)augh.  and  thev  have  three  children,  Gladys, 
Selma  and  Zola.  Eliza  is  the  wife  of  W.  H. 
Barickman.  whose  sketch  appears  on  another 
page  of  tills  volume.  Xora  is  at  home  with 
her  mother.  Mehin,  who  manages  the 
home  place,  married  Emma  I'.arickman,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Lester. 

Robert  Wnde.  the  father  ni  :\Irs. 
Semans,  was  born  in  Leeds,  England,  and  in 
that  country  folknved  mining  until  nineteen 
3'ears  of  age,  when  he  came  to  .America 
and  located  at  h'all  Ri\'er,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  secured  employment  in  a  cntton 
mill,  as  a  muslin  bleacher.  There  he  mar- 
ried Eliza  Wilson,  also  a  native  of  England, 
born  in  Manchester.  In  1840  they  came 
west  liy  way  of  the  Great  Lakes  to  Chicago, 
and  thence  by  stage  to  Ottawa,  which  was 


then  a  small  village  of  two  or  three  houses 
and  one  store.  Mr.  Wade  purchased  a  tract 
of  land  near  the  present  site  of  Streator.  and 
there  successfully  engaged  in  farming"  tuitil 
within  a  few  vears  of  his  death,  when  he 
retired  from  acti\e  life.  He  died  on  the 
27th  of  (\-t(il)er,  1882,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
six  years,  and  his  wife  departed  this  life 
at  the  age  of  fifty-nine.  Mrs.  Semans  was 
the  older  of  their  two  children,  the  other 
being  Elizabeth,  deceased  wife  of  James 
Sexton,  who  is  now  li\'ing  in  Streator.  Thev 
h.ad  two  children. 

After  their  marriage  in  i860.  Mr.  and 
I\[rs.  Semans  came  to  Livingston  county 
and  he  purchased  a  partially  improved  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Reading 
township,  to  the  improvement  and  cultiva- 
tion of  which  he  devoted  his  energies 
throughout  the  remainder  of  his  life.  .\s  his 
financial  resources  increased,  he  added  to 
his  landed  possessions  from  time  to  time, 
until  at  his  death  he  had  three  hundred  and 
sixty  acres.  His  remains  \\'ere  interred  in 
Wolf  Creek  cemetery,  in  Otter  Creek  town- 
ship. La  Salle  count}-.  By  his  ballot  he 
supijorted  the  men  and  measures  of  the 
Democratic  party,  but  never  cared  for  pub- 
lic office.  He  not  only  gained  a  comforta- 
lile  competence,  but  also  won  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  all  with  wIkjiii  he  came  in 
Contact  either  in  business  or  social  life. 


A.  C.  SCHLOSSER. 

This  enterprising  and  progressive  young 
business  man  of  Panola,  was  born  in  Bloom- 
ington,  McLean  county.  Illinois,  September 
9,  i86fi.  an<l  is  a  son  of  George  and  Eliza- 
beth (  Huffman)  Schlosser,  natives  of  Ger- 
many, who  came  with  their  respective  par- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


449 


cuts  to  America  when  young  and  settled  in 
Ohio,  being  among  the  first  settlers  of  that 
state.  There  their  marriage  was  celebrated. 
On  coming  west  they  located  in  Blooming- 
ton,  McLean  county,  Illinois,  where  they 
reared  their  family  of  ten  children.  The 
father,  who  followed  farming  throughout 
the  greater  part  of  his  life,  died  October  5, 
1899,  at  the  age  of  si.xty-four  years  and  nine 
months,  but  the  motlier  is  still  living,  and 
now  resides  in  Merna,  McLean  county. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  remained  at 
home  until  he  attained  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  years,  and  then  engaged  in  farming  for 
two  years.  In  March,  1892,  he  embarked 
in  the  grain  business  at  Hudson,  Illinois, 
but  remained  at  that  place  only  four  months 
before  coining  to  Panola,  where  he  anti  a 
partner.  James  A.  Esler,  rented  the  north 
elevator  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  and 
where  they  engaged  in  the  grain  business  for 
about  twtj  years  and  a  half,  since  which  time 
Mr.  Schlosser  has  been  alone  in  business. 
In  1896  he  purchased  the  south  elevator, 
which  lie  still  conducts,  and  in  tiie  summer 
of  1900  erected  another  large  elevator  on 
the  Toledo.  Peoria  &  Warsaw  Railroad  at 
Euright,  a  small  station  about  two  and  a 
half  miles  east  of  El  Paso,  where  he  is  also" 
engaged  in  buying  grain.  He  has  been  han- 
dling between  three  and  four  hundred  thou- 
sand bushels  of  grain  annually,  and  with  the 
added  capacity  of  his  new  elevator  at  Eu- 
right the  volume  of  his  business  will  be 
largely  increased.  He  also  conducts  a  coal 
and  lumber  yard,  and  carries  on  an  e.xtensive 
live  stock  business  at  Panola;  also  a  coal 
yard  at  Euright  in  connection  with  his  ele- 
vator there.  He  is  one  of  the  most  energetic 
and  progressive  business  men  in  liis  section 
of  the  count}-,  and  is  meeting  witli  excellent 
success  in  his  undertakiuijs. 


In  April,  1899,  Mr.  Schlosser  was  elected 
supervisor  of  Panola  township,  which  office 
he  is  now  most  creditably  filling,  discharg- 
ing its  duties  with  his  characteristic  business 
ability  and  fairness.  In  his  ix)litical  views 
he  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  one  of  the  act- 
ive sujjporters  of  that  party  in  Woodford 
county.  Eraternally  Mr.  Schlosser  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Mod- 
ern \\  oodmen  of  America. 


THE  FARMERS  BA.XK  OF  ROA.XOKE. 

.Vmong  the  banks  of  \\'oodford  county 
none  have  met  with  better  success  than  the 
I'armers  Bank  of  Roanoke,  which  was  or- 
ganized in  1894,  soon  after  the  fire  of  1893, 
which  burned  out  the  block  which  it  now 
occupies,  it  being  opened  for  lousiness  Octo- 
ber 10,  1894.  It  is  connected  with  the  bank 
of  Henry  Denhart  &  Company,  of  Wash- 
ington, Illinois,  and  does  a  general  banking, 
real  estate  and  loan  business.  When  opened 
for  business  its  deposits  amounted  to  ten 
thousand  six  hundred  and  eighty-eight  dol- 
lars, which  was  increased  to  seventeen  dol- 
lars the  .second ;  sixty-two  thousand  dol- 
lars the  third ;  over  ninety  thousand  dollars 
the  fifth;  and  one  hundred  and  forty  thou- 
sand dollars  at  present ;  thus  showing  a  .grad- 
ual and  healthy  increase.  By  its  safe,  con- 
servative methods  the  bank  has  gained  the 
confidence  of  the  people  in  its  vicinity,  and 
has  a  rich  country  to  draw  from.  Its  officers 
are  Henry  Denhart,  of  Washington,  presi- 
dent :  Henry  D.  Harms,  of  the  same  place, 
vice-president;  and  Louis  W.  Harms,  of 
Roanoke,  cashier;  all  upright,  reliable  men, 
of  good   business  and   e.xecutive  ability. 


450 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


COL.  BAZEL  D.  MEEK. 

Col.  Bazel  D.  IMeek.  an  old  and  pmmi- 
nent  attorney  of  Eureka,  and  at  present 
chairman  of  the  board  of  super\-isors  for 
A\'oodtnr(l  county,  Illinois,  was  liorn  near 
\  ernon.  the  count}'  seat  of  Jennings  countw 
Indiana.  December  6,  i8j8,  and  is  a  son  of 
Henry  B.  and  Partlienia  A.  (Perry)  Meek, 
tlie  former  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  near 
Somerset.  Pulaski  county,  in  1804. 

Jacol)  Meek,  the  great-grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England. 
He  came  to  this  countr_\'  in  ifxjo,  when  a  boy. 
in  conipau}'  \vith  a  Ijrother.  and  settled  on  the 
James  ri\er.  in  \'irginia.  He  married  and 
moved  to  Xorth  Carolina,  but  later  moved  to 
Hagerstow  n,  Maryland,  where  his  death  oc- 
curred. In  his  family  were  thirteen  sons  and 
three  daughters,  one  of  his  daughters,  Xancy, 
marrying  Paul  Hulse,  who  fought  so  bravely 
through  the  Revolutionarv  war.  Jacob 
Meek,  with  his  sons,  was  in  many  of  the  bat- 
tles with  the  Indians  in  the  earlv  part  cd"  the 
seventeenth  centur\'. 

Lewis.  Xathan  and  Da\'id,  his  sons, 
fought  through  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Bazel.  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  being 
tor>  young  to  participate.  Lewis,  the  first 
liorn  of  the  family,  was  supposed  to  have 
been  killed  at  Braddock's  defeat,  and  a 
younger  half  brother  was  named  Lewis.  It 
was  the  latter  who  serxed  tliroughout  the 
war.  Later  the  first  born  Lewis  appeared, 
and  thus  it  was  that  there  were  two  sons  bv 
the  name  of  Lewis  in  the  faniilv. 

Bazel  Meek,  the  grandfather,  who  was 
bom  near  Hagerstown.  jNIaryland.  in  1763, 
\\as  a  member  of  the  Home  Guards  during 
the  Rex'olutionary  war.  and  was  in  a  number 
of  fights  with  the  Indians.  He  moved  to 
Kentucky  in   1790.  and  there  married  Miss 


R.oberts.  who.  with  her  parents,  moved  to 
Kentucky  with  Daniel  Boone.  Bv  occupa- 
tion he  was  a  farmer.  He  was  prominent 
in  politics,  and  for  eiglit  years  was  sheriff  of 
Pulaski  county.  Tall  of  stature,  he  was  a 
man  of  line  physique  and  manly  in  his  bear- 
ing and  one  in  wdiom  the  people  would  in- 
stinctix'elv  trust.  From  Kentucky  he  moved 
to  Jennings  county.  Indiana,  and  there  also 
serxed  as  sheriff  for  a  period  of  eight  years. 
In  1S33  he  came  to  \\'oodford  county.  Illi- 
nois, and  while  he  never  here  engaged  in 
actix'e  lalior.  he  purchased  a  tract  of  land  in 
(ireene  township,  but  died  in  a  house  near  the 
father  of  our  subject  about  i84(>.  .  Politi- 
calh-  he  was  a  Jacksonian  Democrat.  For 
many  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church,  but  was  one  of  those  who  united  to 
form  the  First  Christian  church  in  Walnut 
Grove,  near  Eureka.  He  was  very  active  in 
the  church  up  h  >  the  time  of  his  death,  and 
was  a  hrm  believer  in  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

Henry  B.  Meek,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
iect.  grew  to  manhood  in  Kentucky,  and 
when  a  x'oung  man  moxed  to  Jennings 
county.  Indiana,  where  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Partlienia  A.  Perry,  who 
was  I)orn  near  Kn'oxville,  Tennessee,  and  a 
daughter  of  Ransom  Perry,  who  moved  from 
Tennessee  to  that  cotmtry  in  an  early  day. 
The  family  was  originally  from  Xorth  Caro- 
lina. \\  hile  residing  in  Tennessee.  Ran- 
som Perry  took  an  actixe  part  in  pul)lic  af- 
fairs, serving  as  probate  judge,  and  also  in 
other  official  positions.  Loyal  to  his  cotni- 
trv,  he  serxed  as  a  soldier  in  the  xxar  of  1812. 
From  Indiana  he  later  moved  to  Missouri, 
locating  near  Carthage.  Jasper  county,  where 
he  died  aliout  1857. 

On  the  I2th  of  April.  1830.  Henry  B. 
Meek,  with  his  family,  landed  at  Walnut 
Grove,    Woodford    countv,    but    which  was 


COL.  BAZIL  D.  MEEK. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


453 


tlien  a  part  of  Tazewell  county,  ami  there 
made  a  jjernianent  settlement.  He  first  pur- 
cliased  a  small  tract  of  land,  which  he  im- 
proved, and  to  wliicli  lie  added  from  time  to 
time  until  he  had  ahout  thirteen  hundred 
acres,  a  part  of  which  he  later  deeded  to  his 
children,  leaving  him  ahout  eight  hundred 
acres  at  the  time  of  liis  death.  He  was  a 
thoroughly  practical  farmer,  and  was  more 
than  usually  successful.  He  was  not  an  as- 
l)irant  for  office  and  would  accept  none,  save 
that  I  if  ctmimissioner  of  highways,  taking 
the  ])osition  that  he  might  use  the  office  to  se- 
cure better  roads.  One  of  the  pioneers  of  the 
county,  lie  did  his  duty  faithfully  and  well 
and  those  now  living  are  recei\Mng  the  bene- 
fit of  his  lab.  >rs.  together  with  tlmse  of  his 
associates.  He  was  a  mcniber  uf  the  Chris- 
tian church,  a  faithful  disciple  of  Christ, 
and  one  of  the  solid,  substantial  men  of  the 
conr.minit}'.  He  died  in  September.  1883. 
and  his  wife  in  December,  1888.  She  was 
also  a  member  of  the  Christian  church  and 
loyal  to  the  lowly  Xazareiie.  They  left  a 
family  of  five  children,  three  sons  and  two 
tlaughters. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  came  to  Wood- 
ford County  when  about  sixteen  months  old, 
his  mother  riding  on  horseback  and  carry- 
ing him  in  her  arms  from  the  Indiana  home. 
On  the  home  farm  in  Walnut  (jrove,  his 
boyhood  and  youth  were  spent,  in  the  winter 
attending  school  in  the  old  log  school  house 
near  his  father's  place,  while  his  summers 
were  spent  in  assisting  in  the  farm  work. 
I'or  a  time  he  attended  school  in  Cherry 
Grove  Academy,  in  Knox  county,  and  later 
was  a  student  in  Knox  College  at  (ialesburg. 
After  leaving  college  he  was  engaged  in 
teaching  for  two  winters. 

In  his  youth  Col.  Meek  had  a  strong  de- 
sire to  take  up  the  study  of  medicine,  but 


circumstances  prc\ented  it.  In  1849-30  the 
gold  fe\er  was  raging  throughout  the  coun- 
try, fabulous  stories  being  told  of  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  California,  and  the  great 
wealth  in  waiting  for  the  adventurous  ones. 
With  several  others,  he  started  across  the 
plains  to  the  Xew  Elorado,  with  a  mule 
train,  crossing  the  Missouri  river  at  St.  Jos- 
e])h.  MissoiuM,  April  28,  of  the  same  year, 
which  w;is  the  quickest  trip,  with  teams, 
that  had  been  made  across  the  mountains  up 
to  that  time.  They  were  the  first  that  year 
to  cross,  with  wagons,  the  snow  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada  mountains. 

On  his  arrival  in  California  Mr.  Meek 
went  into  the  Trinidad  mines,  but  was  soon 
taken  sick  and  for  the  sake  of  his  health  he 
went  north  to  Oregon,  going  first  to  I'ort- 
land.  and  then  on  to  the  Tenoletin  iilains. 
There  he  was  connected  with  lumber  mills 
and  was  in  that  line  of  business  for  two 
years.  Having  had  experience  enough,  he 
returned  home  in  1853,  by  Central  .\merica 
and  Xew  York. 

It  was  the  intention  of  Mr.  Meek,  on 
coming  home,  to  engage  in  farming,  but  he 
was  soon  afterwards  nominated  for  county 
treasurer  and  assessor  of  the  county  on  tlie 
Democratic  ticket  and  was  duly  elected. 
\\  bile  ser\ing  his  term  of  two  years  he  read 
law.  and  was  then  nominated  and  electetl 
county  judge,  filling  that  position  one  term. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war,  in 
1861,  he  receivetl  permission  from  the  gov- 
ernment to  raise  a  regiment,  and  on  the  20th 
of  December,  1861,  it  was  mustered  into  the 
service  as  the  Eleventh  Illinois  Cavalry,  Mr. 
Meeks  receiving  a  commission  as  lieutenant- 
colonel,  while  Robert  G.  Ingersoll  was  made 
colonel.  The  regiment  went  into  camp  at 
Peoria,  where  it  remained  until  early  in  Feb- 
ruar\-,    1862,   when   it   was   sent  to   Benton 


454 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Barracks,  near  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  early 
in  March  it  was  ordered  south  into  Tennes- 
see, where  it  a  few  weeks  later  took  part  in 
the  battle  of  Shiloh.  It  was  next  in  the 
march  to  Corinth,  during  which  time  Col. 
]\Ieek  had  charge  of  the  picket  lines  of  the 
Sixth  Division.  He  was  then  taken  sick  and 
was  away  from  his  regiment  about  four 
weeks.  Returning  he  took  part  in.  the  bat- 
tles at  luka,  Hudson,  Lexington,  Tennessee, 
Parker's  Cross  Roads,  and  other  minor  en- 
gagements, and  was  also  on  many  guerrilla 
skirmishes  with  the  enemy.  During  the 
greater  part  of  his  term  of  service  he  com- 
manded the  regiment.  Colonel  IngersoU  be- 
ing away  on  detached  service.  For  a  short 
time  he  was  also  in  command  of  his  brigade. 
In  consequence  of  the  great  loss  in  his  regi- 
ment and  its  reduction  in  numbers,  he  re- 
signed his  commission  in  the  fall  of  1863 
and  returned  home. 

Shortl_v  after  his  return  from  the  service 
Colonel  Meek  was  examined  for  admission 
to  the  bar,  and  was  licensed  to  practice  in  all 
the  courts  of  the  state.  Locating  in  Eureka 
he  engaged  in  practice,  and  from  that  time 
to  the  present  he  has  been  associated  in  most 
of  the  important  cases  in  Woodford  county 
and  \ery  often  the  special  cases  in  adjoining 
counties.  His  success  has  been  gratifying, 
indeed,  and  his  record  has  been  a  clean  one 
and  always  satisfying  to  his  clients. 

Colonel  Meek  has  always  been  prominent 
in  local  afifairs,  and  he  has  done  much  for 
the  upbuilding  and  general  welfare  of  his 
county.  In  1868  he  was  for  the  second  time 
elected  county  judge  and  filled  the  office  ac- 
ceptably for  a  term  of  four  years.  He  has 
served  as  supervisor  of  his  tuwnship  a  num- 
ber of  terms,  and  each  time  was  elected  and 
served  as  chairman  of  the  board.  He  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  about 


twenty  }ears,  and  was  a  member  when  the 
large  school  house  in  Eureka  was  erected. 
His  interest  in  the  cause  of  education  is 
shown  by  his  long  service  in  a  thankless 
office.  Before  the  war  he  also  served  as 
county  superintendent  of  schools,  during 
which  time  he  did  much  to  place  the  schools 
in  the  front  rank,  and  in  the  adoption  of 
progressive  methods.  In  politics  he  has  al- 
ways been  a  Democrat,  and  has  taken  an 
active  part  in  the  county  and  state  conven- 
tions of  his  party.  In  1896  he  was  an  al- 
ternate to  the  national  Democratic  conven- 
tion which  assembled  at  Chicago. 

Colonel  Meek  was  made  a  Alason  in 
Ta_\'lor  Lodge,  \\"ashington,  Illinois,  in  1854, 
and  later  was  a  charter  member  of  W.  C. 
Hobbs  Lodge,  No.  306,  of  Eureka,  and  was 
one  to  suggest  its  name.  He  was  the  third 
one  to  hold  the  office  of  worshipful  master 
in  the  lodge.  He  was  also  a  charter  member 
of  Dan  Miles  Post,  No.  270,  G.  A.  R..  of 
Eureka,  which  was  named  in  honor  of  one 
of  his  old  friends,  and  was  its  first  com- 
mander, a  position  which  he  is  filling  in 
1900. 

On  the  22(1  of  October.  1S56,  Colonel 
Meek  was  united  in  marriage  with  Aliss 
Elizabeth  Ward,  of  Canton,  Illinois,  but  a 
nati\-e  of  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  J.  F. 
Ward,  who  moved  from  that  state  at  an 
early  day,  locating  in  Eureka.  By  this 
union  four  children  have  been  born,  as  fol- 
lows :  Parthenia,  now  Mrs.  W.  C.  Mitchell, 
of  Chicago;  William  D..  of  Chicago;  Frank 
L.,  an  attorney  of  Peoria,  Illinois:  and  Hen- 
r}-  B.,  who  is  in  the  internal  revenue  service 
at  Peoria. 

Colonel  and  Mrs.  ^leek  are  members  of 
the  Christian  church  and  take  quite  an  act- 
i\e  interest  in  its  work.  Their  home  has 
been  in  Eureka  since   1858,   and  none  are 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


55 


more  higlily  respected  or  have  inore  friends. 
Tlie  Colonel  has  owned  and  traded  a  great 
deal  in  land,  and  in  business  life  has  met 
■svith  marked  success.  For  seventy  years  he 
has  been  a  citizen  of  the  county,  and  the 
greater  part  of  the  time  since  reaching  man- 
hood has  been  in  public  life,  and  it  can  safely 
be  said  that  no  service  required  of  him  but 
has  been  faithfully  discharged  for  the  best 
interests  of  all.  His  life  record  is  worthy  of 
eniulatii)n. 


HEXRY  C.   BAIRD. 

For  almost  half  a  century  this  gentleman 
has  lieen  prominently  identified  with  the 
business  and  social  interests  of  Eureka,  and 
is  numbered  among  its  most  honored  and 
highly  respected  citizens.  He  was  born  in 
Hunterdon  county,  Xew  Jersey,  August  4, 
1830,  a  son  of  Nicholas  D.  and  Susan 
(Creed)  Baird,  also  natives  of  that  state, 
the  former  born  in  Xew  Brunswick,  the  lat- 
ter in  Trenton.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Abram  Baird.  familiarly  known  as  old  IMajor 
Baird.  having  served  with  that  rank  in  the 
militia,  was  of  Scotch  extraction  and  a  di- 
rect descendant  of  the  old  Huguenots,  from 
whom  the  family  seem  to  have  inherited  their 
religious  tendencies.  Our  subject's  mater- 
nal grandfather,  Rev.  John  D.  Creed,  was  a 
Presbyterian  minister  of  Trenton,  Xew  Jer- 
sey, but  soon  after  the  birth  of  Mrs.  Baird 
the  family  moved  to  Xew  Brunswick.  He 
was  also  of  Scotch  descent.  Nicholas  D. 
Baird,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  princi- 
pally engaged  in  business  as  a  miller  and 
grain  dealer  throughout  his  active  business 
life.  At  one  time  he  owned  most  of  Bools 
Island  in  tlie  Delaware  river,  Hunterdon 
countv,  X"ew  Jersev.  and  was  one  of  the  most 


prominent  men  oi  Xew  Brunswick  for  many 
years  in  early  life.  Meeting  with  failure  in 
some  of  his  undertakings  he  taught  school 
for  some  time  to  recuperate  his  fortune.  He 
was  known  as  Captain  Baird,  being  com- 
mander of  vessels,  three  of  which  he  loaded 
and  started  for  the  West  Indies  with  the  in- 
tention of  founding  a  colony,  but  the  vessels 
were  wrecked  and  he  lost  everything  with 
the  exception  of  the  money  he  had  in  his 
pocket  when  picked  up.  He  remained  in 
West  Indies  for  some  time.  Later  in  life 
he  lived  with  our  subject  in  Woodford  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  but  finally  returned  to  New  Jer- 
sey, where  he  died  in  1890.  He  was  of  a  so- 
cial, genial  nature  until  becoming  deaf,  when 
he  seemed  to  shun  others.  Religiously  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  while  the  mother  of  our  subject  was 
a  Presbyterian.  She  died  in  New  Jersey 
when  dur  subject  was  only  a  few  weeks  old. 
Being  left  motherless,  Henry  C.  Baird 
was  reared  by  his  maternal  grandmother, 
who  at  that  time  was  the  wife  of  Joiui  Stry- 
ker.  of  Neshanic,  X'ew  Jersey.  After  the 
death  of  her  second  husband  she  moved  to 
Bound  Brook,  the  same  state,  where  she 
made  her  home  with  her  son,  John  Creed. 
She  was  a  wonderfully  intelligent  woman 
and  well  educated.  From  the  age  of  ten 
years  until  reaching  manhood  Mr.  Baird 
lived  ill  i>uun(l  Brook  and  was  educated  at 
the  old  high  school  of  that  place.  In  early 
life  he  learned  the  harnessmaker's  trade, 
and  Oldened  a  shop  of  his  own  in  Hunterdon 
county  before  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty 
years.  \\'hen  he  sold  that  he  embarked  in 
the  Daguerrean  business,  being  among  the 
first  to  turn  his  attention  to  that  art.  He 
traveled  quite  extensively  over  New  Jersey, 
meeting  with  remarkable  success,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  conducted  a  gallery  in  Rah- 


456 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


\vay,  that  state,  but  his  health  failed  and  he 
was  obliged  to  retire  from  the  business.  In 
the  spring  of  1855  he  came  to  Illinois  and 
spent  one  year  in  recuperating.  He  then  re- 
turned to  New  Jersey,  but  the  following  year 
took  up  his  residence  in  Concord  (now  Dan- 
xevs),  Illinois,  where  he  purchased  a  harness 
shop  and  cniiducted  the  same  until  coming  to 
Eureka  July  15.  1857.  Hearing  this  was  a 
temperance  town  and  going  to  grow  up  as 
such,  he  determineil  to  make  it  his  home. 
He  br)ught  property  and  opened  a  harness 
shop,  manufacturing  the  first  harness  made 
in  this  section  of  the  state.  He  did  a  good 
business  and  furnished  employment  to  two 
hands.  He  is  now  the  only  man  li\ing 
who  was  in  Inisiness  here  at  that  tim;e. 
Until  1865  he  continued  to  work  at  his  trade, 
and  in  the  meantime  became  interested  in 
the  real  estate  and  insurance  business,  to 
which  he  has  since  de\-oted  his  entire  time 
and  attention.  He  has  been  the  leading  in- 
surance agent  of  the  place  since  1859,  rep- 
resenting lioth  fire  and  life  insurance  com- 
panies. 

On  the  -th  of  October,  1858,  Mr.  Baird 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Caroline 
E.  Townley,  of  W'estfield.  Xew  Jerse}-,  a 
daughter  of  Dax'id  Townley,  a  representa- 
tixe  of  one  of  the  old  families  of  that  place. 
They  had  been  engaged  for  seven  years. 
Their  chililren  are.  Lillian,  at  home:  I\Iaggie, 
wife  of  James  A.  Roberts,  of  Chicago:  and 
Susan,  wife  of  Lewis  Hodgson,  of  Iowa. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Baird  has  been  an 
active  and  faithful  member  of  the  Christian 
church  and  served  as  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  school  for  eighteen  years,  a  longer 
period  than  any  other  has  filled  the  same 
office.  During  his  entire  residence  in  Eureka 
he  has  taken  an  active  part  in  promoting 
the  interests  of  the  college:  was  one  of  its 


trustees  for  a  number  of  years,  and  f(.)r  se\'- 
eral  years  served  as  treasurer  of  the  same. 
He  was  also  a  trustee  of  the  town  during  his 
early  residence  here  and  for  years  has  filled 
the  office  of  police  magistrate.  Politically 
he  has  been  identified  with  the  Republican 
j)arty  since  its  inception,  and  has  Ijeen  a  dele- 
gate to  different  conventions  of  his  party, 
IVl  r.  Baird  is  a  worthy  representative  of  that 
class  of  citizens  who  lead  cjuiet,  industrious, 
honest  and  useful  lives,  and  constitute  the 
best  portion  of  a  community.  \\diere\'er 
known  he  is  held  in  high  regard,  and  as  an 
honored  pioneer  and  highly  respected  citizen 
he  is  certainly  deserving  of  honorable  men- 
tion in  the  history  of  his  adopted  country. 


BELA   M.    STODDARD. 

r>ela  M.  Stoddard  enjoys  the  honor  of 
being  the  pioneer  business  man  of  Minonk, 
as  for  thirtv-five  years  he  has  conducted  a 
profitable  trade  here.  Probal^h-  no  one  in 
tlie  count}'  is  better  known,  and  wherever  he 
is  known  his  praise  is  frecptiently  on  the 
lips  of  the  people.  Though  his  financial 
\entures  have  been  extensive,  his  methods 
of  transacting  business  have  been  so  upright 
and  just,  so  true  to  every  contract  and  prom- 
ise, that  no  one  envies  his  success  and  no  one 
criticises  liis  career.  His  name  is  a  guarantee 
of  good  faith,  and  his  neighbors  and  business 
associates  have  the  utmost  confidence  in  his 
integrit}-  and  sound  judgment. 

It  is  no  surprise  to  learn  that  our  sub- 
ject comes  of  the  sterling  old  Puritan  ances- 
try, his  father,  S.  A.  Stoddard,  having  been 
a  native  of  Connecticut,  while  the  mother, 
Nancy  M.  (Merrill)  Stoddard,  was  born  in 
Maine.     At  an  early  day  the  father  removed 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


457 


to  Xew  ^'iirk  state,  wlicre  he  was  inarried. 
and  in  1N57  he  remmed  witli  his  taniily  tn 
McLean  county.  Illinois.  There  he  pur- 
chased a  (luarter-section  of  land  and  for 
eigliteen  years  was  (Occupied  in  its  culti\a- 
tion.  The  first  election  held  in  his  town- 
shij)  was  at  his  house,  and  a  sugar-howj.  in 
v.liich  sixteen  or  seventeen  ballots  were  de- 
posited. ser\ed  as  a  hallot-ljo.x.  in  1S73 
he  took  up  his  residence  in  Chatsworth. 
\\  here  his  devoted  wife  died  seven  years  later 
\v  her  eighty-.sec<ind  year.  He  survived  her 
eleven  vears.  dving  at  the  \eneral)le  age  of 
uinet\-one.  Both  were  almost  life-long 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  ])ossessed  tlie  grand  traits  of  character, 
innate  an<l  acipiired.  which  mark  the  true 
Christian.  Kindlv  and  symi)athetic  by  na- 
ture, they  ever  souglit  to  lend  a  helping  haml 
to  the  poor  and  afflicted,  and  thus  won  the 
undying  l(i\e  and  esteem  nf  all  who  knew 
them.  .\s  miglit  be  expecteil  of  such  a  man. 
the  father  was  strongly  opposed  to  slaver\-. 
and  was  a  stanch  friend  of  the  L'nion.  When 
the  l\c])ublican  ])arty  was  organized  he 
joined  the  ranks  of  the  party  which  had 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  down  trodden,  and 
thenceforth  cast  liis  intluence  in  that  direc- 
tion. 

Of  the  eie\en  children  born  to  tliis  wor- 
thy couple  three  died  in  infancy.  Xalhaniel. 
who  has  been  twice  married,  is  a  farmer  in 
the  vicinity  of  Rockville.  Missouri,  t'liar- 
lotte.  widow  of  Doctor  Hrigham.  resides  in 
Chicago,  and  George,  whose  wife.  Laura 
I'oyington,  has  pa.ssed  away,  lives  in  Seattle. 
Washington.  Julia,  who  wedded  E.  S. 
Thomas,  has  entered  the  silent  land. 
Mahala  married  .\lonzo  Straight,  and  their 
four  children.  Judd  A.,  Dora.  Ora  B.  and 
Frank  K..  are  resi)ected  citizens  of  the  several 
communities  in  which  thev  dwell.      T.    A. 


lives  in  Chatsworth,  Illinois;  O.  11..  in  Iklle 
I'lower.  Illinois,  and  F.  K..  in  Omaha.  .\'e- 
l)raska.  while  IJora,  formerly  a  teacher  in 
the  Minonk  high  school,  is  now  a  citizen  of 
Chicago.  The  father  died  in  1862,  when 
the  children  were  young,  and  the  mother 
reared  them  with  great  wisdom  and  tender- 
ness. .She  was  called  to  her  reward  in  1897, 
when  in  her  sixty-fourth  year.  I'or  fortv- 
six  years  she  had  been  a  faithful  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  ])os- 
•sessed  the  sincere  love  of  all  who  knew  her. 
Simon  .\bery.  the  youngest  Itrotlier  of  our 
subject,  was  one  of  the  brave  boys  who  wore 
the  blue  in  the  Civil  war.  and  after  .serving 
faithfully  at  the  jjost  of  duty  for  about  a 
)  tar,  he  was  instantly  killed  during  the  bat- 
tle of  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Tennes.see.  He 
had  enlisted  as  a  private  soldier  in  the  .sec- 
ond year  of  tlije  war.  in  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twenty-ninth  Regiment  of  Illinois  In- 
fantry, and  was  only  about  twentv-one  vears 
old  at  the  time  of  his  sad  death.  Xancv.  the 
youngest  member  of  the  family,  is  the  wife 
o'.'  John  W'ickersham,  of  Kansas  City. 

I).  M.  Stoddard  was  born  in  Chautaucpia 
county.  .\ew  York,  September  10,  1840. 
antJ  accompanied  his  parents  to  Illinois  when 
he  was  seventeen  years  of  age.  He  received 
tliorough  training  in  agricultural  methods 
and  in  the  schools  of  the  district  obtained  a 
liberal  education.  After  the  Civil  war  was 
declared  he  enlisted  for  three  months,  in  the 
Seventy-first  Illinois  Infantry,  and  was  sta- 
tioned at  Mound  City,  Illinois,  on  garrison 
duty,  most  of  this  period.  Returning  home 
he  engaged  in  farming  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  when  he  came  to  Minonk. 

I-"or  a  year  or  more  Mr.  Stoddard  was  a 
jjartner  of  D.  S.  Thomas,  conducting  a  gen- 
eral merchandising  business,  and  then  the 
firm  of  Stoddard  &  Xewton  was  organized. 


458 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Gradually  they  Ijecame  more  and  more  ex- 
tensively engaged  in  buying  and  selling 
grain,  and  at  length,  in  1876,  they  dissolved 
their  business  connection,  Mr.  Newton 
taking  the  store  and  its  trade  as  his  share, 
and  Mr.  Stoddard  assuming  the  management 
of  the  grain  business.  He  owns  two  eleva- 
tors in  Minonk  and  one  at  what  is  called 
Stoddard's  Siding,  near  Chatsworth.  This 
fertile  country  has  contributed  in  grain  a 
large  proportion  of  the  state's  revenue,  and 
our  subject  long  ago  had  the  foresight  to 
predict  this,  and  thus  won  a  reputation  for 
sagacity. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Stoddard  and  Sarah 
E.,  daughter  of  Reuben  P.  and  Lydia  A. 
(Edwards)  Bell,  was  solemnized  March  10, 
1868.  The  father,  who  died  in  Minonk, 
August  4,  1893,  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
Ivlarch  3,  1810,  and  was  a  pioneer  farmer 
of  Marshall  county,  Illinois.  His  grand- 
father, Joseph  Bell,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
was  a  hero  of  the  Revolution.  He  settled 
in  the  wilds  of  Kentucky  in  1788,  and  lived 
to  attain  the  great  age  of  ninety-five  years. 
Mrs.  Stoddard  has  one  sister  living,  Ade- 
laide, wife  of  William  S.  Marquis,  of  Rock 
Island,  Illinois. 

The  eldest  child  of  our  subject  and  wife 
is  Reuben  B.,  who  is  associated  in  business 
with  his  father  in  Minonk,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  B.  M.  Stoddard,  of  Minonk, 
Illinois.  Bertel  M.  is  connected  with  the 
Toluca  firm  of  B.  M.  Stoddard  &  Son.  He 
married  Minnie  Simiter,  and  their  son  is 
named  Bela  M.  Zadel  M.  and  Malita  E. 
were  graduated  in  Lake  Forest  Seminary 
with  the  first  honors  of  their  respective 
classes,  the  first  named  being  in  that  of  1895 
and  the  latter  in  the  class  of  1896.  Dorothy 
T.  and  Donald  A.  are  at  home  and  are  stu- 
dents in  the  local  school. 


Religiously,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stoddard  are 
Presbyterians,  and  he  is  a  trustee  in  the 
Minonk  church.  In  political  faith,  he  is  a 
Republican,  taking  great  interest  in  the  issues 
of  the  day.  Public-spirited,  he  has  con- 
tributed materially  to  the  prosperity  of  the 
community  in  which  his  lot  has  been  cast, 
and  his  extensive  financial  operations  have 
accrued  to  the  benefit  of  the  people  of  this 
localit}'  in  many  ways. 


COLUMBUS  A.   ROBESON. 

Among  the  pioneers  and  representative 
citizens  of  Woodford  county  probably  none 
is  better  known  than  Columbus  A.  Robe- 
son, of  Eureka.  He  is  a  native  of  the  county, 
his  birth  occurring  in  the  village  of  Bowling 
Green,  November  2,  1841.  His  father, 
James  Robeson,  was  born  in  South  Carolina, 
May  21,  1797,  and  was  a  son  of  Andrew 
Robeson,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  on  coming 
to  this  country  located  in  South  Carolina, 
and  during  the  boyhood  of  James  moved 
to  Kentucky,  locating  near  Hopkinsville, 
where  he  followed  farming.  In  1832  he 
came  to  this  state  and  made  his  home  with 
the  father  of  our  subject  until  his  death. 
On  reaching  manhood  James  Robeson  mar- 
ried Jane  Earle,  who  was  born  in  Christian 
county,  Kentucky,  about  1807,  a  daughter  of 
Baliss  Earle,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that 
state.  Soon  after  their  marriage  they  came 
tc  Illinois  and  settled  in  the  little  village  of 
Washington.  Tazewell  county,  but  shortly 
afterward  became  residents  of  Bowling 
Green,  Woodford  count}',  where  the  father 
opened  a  store,  hauling  his  goods  mostly 
from  Peoria,  but  also  from  Chicago.  He 
was  one  of  the  very  first  merchants  of  the 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


459 


couiitv,  and  did  a  successful  business  until 
our  subject  was  two  years  old.  when  he  sold 
out  and  moved  to  a  large  farm,  which  at 
that  time  was  all  wild  land  and  which  he 
improved  in  a  most  creditable  manner.  His 
fnst  home  was  an  old  log  cabin.  In  his 
farming  operations  he  also  met  with  suc- 
cess and  at  one  time  owr.ed  a  half-section 
of  valuable  land.  When  well  advanced  in 
\-ears  he  retired  frnni  acli\'e  labor  and 
moved  to  Secor,  where  he  died  Janiiary  19, 
1888.  As  one  of  the  prominent  and  in- 
fluential men  of  his  community  he  was  called 
upon  to  fill  several  important  official  posi- 
tions, including  a  number  of  county  offices, 
and  also  represented  his  district  in  the  state 
legislature,  lie  was  ratlier  independciU  in 
politics  but  usually  supported  the  Democratic 
party.  At  an  early  day  in  Kentucky  he 
united  with  the  Christian  church,  and  served 
as  a  minister  of  that  denomination  for  sev- 
eral years,  being  one  of  the  first  in  Woodford 
county.  In  that  capacity  he  traveled  all  over 
the  county  by  private  conveyance;  held  ser- 
vices in  houses,  barns  and  groves,  and  organ- 
ized a  great  many  churches.  He  was  also 
an  elder  of  the  church  for  many  years,  and 
when  not  engaged  in  farming  devoted  his 
time  to  church  work.  His  estimable  wife 
died  in  1878.  They  had  ten  children  who 
reached  years  of  maturity,  our  subject  be- 
ing one  of  the  younger. 

During  his  boyhood  Columbus  A.  Robe- 
-son  attended  the  country  schools  near  his 
boyhood  home,  and  in  1S61  entered  Eureka 
College,  but  in  February  of  the  following 
year  he  left  school  and  enlisted  in  Company 
E,  Eleventh  Illinois  Cavalry,  commanded  by 
Colonel  Robert  G.  Ingersoll.  They  did 
duty  most  of  the  time  in  western  Tennessee 
and  Mississippi,  participating  in  the  battles 
of  Shiloh  and  Corinth  besides  manv  raids 


and  skirmishes,  .\fter  three  years  of  ardu- 
ous and  faithful  service  Mr.  Robeson  was 
discharged  at  Memphis,  February  2.  1865. 
He  had  spent  two  weeks  at  home  in  the 
summer  of  1S62.  but  with  that  exception 
was  never  off  duty.  On  his  return  home 
be  engaged  in  farming  in  Palestine  township, 
making  his  Immc  with  his  parents  until  his 
marriage. 

On  the  2(1  of  January.  1S68,  Mr. 
Robeson  led  to  the  marriage  altar  Miss 
Susan  F.  Haynes,  of  Secor.  Her  father.  R. 
F.  Haynes,  was  born  May  8,  1820,  near 
Rochester,  New  \'ork,  where  he  grew  to 
manhood,  and  after  attaining  his  majority 
went  to  Hancock  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
married  Theresa  Bobbitt,  a  native  of  Ken- 
tuck}-,  and  a  daughter  of  Isam  Bobl)itt,  one 
of  the  i)ioneers  of  that  county.  Later  Mr. 
Ha}-nes  moA-ed  to  Pekin,  this  state,  and 
from  there  went  to  California  in  1849J 
spending  three  years  on  the  Pacific  slope. 
On  his  return  to  this  state  he  settled  in 
Marshall  county,  and  in  1865  became  a  res- 
ident of  Secor,  \\'oodford  county,  but  he  is 
now  living  retired  at  Oak  Hill,  Peoria 
county.  In  early  life  he  was  a  minister  of 
the  Predestinarian  Baptist  church,  and  still 
adheres  to  that  faith.  WJiile  a  resident  of 
Marshall  county  he  tilled  the  office  of  asses- 
sor and  scr\"ed  as  justice  of  the  peace  at 
Secor.  His  wife  died  in  iSfiS.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Robeson  have  three  children :  Jennie 
M.,  wife  of  A.  M.  Duncan,  of  Eureka,  by 
whom  she  has  two  ciiildren.  Ivan  and  Stella 
May;  Edwin  E.,  who  was  graduated  from 
the  law  department  of  the  Wesleyan  Univer- 
sity with  the  degree  of  LL.  B. ;  and  Elbert, 
a  graduate  of  the  high  school  of  Eureka. 

•  After  bis  marriage  Mr.  Robeson  con- 
tinued to  follow  farming  until  1886,  five 
years  of  the  time  being  sixMit  in  Marshall 


460 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


county.  The  Democratic  party  lias  always 
found  in  liim  a  standi  .supporter  of  its  prin- 
ciples, and  in  Woodford  county  he  has  been 
called  upon  to  fill  a  number  of  different  town- 
ship offices.  In  Xox'ember.  1894.  be  was 
elected  county  sheriff'  for  a  term  of  fnur 
years,  and  entered  npim  the  duties  of  the 
office  in  December.  During-  his  incnmbenc\- 
the  office  was  transferred  fmni  Aletamora  to 
the  new  court  house  at  luireka,  and  he  be- 
came its  first  occupant.  He  had  charge  of 
several  murder  cases,  took  a  number  of  pris- 
oners to  the  penitentiary,  and  had  good  suc- 
cess in  running  down  the  criminal  element. 
Since  his  retirement  from  office  he  has  con- 
tinued to  make  his  home  in  Eureka,  and  in 
the  spring  of  iqoo  was  elected  assessor  of 
Olio  township,  which  includes  the  city  of 
Eureka.  His  official  duties  have  always  been 
most  conscientious!}-  and  faithfully  per- 
formed, and  have  g-i\-en  the  utmost  satis- 
faction to  all  concerned.  Fraternally  ]\lr. 
Robeson  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows 
Lodge,  No.  794,  of  Palestine,  and  he  attends 
and  supports  the  Christian  church,  of  wbicli 
his  wife  is  a  member. 


J.  H.  HUXTABLE. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  one  of  Ben- 
son's most  esteemed  citizens,  was  for  many 
years  prominently  identified  with  the  agri- 
cultural interests  of  Woodford  county,  but 
at  present  is  not  actively  engaged  in  any 
business,  but  a  good  judge  of  human  nature 
will  observe  under  his  habitual  quiet  and 
unassuming  manner  the  reserve  force  which 
indicates  both  ability  and  energy. 

Mr.  Huxtable  was  born  in  Peoria  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  March  22,  1856,  a  son  of  James 


and  Frances  (Ridge)  Huxtable,  natives  of 
England,  who  with  their  family  of  six  chil- 
dren crossed  the  Atlantic  in  1852,  landing 
in  New  York.  They  located  in  Peoria 
count\-,  Illinois,  where  the  father  followed 
farming,  tbough  in  his  native  land  he  had 
worked  at  the  miller's  trade.  After  coming 
to  Woodford  county  in  1880  he  continued  to 
engage  in  agricultural  pursuits  for  some  time 
in  Greene  township.  l)ut  his  last  days  were 
spent  in  retirement  from  active  labor  in  the 
xillage  of  Benson,  where  he  died  September 
II,  1894.  His  widow-  is  still  living-  and 
now  makes  her  home  -with  her  children. 
Fifteen  children  were  born  to  them,  namely: 
\\'illiam.  a  farmer,  died  at  Flanagan,  Illi- 
nois, in  August,  1899;  Richard  is  a  farmer 
of  Oklahoma:  Grace,  wife  of  Thomas  Lee, 
died  in  Hoopeston,  Illinois:  Charity  is  the 
wife  of  John  Bock,  a  jiainter  of  the  same 
place:  Elizabeth  is  a  resident  of  Gilman, 
Illinois:  Sarah  is  the  wife  of  Simon  Peter- 
son, and  they  reside  in  Benson,  Illinois:  he 
is  engaged  in  the  brick  and  tile  business,  and 
alsc-i  o])erates  seven  threshing  machines : 
Phielie  is  the  wife  of  Peter  Antlerson,  a 
farmer  of  Indiana;  James  is  a  grain  l)uyer 
of  Benson:  J.  H.,  our  subject,  is  next  in 
order  of  l)irth :  Ida  is  the  wife  of  A.  S.  Bru- 
baker :  Martha  is  the  wife  of  ]\Iayor  Frank 
E.  Learned,  a  prominent  druggist  of  Ben- 
son: Xora  is  the  wife  of  Andrew  Younger, 
of  Roseburg,  Oregon :  Thomas,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  thirty-three  years,  was  a  school 
teacher,  and  has  sel^ved  as  county  clerk  and 
assessor  :  Morris  is  a  farmer  of  Greene  town- 
ship, and  Flora  is  the  wife  of  U.  B.  Mem- 
men,  a  grain  dealer  of  Minonk,  Illinois. 

For  several  years  J.  H.  Huxtable  was 
successfully  engaged  in  farming  in  Greene 
township,  \\'oodford  county,  where  he  still 
owns  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirty- 


J.  H.  HUXTABLE. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


463 


five  acres,  wliicli  he  rents  to  G.  Jeter,  and  has 
a  farm  of  one  huntlretl  and  sixty  acres  in 
Dawson  county,  Nebraska,  wliich  he  rents 
to  J.  G.  Bock.  He  is  also  a  stockholder  in 
the  Benson  State  Bank.  He  is  enterpris- 
ing and  progressive,  and  lias  met  with  suc- 
cess in  all  his  undertakings. 

Mr.  Huxtable  has  been  twice  married, 
his  first  wife  being  Miss  Ida  Menter,  who 
died  September  16,  1896,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren :  Theresa,  a  highly  educated  young 
lady,  is  a  graduate  of  \\'esleyan  University 
at  Bloomington.  She  is  now  doing  mis- 
sionary work  in  Brockton.  ^Massachusetts, 
helping  bring  those  into  the  church  who 
have  not  been  attending;  and  Lester,  who  is 
now  attending  the  Benson  schools.  In  1897 
Mr.  Huxtable  married  Mrs.  Maria  Miller,  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  Ressler,  of  Berks  county, 
Pennsylvania.  Her  father  died  in  1865, 
her  mother  in  1894.  She  has  one  sister  still 
living,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Kline,  of  Berks  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania.  Mrs.  Huxtable's  first 
husband  was  Jacob  ^Miller,  a  successful 
farmer,  who  settled  in  Greene  township, 
Woodford  county,  in  1856,  and  died  in 
1889,  leaving  considerable  land  and  money 
to  his  widow.  They  had  no  children.  She 
owns  a  fine  residence  on  Front  street.  Ben- 
son, where  she  and  her  husband  now  re- 
side. 

As  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  infiu- 
ential  citizens  of  Greene  township.  Mr.  Hux- 
table was  called  upon  to  fill  several  official 
positions,  including  that  of  collector,  the  du- 
ties of  which  he  most  faithfully  and  satis- 
factorily performed.  He  and  his  wife  are 
among  the  leading  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  of  Benson,  in  which 
he  has  served  as  steward  seven  years,  and 
as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school 
seven  years.     Mrs.  Huxtable  is  also  an  act- 


ive church  worker,  and  has  served  as  stew- 
ardess. P<,)litically  our  subject  is  a  stanch 
Republican,  as  was  also  his  father,  and  he 
gives  his  support  to  any  enterprise  which 
he  believes  will  advance  the  moral,  social 
or  material  welfare  of  his  town  and  countv. 


A.    W.    HUFF^LVX. 

Among  the  leading  and  representative 
Inisiness  men  of  the  thriving  little  village  of 
Panola  must  be  numbered  A.  \V.  Huffman, 
of  the  firm  of  Schweizer  &  Huft'man,  who 
are  successfully  engaged  in  general  mer- 
chandising at  that  place.  He  was  born  at 
West  Salem,  Edwards  county.  Illinois,  Au- 
gust 21,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  and 
Mary  (Ground)  Huffman,  the  former  a 
native  of  West  Virginia,  the  latter  of  Ken- 
tucky. The  mother  died  in  Decemljer. 
1891,  but  the  father  is  still  living.  He  was 
born  in  1S21,  and  came  west  with  his  par- 
ents in  1 83 1,  but  his  father  died  when  he 
was  young.  In  early  life  he  was  engaged 
in  building  flatboats,  and  also  ran  them 
down  the  Mississippi  ri\er,  carrying  grain 
to  New  Orleans,  but  later  in  life  devoted 
his  energies  to  farming.  At  present,  how- 
ever, he  is  living  a  retired  life  in  West  Sa- 
lem. Edwards  county,  Illinois.  He  served 
as  county  commissioner  of  that  county  for 
sixteen  years,  and  has  always  taken  a  promi- 
nent and  influential  part  in  public  affairs. 
The  children  born  to  himself  and  wife  were: 
Francis,  now  a  resident  of  Leeds,  Kansas ; 
Eliza  and  Martha  A.,  both  deceased;  Ma- 
rion, of  Eaton  Rapids,  Michigan ;  Milton, 
deceased ;  Grant,  of  West  Salem,  Illinois, 
and  A.  W.,  our  subject. 

A.  W.  Huffman  was  reared  in  West  Sa- 


464 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


lem,  and  attended  the  public  schools  there 
for  some  time.  Subsequently  he  was  a  stu- 
dent at  ^^'estfield  College,  Illinois,  and  the 
Valparaiso  Normal  School,  Indiana,  and 
when  his  education  was  completed  he  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  teaching  school  in  his 
native  county  for  five  years,  frorn  1886  to 
1 89 1,  and  served  as  assistant  postmaster  at 
West  Salem  in  1892  and  1893.  He  next 
learned  telegraphy,  and  was  employed  as 
operator  and  agent  by  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  Company  for  six  years,  being  sta- 
tioned at  Panola  one  year  of  this  time.  On 
leaving  the  employ  of  the  road  he  embarked 
in  his  present  business  with  Joseph  V>. 
Schweizer,  and  under  the  firm  name  of 
Schweizer  &  Huffman  they  are  now  doing 
a  large  and  profitable  business  as  general 
merchants  of  Panola.  Mr.  Huffman  holds 
membership  in  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  and  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
Olga  Voigt,  of  West  Salem,  and  to  them 
have  been  born  two  children,  Myrtle  and 
Ruth. 


WILLIAM   M.   MEEK. 

Prominent  among  the  business  men  of 
Eureka  is  William  M.  Meek,  who  for  over 
forty  years  has  been  closely  identified  with 
the  interests  of  the  city,  while  his  name  is 
inseparably  connected  with  its  financial  rec- 
ords. The  banking  interests  are  w'ell  rep- 
resented in  him,  for  he  has  served  as  vice- 
president  of  the  State  Bank  since  its  estab- 
lishment in  1895.  He  is  a  man  of  keen 
discrimination  and  sound  judgment,  and  as 
a  financier  ranks  among  the  ablest. 

Mr.  Meek  is  a  native  of  Woodford  coun- 
ty,  born   in   Cruger  township,   August    12, 


1832,  and  is  a  representative  of  one  of  its 
m.ost  prominent  pioneer  families,  his  par- 
ents being  Joseph  and  Euraney  (Suther- 
land) Meek.  The  father  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky, June  6,  1797,  a  son  of  Bazel  Meek, 
who  is  mentioned  more  fully  in  the  sketch 
of  B.  D.  Meek  on  another  page  of  this  vol- 
ume. There  he  was  reared,  and  when  a 
young  man  moved  to  Indiana,  locating  near 
Lawrenceburg,  where  he  married  Euraney 
Sutherland,  who  was  born  in  North  Carolina 
in  1800,  a  daughter  of  Berry  Sutherland, 
from  North  Carolina.  Mr.  Meek  followed 
farming  in  Indiana  until  the  fall  of  1830, 
when  he  came  to  Woodford  county,  Illi- 
nois, l)y  wagon  and  purchased  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Cruger  township, 
a  few  acres  of  which  had  been  broken  and  a 
log  cabin  erected  theron.  To  the  further 
improvement  and  cultivation  of  his  place  he 
at  once  turned  his  attention,  and  later  added 
to  it  an  eighty-acre  tract,  making  a  fine  farm 
of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres.  Success 
attended  his  well-directed  efforts,  and  he 
became  one  of  the  largest  land  owners  of 
the  county,  having  one  thousand  acres  of 
valuable  land  near  Eureka.  At  the  time  of 
the  wildcat  currency  he  kept  out  of  all  bank- 
ing schemes  and  so  lost  nothing.  He  was 
one  of  the  county  commissioners  when  the 
first  court  house  was  built  at  Metamore,  and 
with  two  others  had  charge  of  the  work. 
He  was  also  connected  with  the  laying  out 
of  roads,  building  of  bridges,  etc.,  and  took 
a  very  prominent  part  in  the  improvement 
of  the  county  outside  of  the  development  of 
his  own  latid.  Politically  he  was  always 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  re- 
ligiously was  in  early  life  a  Baptist,  but 
there  being  but  few  of  that  denomination  in 
his  locality,  he  united  with  the  Christian 
church  on  its  organization,  and  did  a  large 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


465 


part  of  the  work  in  building  the  first  church 
in  addition  to  contributing  hberaliy  to  the 
expense.  lie  got  out  all  the  old  style  heavy 
timbers,  and  was  noted  for  his  fine  and 
smooth  hewing.  In  early  days  he  took  a 
lead  of  wheat  to  Chicago,  driving  over  poor 
roads  and  fording  streams,  and  would  bring 
back  groceries  and  other  household  necessi- 
ties. The  Indians  were  still  here,  and  one 
family  in  the  neighborhood  had  to  leave 
home  until  after  the  Black  Hawk  war,  when 
the  red  men  took  up  their  abode  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Mississippi.  The  father  of  our 
subject  died  upon  his  farm  June  i,  1890, 
lacking  only  five  days  of  being  ninety-three 
years  of  age.  The  mother  died  in  1848, 
kaxing  seven  children  who  reached  man 
and  womaniidnd,  our  subject  being  the  fifth 
in  order  of  birth. 

During  his  boyhood  William  M.  Meek 
pursued  his  studies  in  an  old  log  schoolhouse 
each  winter  for  a  short  time,  but  as  soon  as 
the  ground  was  fit  to  work  in  the  spring 
would  do  his  share  of  the  plowing.  By  sub- 
sequent reading,  however,  he  gained  a  good 
practical  education  and  a  broad  knowledge 
of  the  present  and  ])ast.  He  assisted  his 
father  on  the  home  farm  until  twenty-one, 
and  then  started  in  life  for  himself  as  a 
farmer.  After  a  serious  illness,  he  came  to 
Eureka  in  1858,  and  in  partnership  with 
Colonel  B.  D.  Meek,  under  the  firm  name  of 
B.  D.  Meek  &  Company,  engaged  in  the 
hardware  and  grocery  business,  having  the 
entire  management  of  the  store  for  some 
years,  and  gaining  a  good  practical  knowl- 
edge of  business  affairs,  which  has  been  of 
great  benefit  to  him  in  later  years.  Selling 
out  in  1868,  he  returned  to  his  father's  farm, 
where  he  remained  four  years,  and  then  fol- 
lowed the  broker's  business  in  Eureka  for 
a  time.     He  next  bought  a  farm  in  Cruger 


township,  which  he  greatly  improved  by 
the  erection  of  good  buildings,  and  which  he 
successfully  operated  for  twenty  two  years. 
He  still  owns  the  place,  but  in  1893  '''^  ^^'^^ 
seriously  injured  and  again  moved  to  the 
city. 

While  on  the  farm  Mr.  Meek  had  served 
as  county  treasurer.  The  previous  officer 
had  defaulted  for  forty  thousand  dollars, 
and  the  board  of  supervisors  sent  a  commit- 
tee to  see  if  Mr.  Meek  would  not  accept  the 
position.  He  at  first  refused,  but  at  the  fol- 
lowing convention  at  Metamora,  which  he 
did  not  attend,  he  was  nominated  without 
his  knowledge.  He  then  accepted  the  office, 
though  not  wanting  it  on  account  of  the  high 
bond  then  required.  There  were  three  can- 
didates in  the  field,  and  although  the  Green- 
back party  carried  off  seven  hundred  of  the 
votes,  he  was  elected,  and  filled  the  office  in 
a  most  creditable  and  satisfactory  manner 
for  three  years,  during  which  time  he  put 
the  finances  of  the  county  in  shape  again. 
He  refused  a  renomination  and  retired  to 
private  life.  In  1895,  when  the  State  Bank 
v.as  founded,  he  as  one  of  the  incorpora- 
tors, a  member  of  the  first  board  of  direc- 
tors and  the  first  vice-president.  He  held 
that  office  until  January,  1900,  when  he  was 
elected  president,  but  not  liking  the  posi- 
tion, he  was  again  made  vice-president,  in 
which  capacity  he  is  now  serving.  The 
bank  has  a  capital  stock  of  thirty  thousand 
dollars,  and  is  doing  a  very  successful  busi- 
ness. Besides  his  farm  and  his  interest  in 
the  bank,  Mr.  Meek  has  owned  a  home  in  tlio 
city  for  some  years. 

Mr.  Meek  was  married,  April  25,  1861, 
to  Miss  Julia  Jones,  a  daughter  of  Richaril 
Jones,  who  came  here  from  England.  Thej' 
have  one  child,  Mary  Delia,  at  home.  Tlic 
family   hold   membership   in   the   Christian 


466 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


church,  and  Mr.  Meek  is  also  connected  with 
W^  C.  Hobbs  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  Pohti- 
cally  he  is  a  sound-money  Democrat,  and 
as  a  citizen  takes  an  active  and  commendable 
interest  in  all  enterprises  tending  to  public 
development. 


RE\\  TSADORE  VEERKA:\IP. 

In  com]jiling  the  history  of  Minonk  and 
Livingston  county  due  mention  should  be 
made  of  the  honored  subject  of  this  sketch, 
and  of  the  flourishing  work  over  which  he 
presides.  He  has  won  a  place  in  the  hearts 
of  his  people,  by  his  self-sacrificing  labors 
on  their  behalf,  and  at  the  same  time  he  en- 
joys the  friendship  of  multitudes  of  the  citi- 
zens of  Minonk  who  are  not  identified  with 
his  flock. 

His  parents,  George  and  Agnes  (Linne- 
man)  Veerkamp,  are  natives  of  Hanover, 
Germany,  and  have  been  residents  of  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  for  more  than  two-score  years. 
The  father  came  to  this  country,  in  1857, 
and  at  once  took  up  his  residence  in  the  city 
mentioned,  where  he  pursued  his  trade  as  a 
carriage  manufacturer.  During  the  civil 
war  he  faithfully  fought  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  Union,  and  served  in  the  ranks 
for  nearly  four  years.  He  was  born  in 
1835,  and  was  married  in  Cincinnati  in 
March,  i860,  to  Miss  Linneman,  who  is 
three  years  his  junior.  Both  are  members 
of  the  Catholic  church,  and  are  highly  re- 
spected by  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances. 

One  of  nine  children  of  his  parents,  and 
all  of  whom  survive,  the  Rev.  Isadore  Veer- 
kamp was  born  September  11,  1862,  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio.  He  received  a  good  educa- 
tion in  St.  Francis  parochial  school  of  that 
city,  and  in  1879  entered  upon  his  theolog- 


ical studies  at  Oldenburg,  Indiana.  Thence 
he  went  to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  in 
1887  finished  his  prescribed  course  of  prepa- 
ration for  the  ministry  at  St.  Francis'  Col- 
lege. In  lulv  of  the  vear  mentioned  he  was 
ordained  to  the  priesthood  in  tlie  Cincin- 
nati Cathedral.  l)y  Archbishop  likler.  and 
was  assigned  to  the  post  of  assistant  pastor 
to  Father  Da\id,  in  the  Sacred  Heart  church 
in  Detroit,  Michigan.  At  the  end  of  three 
vears  he  became  Father  Raphael's  assistant, 
in  Hamilton.  Ohio,  and  served  faithfully  for 
two  vears.  Stricken  with  a  severe  attack  of 
illness,  which  rendered  an  operation  neces- 
sary, he  then  was  sent  to  a  hospital  in  Cin- 
cinnati, and,  as  he  became  convalescent,  a 
change  of  climate  was  considered  best  for 
him.  Therefore  he  was  assigned  to  a  pas- 
torate in  Sacred  Heart  church,  in  Emporia, 
Kansas,  and  labored  there  for  two  years. 

Six  years  ago  Father  Veerkamp  as- 
sumed the  position  he  now  holds,  that  of 
the  spiritual  head  of  St.  Patrick's  church, 
of  Minonk,  and,  needless  to  say,  his  work 
here  has  been  marked  by  gratif3'ing  success. 
A  large  and  handsome  church  edifice  had 
been  crjnstructed  about  a  year  prior  to  his 
arrival  here,  but  it  was  encumbered  with  a 
debt,  and  thus,  one  of  his  first  endeavors 
was  to  have  this  obligation  discharged. 
With  characteristic  energy  he  took  up  the 
burden  of  labor  resting  upon  his  young 
shoulders,  and  though  he  has  accomplished 
great  things,  it  may  be  briefly  summed  up. 
U^nder  the  charge  of  the  Sisters  a  pan^chial 
school  was  being  conducted  on  the  lower 
floor  of  the  residence  occupied  by  them,  and 
thus  both  the  pupils  and  their  teachers  were 
in  crowded  quarters.  Father  Veerkamp 
carried  out  a  plan  which  he  wisely  formu- 
lated— the  repairing  and  placing  in  good 
condition  the  old  frame  building  formerly 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


467 


used  as  the  church,  transtorniing  it  into  well 
arrangetl  and  well  lighted  school  rooms,  and 
ai  the  same  time  the  Sisters"  house  was  im- 
proved and  repaired.  At  present  the  suc- 
cess of  the  school  is  beyond  doubt,  as  nearly 
two  hundred  students  are  attending-  it.  and 
are  under  the  charge  of  tiuxe  teaciiers.  A 
fine  pipe  organ  was  purcha.sed  for  the  churcli 
at  a  cost  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  and 
about  nine  hundred  dollars  was  expended 
for  statuary  for  the  edifice,  while  fifteen  hun- 
dred dollars  were  i)aid  for  the  altars  and 
electric  lighting.  Inchuling  the  gallery,  there 
are  accommodations  for  upwards  of  fifteen 
hundred  people  in  the  church,  and  thus  pro- 
visions have  been  made  for  an  indefinite  pe- 
riod. The  children  of  the  congregation 
ha\e  paid  for  a  beautiful  ]iiece  of  statuary — • 
"The  (iuardian  .\ngel"^ — which  stands  in 
their  play  ground,  adjoining  the  school. 
The  projierty  on  which  stands  the  church 
and  other  buildings  comprises  two  acres,  sit- 
uated on  an  eminence  in  the  town,  and  un- 
der the  able  supervision  of  Brother  Ray- 
der.  who  has  charge  of  the  gardens  and 
management  of  leather  \'ecrkam])'s  house, 
the  lawns,  flower  beds  and  walks  :ux'  kept  in 
fine  conilition. 

.\s  a  large  percentage  of  the  ciingrega- 
tion  of  St.  Patrick's  church  was  Polish,  it 
was  deemed  l)est  that  those  desiring  to  have 
services  in  their  native  tongue  should  with- 
draw and  have  a  separate  church,  and  in 
January,  1900,  this  plan  was  put  into  effect. 
Having  purchased  the  old  Methodist  church 
building,  these  Polish  members  had  it  moved 
to  land  which  they  had  purchased,  and  they 
now  have  a  priest,  a  school  and  are  doing 
well.  About  fifty  of  the  Polish  families  re- 
mained with  the  mother  church,  for  the  mat- 
ter was  entirely  optional.  The  ])eo])le  have 
been  worthy  of  praise,  for  they  have  them- 


selves raised  the  bulk  of  the  money  invested 
in  the  church  property  here,  and  the  general 
public  has  not  been  called  ui)on  to  contrib- 
ute even  by  patronizing  a  bazaar. 

Undoubtedly  Father  Veerkamp  deserves 
imstinted  commendation  for  his  disinterested 
work  in  this  parish,  antl  few.  indeed,  are 
better  loved  and  revered.  He  possesses  an 
excellent  education  and  is  qualified  to  meet 
the  needs  of  all  his  flock,  wheher  of  high 
or  low  degree,  whether  scholarly  or  unlet- 
tered. His  assistant  priest  is  Father  Ber- 
trand.  a  native  of  Bohemia,  and  educated 
in   Cincinnati,  Ohio. 


JAINIES    X.    FISHI-.R. 

Prominent  among  the  leading  and  ener- 
getic business  men  of  Roanoke  is  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review,  a  well-known  lumber 
dealer,  who  has  been  actively  identified  with 
the  business  interests  of  the  village  for 
twenty  years.  .\  native  of  \  irginia.  he  was 
liorn  in  Rockingham  countv,  June  i  i,  T847, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  and  .Mary  (  Long) 
[•"isher,  who  spent  their  entire  li\es  in  the 
(Jld  Dominion.  The  father,  who  was  a 
cabinet-maker  liy  trade,  died  at  his  old  Imme 
in  \'iginia,  in  1896,  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years,  the  mother  in  1898,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-eight.  They  were  the  ]3arents  of 
eleven  children,  four  of  whom  died  in  child- 
hood. Those  who  reached  niaturit\-  were: 
Carrie,  wife  of  Hiram  Beard,  of  X'irginia; 
James  N.,  our  subject;  Jacob,  a  resident  of 
A'irginia:  Retta,  deceased  wife  of  James  Hi- 
ner,  of  the  same  state:  Lucian,  also  a  resi- 
dent of  \'irginia  ;  Lucy,  wife  of  Calvin  Hen- 
ton,  of  that  state:  Dora,  wife  of  Thomas 
Messic,  of  Rockingham  county,  \'irginia. 
Lucian  and  Jacol)  both  came  to  Illincjis,  but 


468 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


after  spending  a  few  years  in  this  state  re- 
turned to  Virginia.  The  parents  were  mem- 
bers and  active  workers  in  the  Presbyterian 
cliurch,  and  were  most  estimable  people.  The 
first  of  the  family  to  come  to  America  was 
our  subject's  great-great-grandfather,  Abra- 
ham Fisher,  a  native  of  Germany,  who 
crossed  the  Atlantic  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years  and  settled  in  Virginia,  wdiere  the  fam- 
ily have  since  flourished.  He  aided  the  cul- 
onies  in  achieving  their  independence  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  his  son  John  was  a 
soldier  of  the  war  of  1812,  while  our  sub- 
ject's father  served  in  the  Confederate  army 
during  the  civil  war. 

James  N.  Fisher  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  state.  A  Vir- 
ginian by  birtli  and  training,  he  entered  the 
Confederate  army  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years,  enlisting  Jime  11,  1864,  in  the  Au- 
gusta Reserves.  He  remained  in  the  ser- 
vice until  hostilities  ceased,  and  participated 
in  the  battles  of  Piedmont  and  Waynesboro. 
He  also  did  guard  duty  at  Libby  prison  for 
a  time. 

At  the  clnse  of  the  war  ]\Ir.  Fisher  re- 
turned to  Virginia  and  learned  the  cabinet- 
maker's trade,  at  wliich  he  worked  for  six 
years,  and  then  took  up  carpentering,  which 
he  continued  to  follow  during  his  residence 
in  his  nati\-e  state,  and  also  after  coming  to 
Illinois.  He  was  married  No\-ember  8, 
1871,  to  Miss  Signora  Reynolds,  who  was 
born  in  1846,  in  Virginia,  where  her  parents, 
new  well  advanced  in  years,  are  still  living. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fisher  have  three  children: 
Orin  N.,  aged  twenty-two  years,  is  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  Roanoke  schools,  and  is  now  as- 
sisting his  father  in  business;  Gertrude  G., 
aged  nineteen,  is  also  a  graduate  of  the  home 
school;  and  Frank  R.,  aged  thirteen,  is  still 
in  school. 


In  1874  Mr.  Fisher  first  came  to  Roan- 
oke, Illinois,  where  he  was  engaged  in  con- 
tracting and  building  for  five  years,  and  then 
went  farther  west,  but  not  finding  a  more 
suitable  location,  he  returned  lo  Roanoke 
in  i88t.  and  has  since  made  this  ])lace  Iv.r, 
home.  He  continued  business  as  a  con- 
tractor and  builder  until  1897,  when  he 
turned  his  attention  to  the  lumber  trade, 
erecting  sheds  upon  his  property  and  putting 
in  a  large  stock  of  lumber  and  building  ma- 
terial. He  is  still  .successfully  engaged  in 
contracting,  and  as  a  lumber  dealer  has  built 
up  an  excellent  trade.  In  his  building  op- 
erations he  formed  a  partnership  with  E. 
M.  De  Piruler  in  18S5.  and  that  connection 
continued  until  1894,  sine?  which  time  ATr. 
Fisher  has  been  alone  in  business. 

He  is  public-spirited  and  thoroughly  in- 
terested in  whate^'er  tends  to  promote  the 
moral,  intellectual  and  material  welfare  of 
his  adopted  county,  and  though  not  a  mem- 
ber of  anv  religious  denomination,  he  gives 
to  the  suDport  of  all.  His  wife  holds  mem- 
bership in  the  IMethodist  Episcopal  church 
As  one  of  the  leading  and  influential  citi- 
zens of  the  town,  he  has  taken  a  prominent 
part  in  public  aft'airs :  served  as  \-illage 
treasiu'er  two  years,  and  in  1900  was  elected 
tiiwnship  collector,  which  office  he  is  now 
acceptably  filling. 


FRED  S.  HORXEMAX. 

Fred  S.  Horneman,  formerly  numbered 
among  the  nrogressive  and  successful  mer- 
chants of  Minonk,  of  which  city  his  son, 
bred  \\'.  Horneman,  is  the  present  popular 
luavor,  is  eminently  worthy  of  an  honored 
place  in  its  histor}',  as  for  three  decades  he 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


469 


has  been  identified  with  its  development. 
He  was  known  far  and  wide  as  one  of  tlie 
fonnders  of  Minonk's  prosperity,  for  his  in- 
fluence ever  was  cast  on  tlie  side  of  prog- 
ress, the  good  and  the  true. 

Born  in  Wnrtemberg.  Germany,  Octol)er 
I,  1836,  F.  S.  Horneman  was  deprived  of  a 
father's  love  and  care  when  he  was  about  a 
year  old,  as  the  senior's  career  was  untimely 
ended  by  death.  The  mother  sur\i\-ed  until 
1862,  when  she  was  in  her  sixty-eighth  vear. 
Botli  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church 
and  were  highly  esteemed  in  tiieir  commu- 
nity. Their  son  John  departed  this  life 
ir  Germany  three  years  ago,  when  he  was 
sixty-three  years  of  age.  Sophia,  the  eld- 
est survi\-ing  member  of  the  family,  now 
seventy-two  years  old,  resides  in  Wurtem- 
berg,  and  for  fifteen  years  has  been  a  widow. 
Mrs.  Minnie  Sahaas,  another  sister,  died  in 
Germany,  and  her  husband  also  has  passed 
away. 

In  his  youtli  Fred  S.  Horneman  re- 
ceived a  E^ood  education  in  the  government 
schools  of  his  native  land,  and  there  formed 
the  excellent  habits  of  industry  and  per,se- 
verance  for  which  he  was  unted.  He  al.so 
was  trained  to  have  onlv  high  ])rinci])les  of 
conduct,  and  throughout  his  life  lu-  was  hon- 
orable, just  and  exemplary  in  every  particu- 
lar. One  of  the  most  important  events  in 
his  career  was  his  marriage,  in  1863,  to  Dor- 
othy Spohn,  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Weada)  Spohn.  The  father  had 
died  about  a  twelfthmonth  before,  when 
sixty-two  years  of  age,  and  the  mother,  who 
attained  lier  .seventy-fourth  year,  came  to 
the  United  States,  to  be  near  lier  only  child. 
Mrs.  Horneman,  and  was  called  to  the  si- 
lent land  in  1878. 

With  his  family  the  suljject  of  this  arti- 
cle emigrated  to  America  in  1869,  arriving 


on  these  hospitable  shores  on  the  14th  of 
June.  They  came  immediately  to  Minonk, 
where  they  dwelt  from  that  day  until  the 
present  time.  For  some  fourteen  years  the 
father  was  employed  by  the  grain  merchant, 
George  Warren,  who  then  sold  out  and  re- 
moved to  Nebraska.  Mr.  Horneman,  who 
had  carefully  husbanded  his  resources, 
awaiting  a  favorable  opportunity  for  invest- 
ment, then  became  the  purchaser  of  the  ele- 
vator, and  for  the  ensuing  sixteen  years  car- 
ried on  the  business  successfully.  Then, 
owing  to  poor  health  and  his  yeais,  he  con- 
cluded to  dispose  of  the  elevator,  and  in 
July,  1899,  the  property  was  sold. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Horneman  occurred 
January  6,  1900,  and  this  entire  community 
have  deeply  mourned  his  loss,  feeling  that 
his  place  cannot  be  filled.  To  his  children 
•he  leaves  an  unblemished  name  and  record 
of  which  they  have  reason  to  be  proud.  His 
friends  were  legion,  and  everj'  one  who  had 
business  dealings  with  him  had  naught  but 
words  of  praise  for  this  sterling  citizen.  He 
was  not  a  politician  in  any  sense  of  the  word, 
but  kept  thoroughly  posted  on  national  is- 
sues, and  in  accordance  with  his  sincere 
views  rs  to  the  best  policy  for  the  land  of 
his  adoption,  he  cast  his  influence  on  the  side 
of  the  Republican  party.  With  his  estima- 
ble wife  he  held  membership  in  the  Evangel- 
ical Lutheran  church,  and  contributeil  lib- 
erally to  religious  and  i)hilanthropic  enter- 
prises. 

Of  the  nine  children  born  to  ;\lr.  and 
Mrs.  Horneman  two  died  in  German)-,  name- 
ly :  Mary  J.,  at  the  age  of  seven  months, 
and  Charlie  A.,  when  eight  days  old.  Fred, 
the  oldest  surviving  member  of  the  family, 
and  the  present  efficient  mayor  ol  Minonk, 
was  two  and  a  half  years  old  when  he  was 
brought    to    America.       He    chose     Anna 


470 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Durre  for  a  wife,  and  tlieir  children  arc 
three  in  number,  namely  :  Laura,  Dora  and 
Fred.  Annie,  wife  of  Ed  Slemmer,  and 
mother  of  one  child,  Francis,  is  the  fourth 
in  order  of  birth  in  our  subject's  family. 
John,  who  died  in  1898.  was  in  his  twenty- 
fifth  vear.  He  was  a  great  favorite  with 
the  young  and  old,  and  was  a  promising- 
business  man.  His  untimely  death  cast 
great  ■  gloom  throughout  this  community. 
where  he  was  so  well  known  and  unuer- 
sallv  liked.  Wilhelmina  is  the  next  in  order 
of  birth,  and  the  younger  children  are  Char- 
lie (the  second  of  the  name),  Elizabeth, 
who  is  attending  college  at  Dixon.  Illinois, 
and  Robert,  wiio  is  a  memlier  of  the  Minonk 
class  of  1900. 


NAPOLEON    B.    CRAWFORD.   M.    D. 

Napoleon  B.  Crawford,  M.  D..  of  Eu- 
reka, Illinois,  with  two  exceptions,  has  been 
in  active  practice  for  a  longer  period  of  time 
than  any  physician  in  Woodford  county. 
He  is  a  native  of  the  state  and  was  born 
on  Crawford's  Prairie.  Franklin  county. 
September  i,  1839.  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Randolph)  Crawford,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Virginia,  born  about  1787, 
and  the  latter  of  Murfreesboro.  Tennessee, 
born  in  1 808.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John 
Randolph,  of  Virginia,  and  a  descendant  of 
Peyton  Randolph,  a  well-known  historical 
character  of  Virginia. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  Dr.  Craw- 
ford was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  of 
Scotch  ancestry.  When  a  young  man  he 
came  to  this  country  and  settled  in  A'irginia. 
where  he  married  Miss  Smith,  an  English 
lady  who  came  over  in  the  same  vessel  with 
him,  and  they  made  their  home  in  Virginia 
during  tlie  remainder  of  their  lives. 


John  Crawford  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
native  county,  and  there  engaged  in  teach- 
ing, while  probably  assisting  in  farm  work. 
Ii.  181 1  he  came  to  the  territory  of  Illinois, 
and  secured  a  large  tract  of  land  in  Frank- 
lin county,  the  prairie  on  which  it  was  lo- 
cated being  named  in  his  honor,  from  the 
fact  of  his  being  the  first  white  settler  in 
that  locality.  The  tract  was  improved  by 
him,  and  for  some  years  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  connection  with  teaching.  He  was 
one  of  the  very  first  teachers,  and  it  is  sup- 
posed that  he  taught  the  very  first  school  in 
Franklin  county.  His  marriage  was  sol- 
emnized at  the  home  of  the  bride  in  Mur- 
freesboro, Tennessee.  On  the  organization 
of  Franklin  county  he  was  elected  its  first 
sheriff,  and  filled  the  office  acceptably  to  the 
people.  He  also  served  in  various  offices, 
and  was  a  well-known,  popular  and  influen- 
tial citizen.  During  the  Indian  war,  in 
1832.  known  as  the  Black  Hawk  war,  he 
was  among'  those  who  volunteered  to  drive 
back  that  wily  chief  and  his  warriors.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  His  wife  was 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church. 

The  bovho(id  and  youth  of  mir  subject 
were  spent  in  his  native  county.  Left  an 
orphan  at  the  tender  age  of  se\en  years,  he 
was  bound  out  to  serve  until  twenty  years 
of  age.  The  man  to  whom  he  was  hound 
was  by  occupation  a  farmer,  and  he  con- 
tinued with  him,  working  on  the  farm,  un- 
til the  expiration  of  the  time  named,  in  the 
meantime  securing  what  education  was  pos- 
sible in  the  schools  of  the  county.  After 
reaching  his  twentieth  year  he  determined 
to  secure  a  better  education,  and  for  a  time 
attended  school  and  engaged  in  teaching  al- 
ternately. 

Having  decided   upon   medicine   as   his 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


475 


profession,  our  subject  read  with  Dr.  M.  M. 
Goodman,  of  Jonesboro,  Illinois,  and  later 
attended  lectures  in  the  Bellevue  ]\Iedical 
College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
the  spring  of  1864.  He  then  located  for 
practice  in  Eureka.  \\(«jdford  county,  where 
he  has  since  continued  to  reside.  While  Eu- 
reka at  that  time  was  a  very  small  place,  it 
was  not  long  before  his  skill  ;is  a  physician 
and  surgeon  became  known  throughout 
Woodford  and  adjoining  counties,  and  pro- 
fessional calls  were  made  by  him  in  McLean. 
Livingston.  Marshall  and  Tazewell  coun- 
ties, as  well  as  in  his  adopted  county.  His 
practice  soon  became  very  extensive,  and  has 
been  retained  in  the  years  following.  In 
more  recent  years  he  has  had  a  large  practice 
in  consultation  with  other  physicians,  and 
also  in  the  more  delicate  cases  of  surgery. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  W'ood- 
ford  County  Medical  Society,  and  was  its 
president  for  two  years.  He  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  the  American  Medical  Association, 
the  State  Medical  Society,  and  the  Missis- 
sippi \'alley  Medical  Society,  in  each  of 
which  he  has  read  valuable  papers  and  has 
exerted  a  good  influence. 

The  Doctor  has  always  taken  special  in- 
terest in  educational  matters,  and  for  about 
thirty  years  has  been  one  of  the  trustees  of 
Eureka  College,  and  for  the  past  three  years 
was  president  of  its  board,  which  office  he 
still  holds.  During  the  time  in  which  he 
has  served  all  the  buildings  of  the  college 
have  been  erected,  with  the  exception  of  the 
original  building.  Much  of  his  time  and 
thought  have  been  given  to  the  college,  in 
order  to  enhance  its  usefulness,  and  he  has 
been  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  support  of 
the  institution. 

On  the  I  ith  of  Oct()l>er,  1864.  Dr.  Craw- 
ford was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Sa- 


rah J.  Davidson,  of  Eureka,  and  daughter 
of  Caleb  Davidson,  one  of  the  earliest  set- 
tlers of  Walnut  Grove,  by  which  name  the 
city  of  Eureka  was  originally  known.  He 
located  tliere  in  1833,  coming  with  his  fam- 
ily from  Kentucky.  By  occupation  he  was 
a  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  and  for  years  he 
was  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  the 
community. 

Mrs.  Crawford  is  a  well-educated  lady 
and  is  a  graduate  of  Eureka  College.  F"or 
manv  years  she  has  been  very  active  in 
church,  Sunday  school  and  college  work., 
and  devotes  much  of  her  time,  thought  and 
best  energies  to  their  advancement.  She 
is  president  of  the  Ladies'  College  Aid  Asso- 
ciation, organized  for  the  purpose  of  render- 
ing aid  to  the  various  college  enterprises  of 
the  Christian  church  in  Illinois,  and  which 
is  giving  special  attention  to  Eureka  Col- 
lege, in  order  to  place  it  on  a  firm  financial 
footing.  For  fifteen  years  she  has  been 
treasurer  of  the  Illinois  Christian  Women's 
Board  of  Missions,  and  has  been  exceeding- 
ly helpful  in  that  organization.  Few 
women  are  better  known  throughout  the 
state,  especially  among  the  members  of  the 
Christian  church. 

I'^raternally  Dr.  Crawford  is  a  Ma.son 
in  high  standing,  holding  membership  with 
the  William  C.  Hobbs  Lodge,  Xo.  306,  A. 
F.  &  .A.  M.,  of  Eureka,  serving  as  worship- 
ful master  a  period  of  seven  years:  of  Wash- 
ington Chapter.  Washington.  Illinois;  and 
Peoria  Commandery,  of  Peoria,  Illinois.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  Mahomet  Temple,  Mys- 
tic Shrine,  of  Peoria.  He  has  often  repre- 
sented his  lodge  in  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the 
state,  and  has  a  wide  acc|uaintance  in  Ma- 
sonic circles  throughout  the  state.  Relig- 
iously he  is  identified  with  the  Christian 
church,  having  been  a  member  of  the  Eureka 


476 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


church  for  many  years,  and  serving  as  one 
of  its  elders. 

No  man  in  Woodford  county  is  better 
known  or  has  more  stanch  friends  than 
Dr.  Crawford.  For  thirty-six  years  he  has 
ministered  to  the  physical  wants  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  there  are  comparatively  few  homes 
in  Eureka  and  vicinity  in  which  he  has  not 
been  called  in  a  professional  way.  Finan- 
cially he  has  been  prosperous,  and  he  is  now 
one  of  the  most  ixominent  real  estate  own- 
ers in  the  county.  Socially  he  is  held  in  the 
highest  esteem,  and  the  same  can  be  said  of 
Mrs.  Crawford.  Their  friends  are  numer- 
ous throughout  the  state,  and  their  interest 
in  education,  in  morals,  and  in  Christian 
work  has  been  demonstrated  over  and  over 
again.  Surely  the  life  of  such  should  be  an 
incentive  to  others,  and  their  good  deeds  are 
certainly  worthy  of  emulation. 


J.  E.   ECKHART. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  worthy 
representative  of  the  business  interests  of 
Benson,  Illinois,  being  at  the  head  of  the 
hardware  and  lumber  trade  of  that  village. 
He  is  a  wide-awake,  progressive  business 
man,  and  although  comparatively  young, 
has  already  met  with  good  success  in  his 
undertakings. 

A  nati-\-e  of  Woodford  county,  Air.  Eck- 
hart  was  b<jrn  in  Clayton  township,  Alay  5, 
1868,  and  is  a  son  of  Adam  and  Anna 
(Roth)  Eckhart.  The  father  was  born  in 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1840,  the  latter  in 
Woodford  county,  Illinois,  in  1849.  They 
are  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
the  eldest,  a  daughter,  died  in  infancy;  our 
subject  is  next  in  order  of  birth;  Henry  is 
now  engaged  in  business  in  partnership  with 
our  subject;  Alarv  is  the  wife  of  X.  O.  Tal- 


lyn,  a  farmer  of  Clayton  townsiiip;  Eliza- 
beth died  at  the  age  of  one  year ;  Emma  and 
Amelia  are  at  home  with  their  parents ;  Clara 
and  Carrie  were  twins,  the  former  of  whom 
is  at  home,  the  latter  deceased ;  and  Edward 
is  at  home. 

Our  subject's  paternal  grandfather, 
Adam  Eckhart,  Sr.,  came  to  this  country 
from  Germany  in  1832,  and  located  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  where  he  followed  blacksmith- 
ing  for  a  time,  but  in  1841  sailed  down  the 
Ohio  and  up  the  Mississippi  and  Illinois 
rivers  to  Tazewell  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
settled,  purchasing  land  in  Fond  du  Lac 
township.  At  that  time  he  could  have 
bought  land  just  as  cheap  in  Peoria,  where 
the  court  house  now  stands.  He  continued 
to  make  his  home  in  Tazewell  county 
throughout  life.  There  our  subject's  fa- 
ther was  reared  and  educated,  and  after 
reaching  manhood  followed  farming  there 
until  1863,  when  he  came  to  Woodford  coun- 
ty and  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Clay- 
ton township,  to  which  he  subsequently 
added.  He  is  now  living  a  retired  life  in 
Benson,  enjoying  a  well  earned  rest. 

The  early  education  of  J.  E.  Eckhart 
was  acquired  in  the  district  schools  of  Clay- 
ton townsiiip.  and  he  later  attended  Dixon 
College.  After  leaving  school  he  assisted 
in  the  work  of  the  home  farm  until  twenty- 
three  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  Benson 
antl  purchased  a  half-interest  in  the  hard- 
ware and  implement  business  of  A.  M. 
Smith.  A  year  later  he  became  sole  owner, 
and  was  alone  in  business  for  six  years,  but 
in  1899  he  admitted  his  brother,  Henry  A., 
to  a  partnership.  The  same  year  they 
bought  the  lumber  yaril  of  Memman  Hux- 
tr.ble,  and  have  since  carried  it  on  in  connec- 
tion with  their  other  business.  By  fair  and 
honorable  dealing  they  have  gained  the  pub- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


477 


lie  confidence  and  have  secured  an  excellent 
trade,  which  is  constantly  increasing. 

Mr.  lilckhart  was  married.  January  5. 
i8()3.  to  Miss  Emma  Bruhaker.  who  was 
horn  in  Woodford  county,  in  iSjj.  and  is 
one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  i  ler  father. 
A.  H.  Bruhaker.  is  a  native  of  Pennsylva- 
nia and  a  representative  of  an  old  colonial 
family.  (See  sketch  of  A.  II.  Bruhaker.) 
From  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  was  engaged 
in  the  lumher  and  stock  husiness,  and  also 
conducted  a  general  store  for  some  time,  hut 
is  now  living  retired  in  Benson.  He  has  al- 
ways taken  an  active  interest  in  puhlic  af- 
fairs, and  represented  his  district  in  the  state 
legislature  one  term.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eck- 
hart  have  three  children:  11a  ^I..  horn 
May  I,  1894;  Eldon  M..  horn  .\ugust  9, 
1896;  and  (iladys  O.,  horn  January  25. 
1899. 

]Mr.  Eckhart  is  a  memher  i^f  Columhia 
Camp,  Xo.  1836,  'M.  W.  A.,  of  which  he  is 
advisor,  and  his  wife  holds  memhership  in 
th.e  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Benson. 
In  his  political  views  he  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican, and  since  attaining  his  majority  has 
been  a  <lelegate  to  several  county  conven- 
tions of  his  party,  hut  at  local  elections  he 
votes  for  the  man  whom  he  believes  best 
qualified  tc;  fill  the  office,  regardless  of  party 
hues.  He  served  as  town  clerk  from  1893 
to  1898,  and  proved  a  most  efficient  officer. 
As  a  Inisiness  man  and  citizen  he  is  always 
ready  to  discharge  any  duty  that  devohes 
upon  him. 


D.WID    GRAFFT. 

This  well-known  retired  farmer  and  hon- 
ored veteran  (jf  the  civil  war,  now  residing 
in  Eureka,  was  born  in  Eaton,  Preble  coun- 


ty, Ohio,  August  6,  1829,  and  is  a  son  of 
David  and  Nancy  (Grove)  Graff t,  who  were 
natives  of  I'ennsylvania  and  \'irginia  re- 
spectively and  were  married  in  the  former 
state.  The  father  was  born  in  Lancaster 
count}'  of  German  ancestry,  and  soon  after 
his  marriage  moved  to  Preble  county,  Ohio, 
where  in  the  midst  of  the  forest  he  cleared 
and  improved  a  farm  of  over  four  hundred 
acres.  There  he  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
five  }ears,  his  wife  at  the  age  of  fifty-two 
years.  They  were  peojjle  of  ]5rominence  in 
their  community,  and  were  held  in  high  re- 
gard wherever  known. 

In  early  life  our  subject  attended  school 
for  only  a  short  time  during  the  winter 
months,  but  by  subsequent  reading  and  ob- 
servation he  has  gained  a  good  practical  edu- 
cation. On  leaving  home  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two  years,  he  came  to  Woodford 
county,  Illinois,  in  1850,  and  first  located  at 
Walnut  Gro\e,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm 
hand  one  year  for  eleven  dollars  per  I'nonth. 
During  his  second  year  he  operated  rented 
land,  and  then.  ha\ing  saved  his  monev,  he 
bought  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of 
land  in  El  Paso  township.  September  30, 
1852,  he  married  Miss  Diana  (irove,  of 
Woodford  county,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and 
a  daughter  of  .\braham  Grove,  who  came 
here  at  a  \ery  early  day  and  engaged  in 
farming  just  south  of  Eureka,  in  Olio  town- 
ship. He  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  and  a  highly  respected  man.  Mr. 
and  ]\Irs.  Graft't  are  the  parents  of  three  li\-- 
ing  children,  namely:  William,  a  resident 
of  McLean  county,  Illinois,  married  Louisa 
Ulrich  and  has  three  children,  Bessie.  Edna 
and  Mamie.  John  Joseph,  now  on  the  home 
farm,  married  Lena  Fitchhorn  and  has  three 
children,  Daniel  Guy,  Mary  Pearl-  and 
Joseph.    David  E.  resides  in  El  Paso.   Mary 


478 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Ellen  married  Peter  A.  Ulrich,  of  Bloom- 
ington,  where  she  died  in  1894.  leaving  two 
children,  Gracie,  now  lix'ing  with  our  sub- 
ject, and  Ira  D.,  who  li\-es  with  his  uncle. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Grafft  rented  his 
father-in-law's  farm  for  a  year,  and  then 
sold  his  first  purchase  of  two  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  of  land  and  moved  to  Li\- 
ingston  county,  buying  a  farm  of  four  hun- 
dred acres  in  Nebraska  township,  which  he 
broke  and  improved  with  good  buildings. 
\\"hile  residing  there  he  entered  the  Union 
army,  leaving  his  wife  and  three  children  to 
carry  on  the  farm.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in 
Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
ninth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
which  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Cum- 
berland, and  with  his  command  participated 
the  battle  of  Resaca,  the  Atlanta  campaign 
and  the  march  to  the  sea.  They  next 
marched  through  the  Carolinas  and  Virginia 
to  Washington,  D.  C,  where  they  took  part 
in  the  grand  review,  and  by  rail  proceeded 
to  Chicago  in  cattle  cars,  which  to  them  was 
much  better  than  walking.  'Mr.  Grafift  was 
never  off  duty  during  his  entire  three  years, 
and  was  finally  mustered  out  at  Chicago 
with  the  rank  of  sergeant.  Returning  to  his 
home  in  June,  1865,  he  resumed  farming, 
and  continued  the  cultivation  of  his  farm  in 
Livingston  county  for  several  years.  He 
finally  sold  that  place  and  bought  a  farm 
of  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Olio 
township.  Woodford  county,  which  he  tiled 
and  greatly  improved,  making  it  one  of  the 
best  farms  of  the  locality.  In  his  life  work 
he  met  with  most  excellent  success,  and  hav- 
ing acquired  a  comfortable  competence  he 
moved  to  Eureka,  in  1899,  and  is  now  living 
retired,  enjoving  the  fruits  of  former  toil. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Grafft  is  a 
stanch   Republican,  but  has  never  been  an 


aspirant,  though  he  has  taken  an  active  inter- 
est in  public  affairs.  He  is  one  of  the  old  and 
in  the  battle  of  Resaca,  the  Atlanta  campaign 
honored  members  of  Dan  Miles  Post,  G.  A. 
R.,  of  Eureka,  and  is  held  in  the  highest  re- 
spect and  esteem  b)'  all  who  know  him.  Mrs. 
Grafft  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church. 


F.  J.  TUCKER. 

F.  T-  Tucker,  though  his  residence  in 
the  United  States  dates  back  only  to  July, 
1889,  has  won  a  place  of  honor  and  respect 
in  the  business  and  social  world  of  Minonk. 
His  success  is  due  no  less  to  his  sterling  in- 
tegrity of  wortl  and  deed  than  to  his  strict 
attention  to  Inisiness  and  desire  to  satisfy 
his  customers. 

Mr.  Tucker  doubtless  inherited  his 
strength  of  character  and  loyalt^-  to  dut}- 
from  his  worthy  parents,  \\'illiam  and  Har- 
riet (Thomas)  Tucker,  who  trained  their 
children  in  the  love  of  God  and  their  fellow 
men.  They  dwelt  in  England,  their  native 
land,  until  August,  1892.  when  they  came 
to  Minonk.  The  father  was  employed  as 
manager  or  overseer  of  a  number  of  la- 
borers on  a  large  farm  in  England.  About 
five  vears  subsequent  to  his  arri\-al  in  Illi- 
nois he  was  summoned  to  his  eternal  rest, 
his  death  occurring  May  3,  1897,  when  be 
was  in  his  sixty-fourth  year.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  wife,  who  is  sixty-five  years  old 
and  is  still  numbered  among  the  citizens  of 
Minonk.  The  father  was  a  member  of  the 
Plymouth  Brethren  church,  and  several  of 
their  children  also  have  been  identified  with 
the  congregation. 

F.  J.  Tucker,  born  in  Devonshire,  Eng- 
land, ]\Iay  I,  1864,  is  the  fourth  in  order  of 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


479 


Irirth  of  eleven  children.  Until  he  was  fit- 
teen  years  okl  he  remained  on  a  farm  in 
Devonsliire,  and  tlien  lie  commenced  learn- 
ing the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  receiving  only 
his  board  for  three  years.  Ever  since  that 
time  he  has  industriously  devoted  his  time 
to  his  chosen  line  of  employment  and  has 
justly  earned  his  reputation  as  a  man  of 
marked  ability.  In  July,  uSSq,  lie  came  to 
Minonk.  where  he  sj^eedily  obtained  plenty 
of  work,  and  year  by  year  he  has  increased 
his  popularity  as  a  builder  and  contractor. 

He  has  taken  contracts  throughout  this 
locality  and  specimens  of  his  handiwork  may 
be  seen  all  over  this  county  within  a  railius 
of  twenty  miles  or  more,  and  in  addition  to 
this  he  has  been  employed  on  contracts  in 
northwestern  Iowa.  His  specialty  has  been 
large  public  buildings  and  fine  residences, 
and  thus  many  structures  which  he  ha- 
erected  stand  as  monuments  to  his  enterprise. 

Tiie  marriage  of  our  subject  and  Miss 
Eva  Perrvman  was  solemnized  in  England 
May  I,  1886.  Of  the  seven  children  born 
to  them  only  three  survi\e :  \\'illie,  Eva 
Eunice  and  Lois  A.  The  first-born,  Lucy, 
and  George  and  John  died  in  infancy.  The 
wife  and  mother  was  summoned  to  the  silent 
land  in  1897,  when  she  was  in  her  thirty- 
eighth  year.  On  the  9th  of  February,  1898, 
Mr.  Tucker  wedded  Dora  Ruestman.  of  this 
county,  a  lady  of  good  education  and  social 
attainments. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Tucker  is  a  member  of 
Minonk  Lodge,  Xo.  247,  F.  &  A.  Jil.,  and  at 
present  is  serving  as  chaplain.  He  also  has 
taken  the  Royal  Arch  degree  and  is  identi- 
fied with  Rutland  Chapter,  Xo.  212.  Like 
so  many  of  his  parental  family,  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Plymouth  Brethren  church, 
and  is  liberal  in  the  support  of  worthy  re- 
ligious and  benevolent  enterprises.    Mr.  and 


Mrs.  Tucker  are  also  active  memljers  of  the 
order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  of  which  she  holds 
the  office  of  assistant  conductress,  while  Mr. 
Tucker  is  chaplain. 


HARLKV  A.  Z1XSI-:K,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Harley  A.  Zinser,  a  prominent  and 
successful  physician  of  Roanoke,  was  born 
in  Washington,  Illinois,  August  6.  1871, 
and  is  a  son  of  Israel  and  Martha  (Tobias) 
Zinser.  natives  of  Ohio,  who  came  to  this 
state  in  early  life  and  were  married  in  Plain- 
field.  The  father  was  one  of  the  first  busi- 
ness men  of  Washington,  where  he  has  con- 
ducted a  store  siiVe  1865,  carrying  a  line 
of  drugs,  jewelry  and  sundries.  He  has 
built  up  a  large  trade  and  is  doing  a  success- 
ful business.  In  jjolitics  he  is  a  Republican 
and  for  some  years  has  been  an  official  mem- 
ber of  the  town  board.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
are  prominent  workers  in  the  Methodist 
F-piscopal  church  and  are  highl}-  respected 
and  esteemed  by  all  who  know  them.  Their 
children  are  as  follows:  Elmer  F.,  aged 
tliirty-one,  is  a  traveling  salesman  for  a  Chi- 
cago drug  house;  Harley  A.  is  ne.xt  in  order 
of  birth;  Roy  K.,  aged  twenty-one,  is  ])re- 
l)aring  to  enter  the  legal  profession ;  .\da 
M..  aged  nineteen,  is  the  wife  of  Elmer 
Kern,  a  coal  merchant  of  Washington ;  antl 
Rolla  T.,  aged  twelve,  and  Steele  L.,  aged 
eight,  are  both  at  home.  The  older  chil- 
dren are  all  graduates  of  the  ^\'ashington 
high  school. 

After  comi)leting  the  course  in  that  in- 
stitution Dr.  Zinser  took  up  the  study  of 
medicine,  and  in  the  fall  of  1892  entered 
Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago,  where  he 
was  a  student  for  three  years  and  was  grad- 


48o 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


uated  in  the  class  of  1895.  The  following 
summer  he  spent  in  Washington,  and  in 
September  opened  an  office  at  Buckley,  Illi- 
nois, but  in  May,  1896,  moved  to  Roanoke, 
where  he  purchased  property  and  has  since 
engaged  in  general  practice.  He  began  at 
the  very  bottem  of  the  ladder  and  has  built 
up  a  large  practice,  which  extends  through- 
out the  surrounding  country  for  eight  miles 
in  every  direction.  This  necessitates  much 
driving  and  in  the  winter  time  he  keeps  four 
horses  that  he  may  always  respond  to  his 
country  calls.  He  has  a  well  equipped  of- 
fice and  also  owns  a  pleasant  home  in  the 
village. 

In  November,  1896,  Dr.  Zinser  was 
imited  in  marriage  with  Miss  Harriet  E. 
Heiple,  who  was  born  in  Washington,  Illi- 
nois, in  1875.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
English  Lutheran  church  of  that  place.  In 
his  political  views  the  Doctor  is  a  pro- 
nounced Republican.  He  is  a  Master  Mason 
and  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen 
Camp,  No.  1206,  of  Roanoke,  and  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  He  is 
medical  examiner  for  the  last  two  fraterni- 
ties, abo  for  the  Equitable  Insurance  Com- 
pany, of  New  York,  and  other  old  line  com- 
panies. He  is  a  member  of  the  North  Cen- 
tral Medical  Association  of  Illinois,  and  is 
a  progressive  member  of  his  profession,  who 
keeps  abreast  of  the  latest  discoveries  and 
theories  made  in  the  science  of  medicine  and 
surgery.  His  ability  is  attested  by  the  lib- 
eral patronage  he  enjoys,  and  he  ranks  as 
one  of  the  leading  physicians  of  the  county. 


WILLIAM  FERRYMAN. 

^^'il]iam  Perryman,  a  prominent  and  suc- 
cessful contractor  and  builder  of  Minonk, 
possesses  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  its 


citizens.  He  sprang  from  the  sturdy,  indus- 
trious agricultural  class  of  Devonshire, 
England,  and  has  wrought  out  his  own 
prosperity  by  attention  to  the  stern  demands 
of  the  business  world.  The  merits  of  all 
work  which  he  has  undertaken  is  his  chief 
advertising  medium,  and  his  customers,  al- 
Viays  satisfied,  have  strongly  recommended 
him  to  others,  and  thus  his  name  has  be- 
cciine  known  far  and  wide. 

A  son  of  George  and  Elizabeth  (Wool- 
way)  Perryman,  natives  of  Devonshire,  our 
subject  was  born  on  a  farm.  May  20,  i860. 
He  was  but  ten  years  of  age  when  death  de- 
IH'ived  him  of  his  loving  father,  who  was  then 
in  the  prime  of  life  forty-one  years  of  age. 
He  was  a  devout  member  of  the  Brethren 
church  and  to  his  children  he  left  an  untar- 
nished name  and  record.  His  widow  is  yet 
living  and  is  in  her  seventy-seventh  year. 
She  still  makes  her  home  in  England,  and  is 
actively  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  de- 
nomination to  which  her  husband  had  be- 
longed. A  woman  of  sterling  qualities,  be- 
loved by  all  who  know  her,  she  nobly  did  her 
full  duty  by  her  family,  and  her  children,  in- 
deed, "rise  up  and  call  her  blessed."  Emma, 
the  eldest,  is  the  wife  of  George  Davy,  who 
is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  pianos,  in 
England.  Thomas,  the  second  child,  also 
living  in  his  native  land,  is  an  auctioneer, 
real  estate  and  insurance  man.  George  is  a 
contractor  and  builder  in  England.  Mary 
became  the  wife  of  William  Labbett,  for- 
merly a  blacksmith  and  manufacturer  of  im- 
plements, and  now  engaged  in  farming  in 
England.  Agnes  is  the  wife  of  Frederick 
Lane,  a  sign  painter,  general  contractor  and 
decorator  of  the  same  country.  Lucy 
wedded  Thomas  Avery,  an  Englishman,  em- 
ployed as  a  coachman.  Eva,  who  married 
F.  J.  Tucker,  is  deceased.     John  is  engaged 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


481 


in  farming,  and  Henry  is  a  butcher  in  tlieir 
native  land.  Elizabetli  died  in  infancy,  and 
Philip  when  in  his  fifth  year.  Philip,  the 
second  of  tiie  name,  was  accidentally  killed 
by  the  discharge  of  a  revolver  which  he  was 
handling.  This  sad  event  occurred  in  1878, 
when  the  lad,  then  in  his  fourteenth  year, 
had  just  passed  a  preliminary  examination, 
and  was  soon  to  enter  the  office  of  an  attor- 
ney. Anna,  the  youngest  of  this  large  fam- 
ily, is  the  wife  of  Charles  Russell,  a  builder 
and 'undertaker  in  England. 

As  previously  stated,  William  Perryman 
was  ten  years  old  when  he  was  left  father- 
less, but  he  continued  to  live  on  a  farm 
until  he  was  in  his  seventeenth  year.  He 
then  commenced  a  three-years  apprenticeship 
to  the  carpenter's  trade,  receiving  only  his 
board  during  that  period.  Then,  for  two 
years,  when  he  was  perfecting  himself  in  all 
of  the  finer  details  of  the  business,  in  Lon- 
don, he  was  paid  twelve  cents  an  hour.  In 
March,  1890,  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  with 
the  intention  of  casting  his  lot  with  the  peo- 
ple of  this  republic.  He  came  direct  to 
Minonk,  where  he  was  employed  for  a 
twelvemonth  by  A.  B.  Kipp,  and  then  he 
embarked  in  business  for  himself.  For  nine 
year  he  had  been  engaged  in  contracting  and 
building,  and  for  part  of  this  time  he  was  in 
partnership  with  F.  J.  Tucker,  of  this  place. 
He  now  conducts  all  departments  of  his  busi- 
ness, being  his  own  architect,  and  drawing  up 
plans  and  specifications.  Many  of  the 
handsome  residences  and  fine  business  blocks 
in  the  city  and  locality  have  been  built  under 
his  supervision,  and  without  exception  his 
patrons  express  themselves  as  perfectly  sat- 
isfied. He  now  finds  his  time  fully  occu- 
pied in  executing  the  numerous  structures 
which  his  contracts  call  for,  and  his  outlook 
is  one  of  promise. 


On  the  2d  of  April,  1888.  Mr.  Perry- 
man  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ann  Hi!!, 
daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Hill.  Mrs. 
Perryman  was  born  in  England,  and  there 
obtained  a  good  education.  Six  children 
have  been  born  to  this  worthy  couple,  name- 
ly: George  A.,  Lois  Anna,  Elmer  \\'.,  Law- 
rence A.,  Bertha  \'.  and  Delbert  \\illiam. 
Lois  A.,  the  elder  daughter,  died  January, 
1891.  when  but  eleven  days  old. 

Both  ;Mr.  and  iNIrs.  Perryman  have  nu- 
merous and  sincere  friends  in  Minonk,  and 
they  are  members  of  the  Brethren  church. 
He  is  not  a  politician  in  any  sense,  but 
strives  to  keep  abreast  of  the  times,  and 
manifests  his  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his 
adopted  land. 


K.  L.  FlXCliA.M,  D.  D.  S. 

Roanoke's  popular  and  successful  dentist 
was  born  in  Towanda,  ^McLean  county,  Illi- 
nois, September  20,  1873.  His  father,  Matt- 
hew Fincham,  was  born  in  Culpeper  county, 
Virginia,  in  1844,  and  when  only  four  years 
old  was  brought  to  this  state  by  his  father, 
Robert  Fincham,  who  was  also  a  native  of 
Virginia,  while  the  former  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania 
Dutch  extraction.  They  had  a  family  of 
sixteen  children.  Robert  Fincham  was  born 
in  1804  and  is  still  living  at  the  age  of 
ninety-six  years,  his  home  being  in  Towanda. 
During  his  active  business  life  he  was  a  stock 
man.  At  first  he  owned  and  operated  a 
ranch,  but  later  gave  his  attention  to  buying 
and  selling  stock. 

Matthew  Fincham,  the  Doctor's  father, 
was  reared  and  educated  in  ^McLean  county, 
Illinois,  and  was  also  engaged  in  stock  rais- 
ing and  dealing  during  his  business  career. 


482 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


but  is  now  living  a  retired  life  in  Towanda. 
He  married  Eliza  Heller,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  a  daughter  of  Elias  and  Eliza 
(Brandsteter)  Heller.  By  this  union  were 
born  eight  children:  Albert,  a  resident  of 
Streator.  Illinois;  Everett,  of  Towanda;  E. 
L.,  our  subject;  Lewis,  of  Streator;  INIrud, 
wife  of  a  Mr.  Gilbert,  of  Colfax,  Illinois; 
Myrtle  and  Howard,  both  at  home  svilb 
their  parents. 

Dr.  Fincham  spent  his  boyhood  and 
youth  in  his  native  town  and  was  graduated 
from  the  public  schools  of  that  place  in 
1887.  Later  he  attended  Brown's  Business 
College  of  Bloomington,  and  the  Streator 
high  school,  and  then  entered  the  Chicago 
College  of  Dental  Surgery,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  1899.  Immediately  after  his 
graduation  he  opened  an  office  in  Roanoke, 
where  his  skill  and  ability  have  already  won 
for  him  an  extensive  practice.  He  has 
gained  the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  many 
patrons,  and  has  made  many  friends  since 
locating  here.  He  is  now  the  only  dentist 
in  the  village.  Socially  he  is  (juite  prominent 
and  is  a  member  of  the  ^Modern  Woodmen 
of  America.  The  Doctor  was  married, 
April  16,  1896,  to  Miss  Sadie  Smith,  of 
Streator,  and  to  them  has  been  Iiorn  one 
child,  Zelda. 


HON.  E.  A.  WILCOX,  M.    D. 

Hon.  E.  A.  Wilcox,  M.  D.,  the  pioneer 
physician  and  surgeon  of  Minonk,  and  with 
one  exception  the  first  .regularly  established 
in  practice  in  Woodford  county,  ranks  high 
in  his  profession,  and  stands  equally  well  in 
the  councils  of  the  Republican  party.  One 
having  so  deeply  at  heart  the  permanent  wel- 


fare and  prosperity  of  the  county  and  state 
as  he,  and  one  who  has  so  faithfully  met 
exerv  obligation  resting  upon  him,  deserves 
a  place  of  honor  in  their  archives. 

Dr.  Wilcox  comes  of  old  Xew  England 
families,  of  English-Irish  extraction,  and 
for  se\'eral  generations  they  have  been  num- 
bered among  the  prosperous,  progressive, 
patriotic  citizens  of  this  great  Republic,  The 
paternal  grandfather,  Le\i  Wilcox,  was  a 
Connecticut  farmer,  and  on  his  homestead, 
in  the  first  year  of  the  present  century,  his 
son  and  namesake  was  born.  This  child,  as 
Ik  matured,  developed  a  decided  taste  for 
knowledge,  and  by  his  own  study  and  ap- 
plication he  qualified  himself  as  a  physician. 
Believing  that  the  west  offered  a  broader 
field  for  his  talents,  he  went  to  Ohio  at  an 
early  day,  and  for  several  years  was  one  of 
the  pioneer  physicians  of  Tuscarawas  coun- 
tv.  About  1837  he  came  to  Illinois,  and 
thenceforth  was  a  citizen  of  Lacon,  becom- 
ing" prominent  in  his  chosen  field  of  labor, 
and  also  winning  distinction  as  a  public  offi- 
cial. He  amassed  a  fortune  of  about  ten 
thousand  dollars — the  result  of  his  energy 
and  sagacity  in  business  and  investments. 
^\'hen  the  dreaded  scourge,  cholera,  swept 
I  )\'er  the  countrv,  be  was  one  whc  >  fell  a  vic- 
tim to  the  disease,  his  death  occurring  June 
4,  1 85 1.  Politically  he  was  a  ^^'hig.  an<l 
was  so  popular  with  the  people  that  they 
elected  him  to  the  responsible  office  of  treas- 
urer of  Marshall  county.  He  was  faithful 
to  every  dutv,  and  exemplified  in  his  life 
the  high  principles  of  the  Christian  faith  and 
the  teachings  of  the  IMethodist  church,  of 
which  he  was  a  member. 

Dr.  Levi  \\'ilcox  chose  for  his  wife  Nan- 
cy Rogers,  a  nati\e  of  Columbiana  county, 
Ohio.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Alexander 
Rosers,  and  four  of  her  seven  brothers  were 


E.  A.  WILCOX. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


4S5 


physicians,  namely :  Dr.  Thomas  P.,  of 
Bloomington,  Illinois;  Dr.  R.  B..  of  Lacon. 
Illinois:  Dr.  David,  of  Missouri,  and  Dr. 
Alexander,  of  Ohio.  John  and  Samuel 
were  farmers  of  Marshall  and  Woodford 
counties,  and  George  became  a  resident  of 
Oregon.  Mrs.  Wilcox  spent  her  last  years 
at  the  home  of  her  son,  E.  A.,  and  departetl 
this  life,  in  March,  1888,  when  in  her  eighty- 
sixth  year.  She  had  given  one  of  her  brave 
sons  to  her  country,  and  had  reared  all  of  her 
children  in  liigh  principles  of  honor  and  pa- 
triotism. Alfred  R.,  who  held  the  rank  of 
firsl  lieutenant  of  Company  D,  Eleventh 
Regiment  of  Illinois  Infantry,  was  mortally 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Fort  Donelson,  and 
being  sent  to  the  home  of  our  subject,  died 
a  few  weeks  later,  surrounded  by  his  loved 
ones.  Another  son.  Dr.  Levi  S.,  formerly 
interna!  revenue  collector  and  one  of  the 
Illinois  central  committee,  and  resident  of 
Champaign.  Illinois,  was  appointed  by  the 
president  to  the  United  States  consulship  at 
Hankow.  China,  and  as  this  place  is  .in  the 
heart  of  that  empire,  of  late  grave  fears  have 
been  entertained  for  him  and  his  wife,  who 
accompanied  him.  His  sisters,  Sophronia 
and  Cynthia,  are  deceased,  while  Elizabeth, 
widow  of  Henry  C.  Dent,  is  the  postmistress 
of  Marietta,  Indian  Territory.  Sophronia 
was  the  wife  of  Ezra  Warren,  and  died  in 
Tiskihva,  Illinois,  and  Cynthia,  wife  of 
James  D.  Varna,  died  in  Lacon,  Illinois. 

Born  in  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  Seji- 
teniber  8,  1830,  Dr.  E.  A.  Wilcox  spent 
eighteen  months  of  his  life  there,  and  then 
came  to  Ohio,  where  he  resided  until  eight 
)'ears  of  age,  when  he  came  with  his  parents 
to  Lacon.  Illinois.  It  is  not  strange  that  he 
evinced  a  strong  liking  for  the  medical  pro- 
fession, in  view  of  the  fact  that  so  many  of 
his  near  relatives  were  associated  with  that 


class  of  workers,  and,  under  the  tutorship 
of  his  father  and  uncle,  R.  B.  Rogers,  the 
young  man  laid  the  foundations  of  his  medi- 
cal knowledge.  In  1857  he  was  graduated 
in  Rush  Medical  College,  in  Chicago,  and. 
after  practicing  for  a  year  in  Lacon.  Illi- 
nois, came  to  Minonk,  where  he  steadily  rose 
in  his  chosen  calling.  Not  less  has  he  suc- 
ceeded as  a  financier  and  investor,  for  he  has 
displayed  rare  sagacity  in  the  disposal  of  his 
means.  Toda}'  he  owns  one  tliousand  acres 
of  fine  land  in  Illinois,  and  fourteen  hun- 
dred acres  situated  in  Nebraska  and  Texas. 
He  is-  a  member  of  the  State  Medical  As- 
sociation, and  of  the  ^^''oodford  County 
Medical  Society. 

Called  by  the  people  of  Minoi.k  to  the 
office  of  mayor,  the  Doctor  served  efficiently 
for  three  years  in  that  capacity.  For  more 
than  two-score  years  he  has  been  one  of  the 
leading  representatives  of  the  Republican 
party  in  this  county,  and  for  twelve  years  was 
a  member  of  the  state  central  committee,  and 
for  about  the  same  length  of  time  served  as 
chairman  of  the  county  central  committee. 
Though  this  congressional  district  was 
strongly  Democratic,  he  was  elected  to  the 
senate  in  1872,  receiving  an  overwhelming 
majority — a  fact  which  well  attested  to  his 
popularity.  He  made  an  enviable  record  as- 
a  statesman,  and  for  the  four  years  of  his. 
term  he  labored  earnestly  for  the  welfare  of 
his  people.  He  was  the  author  of  the  bil! 
which  relates  to  the  regulation  of  our  public 
institutions. 

The  first  marriage  of  the  Doctor  was  sol- 
emnized June  23.  1857,  when  Carrie,  daugh- 
ter of  Caleb  Mathis,  became  his  bride.  She 
was  a  native  of  L'rbana,  Ohio,  and  when 
she  was  in  her  forty-sixth  year,  on  the  nth 
of  March.  1877,  she  was  summoned  to  the 
silent  land.     She  was  a  member  of  the  Meth- 


486 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


odist  church,  and  exemphfied  in  her  daily  life 
the  high  principles  by  which  she  was  actu- 
ated. On  the  17th  of  July,  1878,  Dr.  Wil- 
cox wedded  Victoria  Boyle,  born  in  Putnam 
county,  Illinois,  April  29,  1853,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  David  Boyle. 

Seven  children  blessed  the  Doctor's  first 
marriage:  Elcie  S.,  wife  of  William  Hag- 
gard, a  business  man  of  La  Porte,  Indiana, 
has  three  children,  Elcie,  who  is  a  musician 
of  considerable  ability;  Ethel  and  Howard. 
Carrie  E.,  wife  of  H.  C.  Forney,  of  Minonk, 
has  two  children,  Samuel  and  Ellen.  Al- 
fred R.,  a  graduate  of  the  Chicago  Dental 
College,  has  been  the  postmaster  of  IMinonk 
for  the  past  three  years.  His  wife  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Nellie  Hogan.  Dr.  Fred 
W.,  a  graduate  of  Rush  JMedical  College, 
and  now  a  practitioner  of  this  place,  married 
Minnie  Davidson,  and  their  children  are 
George  and  Rachel.  He  was  an  alternate  to 
the  Republican  national  convention  in  1900. 
Dr.  Franklin  T.,  who  was  graduated  in 
Rush  Medical  College,  is  located  in  La 
Porte,  Indiana.  He  chose  for  a  wife  Helen 
Byers,  and  two  little  sons  bless  their  home, 
namely :  Byers  and  Robert  F.  Hattie 
and  Mattie,  twins,  after  completing  their  ed- 
ucation in  Bloomington,  Illinois,  were  em- 
ployed in  the  Minonk  postoffice  for  four 
years,  and  then  went  to  Europe  where  they 
spent  four  months.  Hattie  later  became  the 
wife  of  LHysses  Grant  Rithmiller,  and  her 
sister  has  been  a  successful  teacher  in  the 
La  Porte  high  school  for  the  past  five  years. 
Five  children  were  born  to  the  second 
marriage  of  Dr.  Wilcox,  of  wlwm  Jessie 
Bernidine,  born  June  20,  1880,  died  April 
16,  1 88 1.  Edna  C.  is  attending  the  North- 
western L'niversity  at  Evanston.  Brainard 
A.  is  attending  the  Minonk  high  school,  as 
are  Logan  D.  and  Lottie  B.,  twins. 


HENRY  A.   :\IYERS. 

Henry  A.  Myers,  a  retired  farmer  and 
for  many  years  a  minister  of  the  gospel  in 
the  Methodist  Protestant  and  L'nited 
Brethren  churches,  now  residing  in  Eureka, 
Illinois,  was  born  in  Union  township,  Lick- 
ing county,  Ohio,  August  23,  1827.  He  is 
a  son  of  Henry  and  Rebecca  (Stone) 
Myers,  the  latter  being  a  daughter  of  George 
Washington  Stone,  from  Lost  River,  Vir- 
ginia, where  he  was  for  many  years  an  en- 
terprising and  prosperous  farmer.  He  was 
a  cousin  of  George  Washington  and  his 
])iirtrait  bears  a  striking  resemblance  to  him. 
Rebecca  Stone  was  born  and  reared  in  Vir- 
ginia, but  in  1 810  removed  to  Ohio,  after 
the  death  of  her  father. 

The  Myers  family  are  of  German  origin, 
the  great-great-grandfather  of  our  subject 
coming  from  Germany  and  settling  in  Little 
York,  from  which  point  the  family  widely 
scattered,  descendants  of  which  are  found 
in  many  of  the  states  of  the  Union.  Theo- 
dore r\I}'ers.  the  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Winchester,  Virginia,  and  there 
spent  his  entire  life.  He  served  for  three 
years  in  the  Indian  wars  that  followed  the 
Revolutionary  war.  He  became  quite 
wealthy  and  sold  his  large  farm  near  Little 
York,  taking  Continental  money  in  payment. 
This  so  depreciated  that  he  lost  nearly  all 
his  fortune.  He  had  pmxhased  a  tract  of 
land  where  Pittsburg  now  stands,  but  the 
owner  was  killed  before  writings  were 
drawn  and  so  he  held  the  money.  His  son, 
Henry  Myers,  was  born  near  Winchester, 
Virginia,  which  was  his  home  until  his  re- 
moval with  his  family,  consisting  of  wife 
anil  three  children,  to  Licking  county,  Ohio, 
in  1810.  The  country  at  that  time  was  yet 
a  wilderness,  there  being  but  six  families  of 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


487 


white  and  mixed  whites  in  the  vicinity  where 
he  made  settlement.  Those  next  nearest 
were  eighteen  miles  distant.  While  still  en- 
gaged in  clearing  his  farm  cit  the  heaw  tim- 
ber the  second  war  with  (ireat  l>ritain  was 
declared.  With  others,  he  formed  a  com- 
pany. l)ut  it  was  not  called  into  service  until 
about  the  time  peace  was  declaretl.  When 
he  landed  in  Licking  county  he  had  but  two 
dollars  and  fifty  cents,  but  he  had  strong 
arms  and  a  fixed  determination  to  succeed. 
His  lirst  ])urchase  was  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  but  he  was  prospered,  and  later 
he  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  for 
each  of  his  four  suns.  To  each  of  his  six 
daughters  he  ga\e  a  sum  of  money.  He  was 
a  man  of  great  infiuence  in  the  community 
in  which  he  lived  and  filled  nearly  all  the 
different  t(jwnship  offices,  but  would  accept 
nuthing  higher  from  the  fact  that  he  did  not 
care  to  leave  his  family.  In  politics  he  was 
a  Democrat  until  the  party  in  its  platform 
recognized  the  fugitive  sla\e  law,  when  he 
left  it  for  good.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  rmd  for  forty 
years  was  class  leader  antl  leader  of  the 
music  in  the  congregation.  His  home  was 
always  the  abiding  place  of  the  ministers  of 
his  church,  and  the  first  conference  of  his 
church  held  west  of  the  Ohio  river  was  in 
his  house.  He  got  oui  the  logs  and  hewed 
them  for  the  first  church  erected  in  his 
neighborhood,  and  later  assisted  in  the  erec- 
tion of  a  larger  and  handsomer  church  edi- 
fice. The  church  with  him  was  a  joyful 
])lace,  as  it  was  God's  house.  He  died  when 
l)ast  eighty-four  years  of  age  of  tyi)hoid 
fever. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  young- 
est of  a  family  of  ten  children  and  reared 
on  the  farm  he  recei\ed  his  primary  educa- 


tion in  the  pioneer  log  school  house,  with 
its  open  fire  place  stretching  across  the  entire 
side  of  the  room,  and  provided  with  slab 
benches.  In  this  school  house  he  was  priv- 
ileged to  attend  about  three  months  in  the 
winter.  But  he  was  never  satisfied  with  the 
meager  education  there  obtained,  and  as  the 
opportunity  was  afforded  him  he  purchased 
or  borrowed  books  to  read,  especially  those 
of  a  scientific  nature.  Later,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-five  years,  and  having  a  family,  he 
left  his  business  and  entered  Granville  Col- 
lege, that  he  might  the  better  prepare  him- 
self for  his  life  work.  He  there  secured  a 
good  ])ractical  education  and  he  has  cause 
to  be  thankful  for  the  time  there  spent. 

Until  eighteen  years  old  Mr.  Myers  as- 
sisted his  father  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
home  farm.  His  father  then  gave  him  its 
entire  management,  and  although  but  a 
boy  he  showed  good  business  ability  and  the 
farm  had  the  best  of  care.  On  the  :35th  of 
December,  1849,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Lavina  Schechter,  of  Union  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  daughter  of  Samuel  Schechter.  a 
native  of  Alaryland  of  German  ancestry,  liut 
an  early  settler  of  Ohio,  where  he  engaged 
in  farming.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  Knox 
county,  Ohio.  By  this  union  were  born  ten 
children,  as  follows:  Theodosia.  now  Mrs. 
George  Downs,  of  McLean  county,  Illinois; 
Sanford,  of  Milan.  Illinois;  Margaret,  wife 
of  Rev.  W.  S.  Johnson,  of  Iowa;  J.  F..  a 
])racticing  physician  of  Rock  Island,  Illinois; 
Otto,  wlio  died  in  childhood;  Rose,  nOw 
Mrs.  J.  W.  Kershaw,  of  I'axton.  Illinois; 
William,  who  died  when  two  years  old ; 
Minnie,  who  died  when  twenty  years  old; 
Jennie,  now  Mrs.  C.  U.  Fisher,  her  liusband 
being  a  prominent  cattle  man  of  central 
Iowa;  and  Stanlev,  of  Clinton,  Illinois. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


After  his  marriage  Mr.  Myers  continued 
to  manage  the  farm  of  his  father,  whicli 
had  Ijeen  increased  to  four  hundred  acres  b}- 
subsequent  purchase  prior  to  i860.  In  his 
farming  operations  he  was  very  successful, 
giving  special  attention  to  the  raising  of 
sheep.  Realizing  in  his  own  life  the  need 
of  a  good  education,  he  took  great  interest 
in  educational  matters,  and  for  some  years 
was  school  trustee  for  the  township  in  which 
he  lived,  one  of  the  most  important  offices 
in  the  township.  By  his  influence  he  se- 
cured many  important  changes  in  school 
government  and  had  erected  a  fine  school 
house  in  his  neighborhood.  \\'ith  another 
wealthy  farmer,  he  secured  the  services  of  a 
good  teacher  of  vocal  music,  without  cost  to 
others,  and  the  children  of  the  district  were 
taught  to  sing.  This  was  recognized  as  a 
great  benefit  to  the  community.  He  organ- 
ized the  first  Sunday  school  in  the  town  of 
Luray  and  was  its  superintendent  until  his 
removal  to  Illinois.  Church  services  were 
also  introduced,  Mr.  Myers  securing  the  aid 
of  a  Baptist  minister  for  the  purpose.  Fmrn 
one  of  tlie  worst  neighborhoods  in  the  county 
it  soon  became  one  of  the  best. 

Believing  that  he  could  better  his  con- 
dition and  be  of  greater  service  to  the  cause 
of  his  Master  elsewhere,  Mr.  Myers  decided 
to  come  to  Illinois,  and  in  1864  he  located 
near  Bloomington,  in  Bloomington  town- 
ship, McLean  county,  where  he  purchased 
four  hundred  acres  of  land.  As  already 
stated,  in  his  native  state  he  was  greatly  in- 
terested in  the  sheep  industry,  and  brought 
into  his  neighborhood  some  of  the  finest 
sheep  to  be  had.  In  coming  to  Illinois  he 
proposed  to  continue  in  that  line  and  brought 
with  him  fourteen  hundred  and  sixty  head 
of  fine   sheep,   starting  into   the   wool   and 


sheep  business  in  an  extensive  way.  In  1865 
he  traded  his  first  purchase  of  land  for  a 
farm  of  five  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Old- 
town  townsliip,  in  the  same  county,  on  which 
had  lieen  erected  some  fine  buildings.  He 
then  took  in  a  partner  in  the  business,  but 
the  iiartner  did  n(it  long  survive,  and  after 
his  death  Mv.  jMj-ers  sold  oi¥  fifteen  hun- 
dred head  of  sheep,  retaining  only  three  hun- 
dred head  of  the  choicest  of  the  lot.  He 
now  gave  special  attention  to  the  raising  of 
corn  and  wheat,  and  for  its  greater  pro- 
ductiveness he  tiled  the  farm  and  put  it  into 
excellent  shape.  Trading  this  farm,  he  next 
bought  one  in  Randolph  Grove,  McLean 
county,  which  he  proceeded  to  tile,  and  on 
which  he  erected  a  fine  residence  and  which 
remained  his  home  for  manv  vears. 

^^'hile  residing  in  Ohio  Mr.  Myers  united 
with  the  Baptist  church  and  by  that  church 
was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel.  On  com- 
ing to  Illinois,  there  being  no  Baptist  church 
in  the  neighborhood  of  his  residence,  he 
united  with  the  Methodist  Protestant  church, 
and  by  that  body  was  ordained  a  nfinister  of 
the  gospel,  and  for  some  years  was  engaged 
in  evangelical  work  during  the  winter  months 
and  for  one  year  tra\-eled  in  tlie  interest  of 
the  church.  On  his  removal  to  Randolph 
township  he  found  no  Methodist  Protestant 
church,  but  secured  the  use  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  South,  an  edifice  that  had 
been  erected  during  the  war.  He  got  out 
fuel,  emplo}'ed  a  sexton,  and  commenced  to 
preach  to  the  people.  He  soon  organized 
a  Methodist  Protestant  church  and  a  Sunday 
school  and  built  a  house  of  worship.  Later 
the  Free  INIethodist  and  the  Methodist 
Protestant  churches  were  merged  into  one, 
causing  some  dissatisfaction.  Tliere  being 
a  L^nited  Brethren  church  near  bv,  with  his 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


489 


family  he  united  witli  it  and  preached  for 
that  body.  Soon  after,  at  Holder,  he  held 
a  nieetinyf.  resulting'  in  fi^rty  additions  to 
the  church,  and  a  house  of  worship  was  pur- 
chased  of  the  Methodist   Episcopals. 

As  a  member  of  the  central  Illinois  con- 
ference of  the  United  Brethren  church,  Mr. 
•  Myers  introduced  a  resolution  in  that  body 
for  the  admission  of  lay  delegates.  He  was 
one  of  a  committee  of  three  who  went  to  the 
national  conference  of  his  church  held  at 
Urbana,  Ohio,  that  he  mis^ht  urge  change  in 
discipline,  that  members  of  the  church  might 
be  permitted  to  become  members  of  secret 
societies,  a  change  that  has  since  been  made. 
.\t  the  national  conference  he  was  elected  one 
of  the  vice-presidents  of  that  body.  For 
some  twehe  or  fifteen  years  ]\[r.  Myers  was 
active  in  church  affairs  in  the  Methodist 
Protestant  denomination,  and  was  instru- 
mental in  bringing  many  into  the  church. 

In  temporal  affairs  Mr.  Myers  has  been 
very  successful.  To  his  home  farm  in  Mc- 
Lean county  he  added  many  acres  and  yet 
owns  land  in  that  county.  Before  coming  to 
Eureka  he  went  to  the  state  of  Washington 
for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  and  was  so 
delighted  with  the  country  that  he  thought 
seriously  of  making  it  his  home,  and  de- 
cided to  use  his  influence  to  secure  the  or^ 
ganization  of  a  new  county.  He  secured  the 
co-operation  of  others  and  petitioned  the 
legislature  to  lay  out  a  new  county,  and  it 
was  so  ordered,  the  new  county  taking  the 
name  of  Douglas.  The  governor  appointed 
three  trustees,  of  which  he  was  the  chairman, 
to  select  a  county  seat  and  apix)int  the  first 
officers  of  the  county.  This  they  jjroceeded 
to  do  and  for  tiie  purpose  visited  all  the 
available  sites.  His  mileage  on  this  work 
amounted  to  over  six  hundred  dollars.  The 
county  seat  is  \\'aterville,   built  on   Silver 


lake,  a  name  given  the  body  of  water  by  Mr. 
Myers.  There  he  took  up  a  claim  and  built 
several  houses.  He  also  built  some  houses 
in  S[)okane  Falls,  but  later  sold  his  interests 
there. 

In  1890  Mr.  Myers  moved  to  Eureka, 
Illinois,  which  has  since  been  his  home. 
After  moving  there,  however,  he  visited 
Texas,  and  liking  a  location  on  the  east  shore 
of  Trinity  Bay  he  bought  land  and  fitted  up 
a  farm  for  Iiis  youngest  son.  It  is  a  beauti- 
ful ]3lace  and  he  remained  there  for  a  lime 
with  his  son.  He  also  owns  a  farm  on  the 
west  sill  ire  of  the  bay.  In  addition  to  the 
property  already  mentioned  he  owns  some 
valuable  property  in  Rock  Island,  Illinois, 
where  he  has  a  son  living. 

Mr.  ]\Iyers  has  been  a  Master  Mason  for 
fifty  years,  being  raised  to  that  degree  in 
Hebron  Lodge.  No.  63.  in  Ohio.  He  was 
dimitted  from  that  lodge.  He  has  always 
been  more  or  less  acti\c  in  ])olitical  affairs, 
as  well  as  in  exervthing  that  tends  to  the 
general  welfare  of  humanity.  As  a  farmer 
he  has  always  been  interested  in  that  which 
has  a  tendency  to  enoble  the  life  of  the  agri- 
culturist. While  in  McLean  county  he  was 
vice-president  of  the  I'armers'  Club  and 
chaplain  of  the  McLean  Cnunty  firange.  and 
was  a  grange  lecturer.  In  puliiics  he  was 
first  a  Republican  and  Ijy  that  party  was 
once  nominated  for  the  office  of  sheriff  of 
McLean  county.  Of  late  years  he  has  been 
identified  with  the  Prohibition  ])arty,  be- 
lieving as  he  does  that  the  rum  power  is 
the  worst  foe  of  the  people  of  this  country. 
By  that  ])arty  he  was  nominated  as  a  candi- 
date for  the  state  board  of  e(|ualization  and 
also  for  county  judge  of  McLean  county. 
He  was  elected  president  of  the  Eureka  vil- 
lage board  by  unanimous  vote,  the  only  per- 
son that  was  ever  so  elected.     During  the 


490 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


sumnier  lie  was  ser\-ing  as  president  of  the 
board  he  was  solicited  liy  the  Prohibitionists 
of  the  district  to  make  the  race  for  congress, 
but  on  account  of  his  age  he  declined  the 
honor.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  national 
Prohibition  convention  in  1900.  which  as- 
sembled at  Chicago,  and  assisted  in  the  nom- 
ination of  John  G.  Wooley  for  president. 
Since  coming  to  Eureka  he  has  united  with 
the  Christian  church  and  is  now  serving  as 
one  of  the  elders  of  the  Eureka  church.  He 
yet  occasionally  preaches  the  gospel,  and 
wiiile  in  Texas  preached  every  Sunday.  His 
heart  is  in  the  work  and  he  is  alwa^'s  willing 
to  do  all  he  can  to  adxance  the  interests  of 
the  Master. 


HOMER  E.   DARST. 

Homer  E.  Darst,  the  efficient  and  popu- 
lar postmaster  of  Eureka,  Illinois,  was  born 
in  Cedarville.  Missouri.  April  9.  1871.  His 
father,  Henry  R.  Darst.  is  a  native  of  Ohio, 
born  near  Dayton,  February  4,  1849.  '"'"^1  '^ 
a  son  of  Jiihn  Darst.  with  whom  he  came  to 
Wootlford  county.  Illinois,  during  his  bov- 
hood.  Here  he  grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm 
and  married  Sue  M.  Payne,  a  native  of 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  daughter  of  Wes- 
ley Payne,  who  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
this  section  and  a  farmer  liv  occupation.  The 
father  of  our  subject  ser\ed  for  three  years 
as  a  member  of  the  Eighty-sixth  Illinois 
A'olnnteer  Infantry,  during  the  civil  war. 
being  one  of  the  yoiuigest  to  enter  the  ser\-ice 
from  this  locality.  After  bis  marriage  he 
spent  one  year  in  farmine  in  Missouri,  but 
at  the  end  of  that  time  returned  to  Illinois, 
and  has  since  engaged  in  farming  in  \\'oo(l- 
ford  count}-,  though  be  makes  his  home  in 
Eureka.       For  a  time  he  was  interested  in 


the  butcher  business,  ^\hich  be  bad  pre- 
viously followed  in  his  earlier  years.  The 
Republican  party  has  always  found  in  him 
a  stanch  supporter  of  its  principles,  and  both 
be  and  his  \\ife  are  acti\e  members  of  the 
Christian  church.  In  their  family  are  five 
children,  name!}- :  Ora.  Homer  E.,  Myrtle, 
Pete  and  Irma. 

Homer  E.  Darst  received  a  good  practi- 
cal education  in  the  ])ublic  schools  of  Eure- 
ka, and  also  took  a  course  in  the  bookkeep- 
ing department  of  Eureka  College,  where  he 
spent  one  year.  He  was  then  employed  as  a 
bookkeeper  and  clerk  bv  difl:'erent  firms  in 
the  city  until  appointed  postmaster.  He  en- 
tered upon  th.e  duties  of  the  ofifice  July  i, 
1898,  and  has  since  filled  the  position  with 
credit  to  himself  and  to  the  entire  satisfac- 
tion of  the  public.  The  business  of  the 
office  has  increased  considerably  during  the 
time  of  his  occupancw  Mr.  Darst  has  al- 
ways afifiliated  with  the  Repulilican  party, 
has  taken  an  acti\e  part  in  its  work,  and 
has  served  as  a  member  ni  the  township  Re- 
jniblican  committee.  The  year  be  attained 
bis  majorit}-  he  was  elected  township  col- 
lector, and  held  that  ofifice  two  terms.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fra- 
ternity and  quite  popular  in  social  circles. 


LOUIS  W.  HARMS. 

The  \illage  of  Roanoke  has  a  number  of 
enterprising  antl  progressive  citizens  who 
have  met  with  markeil  success  in  their  busi- 
ness undertakings,  and  ha\e  become  leading 
men  in  the  community.  Among  the  ninn- 
ber  is  Louis  \\'.  Harms,  the  well-known  and 
popular  cashier  of  the  Farmers'  Bank 

He  was  born  in  Washington,  Tazewell 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


491 


ccunty.  Illinois,  June  18.  1859,  and  is  a  son 
ot  Henry  Harms,  who  was  l)orn  in  Aus 
Frieseland.  Germany,  in  i8ji.  and  on  com- 
ing to  this  country,  aliout  1848,  took  uj)  his 
residence  in  Tazewell  comity.  Illinois.  The 
father  was  one  of  a  faniil}-  of  tliree  children 
His  sister  died  in  Germany.  His  hrother, 
Eilert  Harms,  is  a  well-known  and  prosper- 
ous farmer  and  stock  raiser  of  Linn  town- 
ship, Woodford  county.  Henry  Harms  was 
a  hutcher  by  trade,  and  on  first  coming  to 
America  worked  for  Joseph  Kelso,  of  Wash- 
ington, Illinois,  and  after  his  marriage 
opened  a  shop  of  his  own,  successfully  car- 
rying on  business  there  throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  He  died  in  1880,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-nine  years.  In  1858  he 
married  Miss  Catherine  Denhart.  a  native 
of  Hesse-Castle,  Germany,  and  the  fourth 
in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
ilren,  the  others  being  Lizzie,  who  was  niar- 
riefl  in  Illinois,  and  then  returned  to  Ger- 
many to  reside ;  Frederick  and  Conrad,  both 
farmers  living  near  Coft'eyxille,  Kansas  :  .Au- 
gusta, widow  of  William  Witle  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Washington,  Illinois:  Henrv.  who 
is  connected  with  the  bank  at  Washington 
conducted  under  the  name  of  Henry  Denhart 
&■  Company,  and  also  with  the  bank  at 
Roanoke:  and  Helen,  wife  of  Adam  Keihl. 
of  Washington.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harms 
were  horn  four  children,  of  whom  Louis  \\  . 
is  the  oldest:  Lizzie  is  the  wife  of  Charles 
Strathman.  a  druggist  of  I'coria.  and  the\' 
ha\e  one  son,  Charles  D. ;  Catherine  is  a 
graduate  of  the  normal  school  at  X'alparaiso. 
Indiana,  and  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools 
of  Washington,  Illinois,  where  she  lives  with 
her  mcuher ;  and  Henry  D.  is  now  connected 
with  our  subject  in  the  bank  at  Roanoke, 
but  makes  bis  home  in  Washington,  and  was 
formerly  employed  in  the  bank  at  that  place 


for  ten  years.  They  have  all  received  good 
common  .school  educations.  The  mother  is 
still  living  in  Washington,  and  is  an  earnest 
member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church,  to 
which  the  father  also  belonged. 

Louis  \\'.  Harms  attended  the  public 
schools  of  his  natixe  ])lace.  and  later  was 
associated  with  his  father  in  the  butcher 
business  until  the  latter's  death,  when  the 
business  was  disposed  of.  and  our  subject 
embarked  in  the  grocery  trade,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Rapp  &  Harms.  This  ])art- 
nership  continued  until  1894.  when  he  came 
ti>  Roanoke  and  organized  a  bank,  known  as 
the  Farmers  Bank,  of  which  he  has  been 
ca.shier  e\'er  since,  lie  owns  the  lot  and 
building  where  the  bank  is  located,  and  in 
Connection  with  his  banking  business  is  in- 
itrested  in  real  estate,  handling  Iowa  and 
Indiana  lands  ])rincipally.  He  is  a  wide- 
awake and  energetic  business  men,  of  keen 
discrimination  and  sound  judgment,  and  in 
his  undertakings  has  been  remarkably  suc- 
cessful. 

On  the  J^d  of  December.  1879.  Mr. 
Harms  was  united  in  marrige  with  Miss 
I'.lla  l\a])p.  who  was  born  in  ( )ctober.  1839, 
mid  is  the  youngest  cbil<l  of  Ernest  and 
Christina  (Schmidt)  Rap]),  residents  of 
Washington.  Her  brother  Charles,  who  is 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  that  city, 
i.-  married  and  has  foiu'  daughters — Pearl, 
Mary,  Bessie  and  Ruby.  The  other  two 
children  of  the  Rapp  family  died  in  infancy. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harms  have  been  born  two 
children — Carrie  M.  and  Ella  I"".,  both  grad- 
uates of  the  Washington  high  school.  The 
younger  is  now  ])ursuing  a  four-\ears' 
course  at  the  Ohio  \\'esleyan  L'nixersity, 
ha\ing  won  the  scholarship  at  that  institu- 
tion, standing  highest  in  a  class  of  fourteen. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harms  are  members 


492 


THE    BICGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  the  family 
occupies  a  position  of  prominence  in  social 
circles.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and 
a  supporter  of  sound  money  issues.  W' hile  a 
resident  of  Washington  he  was  a  member  of 
the  township  central  committee  a  number  of 
years,  and  was  treasurer  of  the  city  one 
term.  Init  he  has  never  cared  for  political 
preferment,  desiring  rather  to  devote  his  en- 
tire time  and  attention  to  liis  business  in- 
terests. 


HON.    ROBERT    S.    HESTER. 

Only  those  lives  are  Wcirthy  of  record 
that  have  been  potential  factors  in  the  public 
progress  in  promoting  the  general  welfare 
or  advancing  the  educational  or  moral  in- 
terests of  the  community.  Robert  S.  Hes- 
ter was  ever  faithful  to  his  duties  of  citizen- 
ship, and  by  the  successful  conduct  of  his 
business  interests  not  only  promoted  his  in- 
dividual success  but  also  advanced  the  gen- 
eral prosperity.  In  his  life  span  of  seventy- 
five  years  he  accomplished  much,  and  left 
behind  an  honorable  reci.ird  well  worthv  of 
perpetuation. 

^Ir.  Hester  «as  born  in  Boone  county, 
Kentucky,  Xovemlier  19,  1825,  but  when  a 
bo\-  moved  to  Ohio  with  his  parents,  John 
and  Mary  (Bennington)  Hester.  His  fa- 
ther followed  farming  in  Brown  county,  that 
state,  where  he  died  when  his  son  was  quite 
young.  The  mother  was  an  active  member 
of  the  Christian  church  and  carefully  reared 
her  children.  Robert  received  a  good  com- 
mon school  education.  In  1847  '^^  '^'t  his 
old  home  in  Brown  county,  Ohio,  and  on 
horse-back  rode  to  Marshall  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  bought  land  antl  successfully  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  i)ursuits,  becoming  the 


owner  of  nine  hndred  acres  of  valuable  land 
in  Belle  Plaine  township,  Marshall  county, 
and  in  \\'oodford  county.  In  connection 
\\  ith  general  farming  he  was  largely  interest- 
ed in  stock  raising,  and  in  all  his  undertak- 
ings met  with  marked  success. 

In  1857  Mr.  Hester  married  Miss  Lydia 
A.  Davison,  a  nati\'e  of  Xew  York,  and 
daughter  of  John  I'.  Davison,  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Woodford  county,  who  died 
May  15,  1863,  leaving  one  daughter,  Affie 
Z,,  who  makes  her  home  in  Los  Angeles, 
California.  He  was  again  married.  May 
19,  1864,  his  second  union  being  with  Miss 
Nancy  M.  McKeever,  a  nati\'e  of  Perry 
county.  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Susanna  (Hollenbeck)  AIcKoever,  who 
moved  from  that  count}'  to  Morgan  county, 
the  same  state,  and  later  came  to  ]\Iarsh:dl 
count}-,  Illinois,  where  the  father  engaged 
in  farming  for  some  years,  but  they  spent 
their  last  x'ears  in  Minonk,  Woodford  coun- 
ty, where  both  died.  They,  too.  were  earnest 
members  of  the  Christian  church  and  most 
estimable  people.  By  his  second  marriage 
Mr.  Hester  had  two  children :  Lincoln  L., 
now  living  on  the  old  home  place,  married 
Florence  Griswold,  and  they  have  three 
children :  Alvaretta  jNIaurine,  Edna  Lela  and 
Irma  Dell.  Cora  V.  is  the  wife  of  James 
X.  Lester,  pastor  of  the  Christian  church, 
at  Belle  Plaine,  and  they  have  two  children : 
Hester  Geraldine  and  Helen  Valeria. 

For  some  years  prior  to  his  death  Mr. 
Hester  retired  from  active  business  life 
and  in  1894  built  a  beautiful  residence  in 
Eureka,  where  he  made  his  home  until  his 
death.  He  died,  however.,  very  suddenly 
in  San  Antonio,  Texas,  February  5,  1900, 
He  had  gone  to  that  city  in  company  with 
his  wife  to  spend  the  winter,  and  had  .been 
there  Init  a   few  da}"s  when  he  yielded  up 


R.  S.  HESTER. 


MRS.  R.  S.  HESTER. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


497 


his  life  without  any  warning  to  tliose  near 
and  dear  to  him.  His  mortal  remains  were 
brought  back  to  his  old  home  and  buried  in 
the  Davison  cemetery,  soutli  of  Belle  Plaine, 
Illinois. 

After  reaching  manhood  he  took  an 
active  and  prominent  part  in  public  affairs, 
antl  was  elected  to  several  official  positions  of 
honor  and  trust,  the  duties  of  which  he  most 
capably  and  satisfactorily  performed.  He 
served  as  road  commissioner,  justice  of  the 
peace  and  supe>rvisor,  and  in  i860  was  elected 
on  the  ticket  with  Lincoln  to  the  ofilice  of 
sheriff' of  .Marshall  county,  which  he  filled  for 
one  term.  In  1882  he  represented  his  dis- 
trict in  the  state  le-gislalure,  and  he  was 
always  found  true  to  any  trust  reposed  in 
him,  either  ]iublic  or  -private.  He  was  one 
of  the  leading  members  of  the  Belle  Plaine 
Christian  church,  in  which  ho  served  as  elder 
for  more  than  twenty  years,  and  for  many 
years  was  a  trustee  of  Eureka  College. 
I'aithful  to  his  church,  to  his  country  and 
to  his  friends,  he  was  highly  respected  and 
esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was 
ever  a  friend  to  the  poor  and  needy,  choosing 
rather  to  make  the  gifts  without  letting  the 
right  hand  know  what  the  left  did,  and  it  was 
only  to  those  nearest  to  him  who  knew  to 
what  extent  he  gave  of  his  means. 


J.  A.   SLMPSOX. 

J.  A.  Simpson,  a  worthy  representative 
of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Illinois, 
and  in  virtue  of  the  prominent  part  which  he 
has  personally  taken  in  public  affairs,  in  days 
of  peace  as  well  as  in  time  of  war,  is  doubly 
entitled  to  honorable  mention  in  the  annals 
of  this  commonwealth.     During  the  thirty- 


six  years  of  his  residence  in  Minonk  he  has 
been  closely  connected  with  the  development 
and  prosperity  of  the  place,  and  in  the  capac- 
ity of  mayor  and  councilman  did  much  to 
])ro\e  his  interest  in  tiie  well-being  of  his 
fellow-citizens  ruid  the  permanent  welfare 
of    the    town. 

In  the  early  settlement  of  Ohio  our  sub- 
ject's paternal  grandfather  became  one  of 
the  frontiersmen  who  reclaimed  that  state 
from  the  wilderness.  He  was  a  native  of 
Scotland,  and  his  wife,  a  Pennsylvanian, 
was  of  German  parentage.  Their  son,  Har- 
rison, father  of  J.  A.  Simpson,  was  born  on 
the  old  homestead,  and  when  he  reached  ma- 
turity he  chose  Maria  Combs  for  a  wife. 
She  was  born  in  \^irginia,  October  19,  1813, 
and  now  makes  Iier  home  with  her  daughter, 
Mrs.  Anna  C.  Hopwood,  of  Livingston 
county,  Illinois.  Though  so  atlvanced  in 
years,  she  retains  her  faculties  and  her 
mind  is  clear  and  active.  She  accompanied 
her  husband  to  Illinois  fifty-lwu  years  ago, 
and.  after  li\-ing  in  I'ulton  count_\-  for  two 
years,  removed  to  Woodford  county. 
There  Mr.  Simpson  won  the  esteem  and  love 
i>f  all  who  were  associated  with  him.  and  for 
many  years  he  served  as  supervisor,  assessor 
or  in  other  local  offices  of  more  or  less  re- 
sponsibility. For  more  than  three  decades 
he  was  a  deacon  in  the  Baptist  church,  and 
was  looked  up  to  and  regarded  as  one  of  the 
most  exemplary  citizens  of  his  comnumity. 
He  died  in  Kaufman  county,  Te.Kas.  May 
5.  1885.  when  in  his  sixty-third  year.  His 
eldest  son,  \V.  H.  H.,  resides  on  a  farm 
near  Packwood,  Iowa,  with  his  wife,  Caro- 
line, (ieorge  M..  a  grain  merchant,  is  rep- 
resented elsewhere  in  this  work.  Benjamin 
F.,  who  was  a  leading  lawyer  of  Mariette, 
W'isccjnsin,  for  years,  is  now  engaged  in 
practice  in  Chicago.     Charles  T.  is  engaged 


498 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


in  farming  near  Minonk.  W'olsey  C,  who 
achieved  distinction  in  tliis  county  as  a 
lawyer  and  as  a  prosecuting  attorney,  died  in 
Emporia,  Kansas,  in  1898,  when  fifty  years 
of  age.  He  was  state's  attorney  in  this 
county  and  in  Lyons  county,  Kansas,  for  sev- 
eral terms,  and  wcm  the  ])raise  of  the  legal 
l^rofession  and  the  general  public  for  his 
efficiency  and  fidelity  to  his  duties.  His 
wife  was  .\nnetta  L..  daughter  of  Doctor 
Reed.  i)asti)r  in  the  Baptist  denomination, 
and  at  one  time  president  of  Shurtleff  Col- 
lege. Anna  C.  Simpson  wedded  John  Hop- 
wood,  a  farmer  of  Livingston  countv,  and 
Laura  J.  is  the  wife  of  E.  A.  Kipp,  wliu  is 
a  lumber  merchant,  with  his  hcjme  in  E\ans- 
ton,    Illinois. 

J.  A.  Simpson  was  lioru  in  Pickaway 
count)',  Ohio,  March  7,  1843,  ^^^^^  resided 
upon  a  farm  until  he  was  about  eighteen 
years  of  age.  The  youth  then  enlisted  in  the 
defense  of  the  Union,  becoming  a  private  of 
Company  I,  Forty-seventh  Illinois  V^olunteer 
Infantry,  and  during  the  three  years  and  two 
months  of  his  service  participated  in  the  nu- 
merous engagements  and  campaigns  in  which 
his  regiment  won  honors.  .Vmong  the  more 
notable  battles  were  Island  No.  10,  Farming- 
ton,  Mississippi,  Xew  Madrid,  siege  of 
Vicksburg  and  Jackson,  Mississippi,  Corinth, 
Holly  Springs  and  Saline  Cross-road.  Until 
the  fall  of  Vicksburg  he  was  luuler  the 
leadership  of  General  (irant,  and  later,  he 
accompanied  General  Banks  on  the  Red 
River  expedition.  Considering  his  youth 
and  arduous  service  in  these  hard-fouglit 
campaigns  he  made  an  excellent  record  and 
stood  his  hardships  well.  He  was  honora- 
bly discharged  and  mustereil  out  at  Spring- 
field, in  October,  1864. 

For  aliout  a  year  sul)sec|uently  he  at- 
tended school,  and  then  l.iid  the  foundations 


of  business  knowledge  in  a  commercial  col- 
lege in  Chicago.  Returning  home  he  then 
engaged  in  the  grocery  and  dry  goods  busi- 
ness, at  first  being  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
W'hitaker,  Simpson  &  Son,  and  later  of  the 
firms  of  Simpson,  Kidder  &  Company,  and 
Simpson  &  Kidder.  The  Inisiness  was  sold 
at  the  death  of  Mr.  Kidder,  and  July  i,  1887, 
our  subject  embarked  on  his  own  account 
in  the  buying  and  selling  of  grain  at  Minonk. 
From  iSyo  to  1896,  when  his  partner  died, 
lie  \\as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Simpson  & 
Fehring,  of  Washburn,  Illinois,  and  then 
for  about  four  years  he  was  asociated  with 
Mr.  Moschel,  to  whom  he  sold  out  the  busi- 
ness in  May,  1900.  Five  years  before  he 
joined  F.  N.  Rood,  of  LaRose,  Illinois,  and 
since  that  time  has  been  extensively  engaged 
in  lianking  at  LaRose,  also  the  grain,  lumber, 
coal  and  building  material  business,  and  they 
own  two  elevators,  situated  on  the  Alton 
Railroatl,  and  one  on  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
at  LaRose.  In  June.  1900,  INIr.  Simpson 
also  entered  into  partnership  with  11.  E. 
Mammen,  at  IMason,  Illinois,  at  a  point 
where  the  Santa  Fe  and  Big  Four  Railroads 
cross,  where  they  have  an  elevator.  In  all 
of  these  varied  financial  ventures,  he  has  met 
with  marked  jjrosperity.  and  his  aliility  and 
foresight    are    unquestioned. 

Though  his  commercial  alliances  have 
lieen  numerous  and  ofttimes  with  outside 
jiarties,  Mr.  Simpson  has  retained  his  own 
in  Minonk.  where  lie  owns  three  elevators 
located  on  the  Illinois  Central,  and  carries 
on  an  extensive  grain  Inisiness.  He  also 
deals  in  seed  and  hard  coal,  and  has  been  a 
leading  factor  in  its  onward  march.  For  a 
score  of  years  he  has  served  on  the  board  of 
education,  and  as  an  earnest  member  of  the 
Presl>yterian  churcii,  has  especially  had  the 
interests  of  the  Sundav  schools  at  heart,  and 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


499 


lias  officiated  as  superintendent  of  his  nwn 
clmrcli  scliool.  He  takes  an  active  interest 
in  politics,  and  for  four  years  was  a  \alued 
worker  in  the  Repnlilican  C(iunt\'  central 
committee,  witli  which  party  he  has  always 
aBiliated. 

The  wife  <>(  Mr.  .Simpsdn's  earh'  man- 
hood was  .Mary  !•"...  daui^hter  ni  J.  K.  T. 
Hell,  and  a  native  ni  Illinnis.  Siie  departed 
this  life  in  h'ehi-n.'irv.  I S7 1 .  and  of  her  tvvn 
children,  jnhn  il.  died  at  the  aye  nf  seven 
years  and  seven  months.  Lena  !'>..  the 
daughter,  is  the  wife  of  W.  ( ).  W'hitnev.  a 
lumber  merchant  of  Cherrvvale.  Kansas,  and 
Helen  and  James  Oscar.  On  the  ist  of 
April.  1S73.  occurred  the  marri.'ige  (if  our 
subject  and  Alary  V>.  lludsdii.  dau.ghter  of 
John  and  T.  A.  Iludsun,  of  Whiteside  coun- 
ty, Illinois.  The  first  child  born  tn  J.  .\. 
Simpson  and  wife  is  Mary  Elizabeth,  who 
wedded  V.  X.  RdikI  and  resides  at  La  Rose. 
Illinois.  The  sons.  J.  .\..  Jr..  and  Harry  H.. 
graduates  of  the  Minonk  high  schudl.  are 
)iiuths  of  great  ])romise.  and  this  luitumn 
they  matriculate  in  college,  where  thev  will 
qualifv  themselves  fur  useful  careers. 


j.XMh'.S  T.   WA'ATT,   M.   I). 

The  subject  nf  this  sketch,  imw  a  ]ir(inii- 
nenl  physician  of  h'.nreka.  vv.as  burn  in  I  )eL 
phi.  Carroll  cnuuty.  Indiana,  .\u.gust  J^. 
1868,  and  is  a  son  of  Isaac  C.  and  Matilda 
(  Cocjk  )  W'yatt.  also  natives  of  that  countv. 
His  paternal  ancestors  were  from  .Scdlland. 
and  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  \'ir- 
ginia.  Llis  paternal  grandfather.  Isaac 
Newton  W'vatt,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
\\hile  the  maternal  grandfather,  John  W. 
Cook,  was  a  native  of  New  Ham])shire. 
For  many  years  the   father  was  connected 


with  the  Million  mute,  as  assistant  superin- 
tendent (if  the  bridge  department.  He  died 
in  Del])hi.  Indiana,  November  22,  1899,  'it 
the  age  of  sitv  years,  his  wife  in  1874,  at 
the  age  of  about  thirty  years. 

During  his  biiyh(io(l  and  ydutii  Dr. 
\\  Vatt  ;ittended  the  comnmn  .and  high 
schools  of  his  native  ))lace,  and  when  his 
education  was  completed  accejited  a  i)f)si- 
tidu  as  traveling"  salestnan  for  a  i'eoria  firm, 
his  territfiry  covering  Illinois.  Iowa.  Indiana 
and  KeiUucky.  He  met  with  excellent  suc- 
cess in  that  \'enture.  and  was  Cdiniccted  with 
the  same  firm  for  eight  years.  In  the  mean- 
time he  tdok  uj)  the  sttidv  of  medicine  and 
attended  lectures  two  terms  at  the  .Marion 
.Sims  Medical  College,  St.  Lduis.  ( )n  leav- 
ing the  road  permanently,  in  181)4  he 
again  attended  lectures  at  Mariim  .Sims 
College  of  Medicine,  and  during  the 
latter  part  of  his  stay  there  was  as- 
sistant td  the  chair  df  (i])thalmology, 
wliich  was  held  by  Professor  Carl 
I'.ark.  He  was  graduated  in  180C).  and  l.iy 
a  CdUipetitive  e.xaminatidn  received  an  ap- 
])dintment  in  Rebecca  Hospital,  at  St.  Louis, 
but  seeing  a  giKid.  o]>euing  at  Ein-eka,  he 
came  at  once  to  this  place  and  (i])cned  an 
dffice.  He  met  with  success  frdin  the  start, 
and  has  .succeeded  in  building  uj)  a  large 
and  lucrative  practice,  besides  winning  an 
enviable  reinUatidU  in  his  chdsen  calling. 
.\lthough  engaged  in  gener.al  jiractice.  he 
gives  special  attention  td  the  diseases  nf  the 
eye  and  ear;  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Op- 
tii-al  Siicietv.  the  Lenri.-i  .Medical  Society, 
and  the  Xdrth  CeiUral  llliudis  Medical 
Sdcietv. 

On  the  I3tli  of  Augu.st.  1895,  Dr.  Wvatt 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Pearl 
Long,  of  Eureka,  a  daughter  of  Hardin 
Long.     She  was  born  in  Cruger  township, 


Soo 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Woodford  county,  and  after  graduating 
from  tlie  A\'ashington,  Illinois,  high  school, 
entered  Eureka  College,  from  which  she  was 
graduated  in  the  class  of  '95.  She  is  also  a 
graduate  of  the  musical  department  of  the 
same  collesic.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  W'yatt  are 
members  of  the  Christian  church.  He  is 
alsc)  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
in  which  he  has  ser\'ed  as  chancellor ;  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  Re- 
bekah  Lodge;  The  Dramatic  Order  Knights 
of  Khorassan;  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  and  the  Court  of  Honor.  He  is  a 
charter  member  of  the  last  named  order, 
and  also  county  chancellor  for  it.  ■  He  is 
medical  examiner  for  all  the  fraternal  orders 
mentioned  above  and  also  for  several  old- 
line  insurance  companies.  He  has  that  love 
for  and  devotion  to  his  profession  which  has 
brought  to  him  success  and  won  him  a  place 
among  the  ablest  representatives  of  the  med- 
ical fraternity  in  the  county.  He  owns  a 
good  piece  of  property  in  the  central  part  of 
the  town,  where  he  makes  his  home. 


JOSEPH  A.  McGUIRE. 

Gifts  of  money,  if  judiciouslv  expended, 
may  add  to  the  beauty  and  attractive  ap- 
pearance of  a  town  but  the  real  benefactors 
of  a  city  are  the  men  who  add  to  its  prog- 
ress and  prosperity  through  the  establish- 
ment of  enterprises  wdiich  furnish  employ- 
ment to  others  and  thus  promote  commercial 
activity.  In  Joseph  A.  McGuire  we  find  one 
of  the  most  prominent  business  men  of  Eu- 
reka, and  his  connection  with  the  various 
business  enterprises  and  industries  has  been 
of  decided  advantage  to  the  community,  pro- 
moting its  material  welfare  in  no  uncertain 
manner. 


.\  native  of  Illinois,  Mr.  McGuire  was 
born  near  Belleville,  St.  Clair  county,  Au- 
gust 19,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  D.  and 
Catherine  (Halbert)  McGuire.  The  father 
was  born  in  Lancaster  count}',  Pennsylvania, 
about  1817,  and  when  a  small  boy  moved 
with  his  family  to  St.  Clair  county,  Illinois, 
where  his  parents  died  shortly  afterward. 
There  he  grew  to  manhood  and  successfully 
engaged  in  farming,  becoming  owner  of 
about  four  hundred  acres  of  land,  which  he 
sold  in  1855,  on  his  removal  to  Macon  coun- 
t)'.  Near  Harristow'u  he  bought  a  tract  of 
prairie  land,  and  to  its  improvement  and 
cultivation  he  devoted  his  energies  until 
called  from  this  life  in  April,  1893.  Dur- 
ing his  later  years  he  affiliated  with  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  was  one  of  the  early 
members  of  the  Christian  church;  toi)k  an 
active  part  in  building  the  first  church  in 
Harristown,  and  served  as  deacon  of  the 
same  for  many  years.  He  was  upright  and 
honorable  in  all  things  and  his  interest 
seemed  centered  in  his  church.  His  es- 
timable wife,  w  ho  was  a  member  of  the  same 
church,  died  in  1896.  She  was  born  near 
Richmond,  A'irginia,  and  was  quite  young 
w  hen  her  family  came  to  St.  Clair  county, 
Illini.iis. 

At  the  age  of  three  years  our  subject 
accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to 
Macon  county,  and  he  w'as  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  Llarristown  and  Eureka 
College.  Lie  assisted  his  father  in  the  work 
of  the  home  farm  until  twenty-three  years 
of  age,  and  then  engaged  in  farming  on  his 
own  accoimt  for  two  or  three  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  be  bought  a  general  store 
in  Harristown,  which  he  conducted  for  h\e 
years  with  good  success,  and  then  sold.  De- 
siring a  broader  field  of  action,  he  came  to 
Eureka  in  the  fall  of   1880,  and  embarked 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


501 


in  tlie  grocer\-  business,  carrying'  it  on  very 
successfully  up  to  the  present  time.  About 
live  years  after  locating  here  he  purchased 
the  store  building  he  now  occupies,  it  being 
a  two-story-brick  structure,  j,V->^75  feet, 
on  College  street  oppt)sitc  the  court  house, 
'i'he  main  floor  and  basement  are  used  by 
Mr.  McCiuire  in  his  grocery  business.  Xo 
other  grocerv  now  doing  business  was  here 
when  he  opened  his  store.  He  was  alone 
for  some  years,  but  in  i88f)  admitted  one  of 
his  former  clerks,  .\.  J.  Mourer.  as  a  partner. 
;nid  the  firm  name  became  McGuire  dv 
Mourer.  under  which  style  business  is  still 
carried  on.  .Mr.  Mc(iuire  is  also  interested 
in  the  meat  business,  having  estal)lished  his 
b.rother  in  a  market.  He  is  cnnnccted  with 
the  Farmers'  Bank,  and  has  an  interest  in  the 
firm  of  F.  B.  Stumpf  &  Company,  the  lead- 
ing drug  house  in  the  city,  he  being  the  com- 
pany. In  connection  with  Lyon  Karr  and 
I".  B.  Stumpf  he  incorporated  and  organized 
the  Eureka  Telephone  Exchange  Company. 
\'  hich  has  put  up  many  miles  of  wire,  has 
sixty-six  city  sul)scriliers,  ;uul  about  twenty 
country  subscribers.  It  is  the  lirst  and  (inly 
telejihonc  line  in  the  city  and  has  proven  a 
successful  venture.  I'.esides  the  propcrt\- 
already  mentioned  Mr.  McCuirc  owns  a  line 
residence  in  Eureka,  and  a  place  just  outside 
the  corporation  limits. 

'On  the  29th  of  December,  1882,  Mr.  Mc- 
Guire  married  Miss  Ada  Hoshal,  of  Berlin, 
Sangamon  county.  Illinois,  and  to  them  liave 
))een  born  two  children,  Nellie  and  Joseph. 
The  parents  are  active  and  ]>rominent  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  church,  in  which  Mr. 
McGuire  is  serving  as  deacon.  He  has  also 
been  prominently  identified  with  the  affairs 
of  Eureka  College,  having  been  a  trustee  of 
that  institution  f(_ii-  fourteen  years,  during 
which  time  Burgess  Hall  was  erected.     Po- 


litically he  is  a  stanch  Re])ublican.  and  so- 
cially is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America;  William  C.  llnbb  Lodge.  V.  & 
A.  M. ;  Tazewell  Chapter,  Xo.  lyo,  R.  .\.  M. ! 
Couer  de  Leon  Conimandery,  1\.  T.,  at  b.l 
Paso,  and  Mobamet  Temple  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine  at  Peoria.  The  record  of  Mr.  McGuire 
is  that  of  a  man,  wIk.i,  by  his  own  unaiiled  ef- 
forts has  worked  his  way  upw.ard  to  a  posi- 
tion of  alfluence.  His  life  has  been  one  of 
industry'  and  i)erseverance.  and  the  sys- 
tematic and  honorable  business  methods  he 
has  followed  have  won  him  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  all.  Without  the  aid  of  in- 
fluence or  wealth,  he  has  risen  to  a  position 
among  the  prominent  business  men  of  Eu- 
rek.'i,  and  his  native  genius  and  acipiired 
abilit\-  are  step])ing  stones  on  which  he 
mounted. 


SAAIUEL  WYLIE. 

Samuel  ^^'ylie,  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Illinois,  has  been  a  witness  of  remarkable 
changes  for  the  better  in  what  was  a  prairie 
or  wilderness  when  he  first  beheld  the  coun- 
try. He  came  here  a  young  man.  full  of 
ambition  and  vigor,  and  with  the  character- 
istic energy  of  the  New  England  "Yankees" 
Soon  acquired  a  fortune  and  nobly  j)!ayed 
the  part  of  a  patriotic  citizen  of  his  adopted 
state.  No  one,  therefore,  is  more  justly  en- 
titled to  an  honored  place  in  the  records  of 
Illinois,  and  the  many  friends  to  whom  he 
has  endeared  himself  by  a  thousand  acts  of 
kindness,  integrity  and  justice  will  take 
pleasure  in  perusing  the  story  of  his  life. 

He  comes  of  good  old  Revolutionary 
stock,  his  paternal  grandfather,  Peter  Wylie, 
having  served  for  all  of  the  seven  long  years 
of  the  terrible  conflict  between  the  colonies 
and  the  mother  country.     He  was  a  sergeant 


502 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


for  some  time,  and  often  saw  the  great  leader 
of  the  heroic  forces,  Washington.  Two  of 
Peter  Wyhe's  sons,  Peter,  Jr..  and  Samuel, 
were  soldiers  in  the  war  of  1812.  A  third 
son,  Ephraim,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
a  man  of  peace,  utterly  averse  to  warfare,  in 
accordance  with  the  principles  of  the  Society 
of  Friends,  with  which  he  was  identified  for 
years.  He  was  a  hard-working,  just  and 
highly  respected  farmer,  and  reared  his  chil- 
dren to  take  places  of  trust  and  esteem  in  the 
busy  world.  From  New  York,  his  native 
state,  he  removed  to  Vermont  at  the  close  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  and  there  passed  iiis 
remaining  years.  He  was  one  of  seven  chil- 
dren— David,  Peter,  Samuel,  Ephraim,  Mrs. 
Polly  Page,  Mrs.  Sarah  W.  Adam  and  Mrs. 
Hannah  rioodrich.  Beloved  and  mourned 
in  the  community  where  he  had  dwelt  for 
more  than  two-score  years,  Ephraim  W'ylie 
passed  away,  in  1842,  when  he  was  in  his 
fifty-fifth  year.  His  wife,  formerly  Lucy 
Mason,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  survived 
him  many  years,  her  death  occurring  in 
1867,  when  she  was  in  her  seventy-seventh 
year.  Their  eldest  child,  Wyram,  lived  to 
attain  his  seventy-fifth  year,  dying  in  1896, 
and  John  departed  this  life  in  1873.  when 
fifty  years  of  age.  Angeline  and  James, 
twins,  and  Raymond  died  when  young. 

Samuel  Wylie  was  born  on  the  old  Ver- 
mont homestead,  in  Orleans  county,  Novem- 
ber 9,  1 82 1,  and  for  over  twenty- four  years 
he  lived  with  his  parents,  becoming  thor- 
oughly conversant  with  agriculture,  in  all 
its  departments.  The  desire  to  come  to  the 
west,  to  "grow  up  with  the  country,"  finally 
became  his  daily  thought,  and  at  the  close  of 
one  of  the  long,  severe  New  England  win- 
ters he  started  toward  the  setting  sun. 
Making  his  way  to  Buffalo,  he  there  em- 
barked on  a  ship  bound  for  Chicago.     The 


trip  was  made  in  eight  days,  but  the  accom- 
modations of  the  vessel  for  passengers  were 
so  meager  that  he  and  some  companions  had 
to  sleep  on  the  heads  of  the  salt  barrels  with 
which  the  boat  was  laden.  Reaching  the 
Chicago  river  dock,  the  young  man  walked 
to  a  block-house  inn,  where  he  obtained 
lodging  for  a  day  or  two,  while  he  explored 
the  future  city,  then  little  better  than  a  "mud- 
hole."  With  several  young  men,  he  started 
in  a  wagon  on  one  of  the  old  trails,  whicli 
pro\-ed  so  muddy  that  it  required  their 
united  efforts  to  lift  the  wagon  out  of  the 
ruts,  now  and  then.  At  Downer's  Grove 
they  passed  the  night  on  a  hay-mow,  the 
only  available  place,  and  then  continued 
their  journev  towards  La  Salle.  One  of  the 
party,  a  jolly  doctor,  remarked,  as  they 
passed  a  graveyard,  "Boys,  I  guess  I'll  hang 
up  my  shingle  here.  I  see,  by  the  slabs,  that 
some  other  doctor  has  been  here  before  me." 
From  La  Salle  to  Peoria  J\Ir.  Wylie  pro- 
ceeded on  a  steamer,  and  finally,  locating  in 
Metamora,  spent  fifteen  years  in  that  place, 
engaged  in  carpentering  work. 

In  1854  our  subject  entered  half  a  sec- 
tion of  land  adjoining  Minonk,  and  this 
property,  then  entirely  unimproved,  has  been 
in  his  possession  ever  since.  He  was  the 
first  person  to  break  the  prairie  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  the  village,  and  he  holds  the  palm 
of  having  been  the  first  man  that  made  any 
improvements  in  this  township.  His  indus- 
try and  good  business  ability  brought  golden 
returns  to  him,  in  the  course  of  time,  and 
tcdav  he  is  the  owner  of  one  thousand  acres 
of  splendid  farm  land,  two  hundred  acres 
of  this  being  situated  in  Lee  county,  and 
the  balance  of  it  in  this  county.  The  rais- 
ing of  cattle,  hogs  and  horses  added  not  a 
little  to  his  income  for  years,  and  he  found 
it  profitable  t<j  feed  live  stock  for  the  market. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


503 


For  some  time  Mr.  \\  ylie  has  leased  his 
farms,  receiving  grain  in  payment,  and  thus 
he  became  connected  with  the  business  of 
dealing  in  corn,  wheat  and  oats,  with  his 
home  in  the  thriving  town  of  Minonk,  just 
a  mile  from  his  former  residence  on  the  farm 
which  he  purchased  about  half  a  century 
ago.  He  has  not  been  an  office-seeker,  but 
served  as  assessor  of  his  township,  as  he  was 
called  to  do  so,  by  his  hosts  of  friends  and 
neighbors.  From  the  organization  of  the 
Republican  party  he  has  been  an  ardent  ad- 
herent to  its  policy,  and  prior  to  the  war  he 
was  one  of  the  devoted  friends  of  abolition- 
ism and  the  "underground  railway"  sys- 
tem. In  fact,  he  always  has  been  the  friend 
of  the  poor  and  down-trodden,  and  has  found 
great  happiness  in  lending  a  helping  hand  to 
his  brother  men,  thus  fulfilling  one  of  the 
most  sacred  obligations  of  humanity. 

For  thirty-two  years  Mr.  W'ylie  was 
blessed  with  the  companionship  of  a  devoted 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Catherine 
Davidson.  Her  parents,  Emory  and  Nancy 
Davidson,  were  natives  of  the  Green  Mount- 
ain state,  and  Mrs.  W'ylie  was  born  in 
Croftsbury,  in  181 8.  She  came  to  Illinois 
with  her  brother,  Solomon,  who  gave  his 
life  for  his  country  during  the  dark  days  of 
the  ci\il  war.  Mrs.  Wylie  departed  this  life 
September  i,  1894.  and  is  mourned  by  a 
multitude  of  sincere  friends. 


A.  \'OX  X-ORDfiFIM. 

This  popular  young  business  man  of 
Minonk  is  not  ashamed  of  the  fact  that  he 
has  risen  from  the  working  class,  and  by  his 
own  varied  e.\perience  and  the  vicissitudes 
of  life  which  befell    his    parents    and    an- 


cestors, he  undoubtedly  is  the  better  able  to 
enter  into  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and  has 
deeper  insight  and  sympathy  with  them  in 
their  struggle  for  a  livelihood. 

One  of  the  youngest  journalists  in 
Woodford  county,  and  certainly  one  of  the 
youngest  proprietors  of  a  flourishing  news- 
paper, our  subject's  history  is  of  especial  in- 
terest. He  possesses  the  well  known  ster- 
ling qualities  of  the  Germans  and  both  of  his 
parents  are  natives  of  the  I-'atherland.  The 
father,  EdwartI  H.  \'on  Xordheim.  left  Ger- 
many when  he  was  a  youth  of  si.xteen.  and, 
arriving  in  the  United  States  poor  and  un- 
familiar with  the  language  and  customs  of 
the  peoi)]c.  he  was  glad  to  procure  almost 
any  work  whereby  he  might  earn  an  honest 
dollar.  .\t  first  he  worked  for  farmers,  but 
soon  the  mercantile  instinct  latent  in  him 
came  to  the  surface  and  he  was  engaged  in 
clerking  for  several  years.  In  the  mean- 
time he  thoroughly  mastered  the  principles 
of  business,  and  when  a  favorable  oppor- 
tunity presented  itself  he  bought  a  stock  of 
groceries  and  dry  goods  and  einbarked  in 
the  enterprise  of  managing  a  general  store. 
When  a  number  of  years  had  rolled  by  he 
disposed  of  the  business,  from  which  he  had 
made  a  goodly  fortune,  and  with  this  capital 
he  commenced  dealing  in  real  estate,  also 
carrying  on  an  insurance  business  in  connec- 
tion. He  stands  well  in  the  estimation  of 
the  public  and  has  frequently  been  honored 
with  local  positions  of  responsibility  and 
trust.  He  has  Ijeen  city  clerk  and  an  active 
member  of  the  board  of  education  for  several 
years.  His  marriage  to  Beka  Schmidt  took 
place  in  the  United  States,  she  having  ac- 
companied her  parents  to  the  new  worlil  a 
few  years  previously. 

A.  Von  Xordheim,  whose  birth  occurred 
in  Minonk,  October  11,  1877,  is  the  next  to 


504 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


tlie  young-est  of  five  brotiiers  and  sisters. 
The  eldest,  John,  who  is  a  fanner  of  Clayton 
townsliip.  Livingston  county,  married  Louise 
Meieriiofer,  and  has  one  child.  Flora,  wife 
of  John  Grampp,  manager  of  the  ]\linonk 
electric  plant,  has  one  child,  Ahina.  Sena 
is  the  wife  of  Albert  Meierhofer.  a  clothier. 
Anna  is  still  attending  school. 

As  his  entire  life  has  been  spent  in  this 
city,  our  subject  is  thoroughly  identified 
with  its  progress  and  no  one  is  more  con- 
cerned in  its  impro\-ement  and  high  stand- 
ing. His  educatiiin  was  obtained  in  the 
public  schools,  and  when  he  had  finished  his 
studies  he  started  upon  his  life  work  by  ob- 
taining a  position  in  a  printing  oftice. 
Gradually  he  mastered  the  different  depart- 
ments of  the  business  and  thus  thoroughly 
fiualified  himself  for  future  responsibilities. 
In  January,  1889,  he  dates  his  first  experi- 
ence in  a  printing  office,  and  when,  eleven 
3'ears  later,  in  February,  1898,  he  bought 
the  "Register"'  and  started  on  what  has  been 
termed  the  "thorny  path  of  journalism"  he 
\vas  only  a  little  more  than  twenty  years  of 
age.  He  possessed  enthusiasm  and  ambi- 
tion, however,  and,  better  still,  a  knowledge 
of  the  practical  part  of  the  business  that 
few  young  men  of  his  age  have  as  working 
capital.  The  paper  is  ably  edited,  is  devoted 
chiefly  to  the  interests  of  this  immediate  lo- 
cality, and  presents  the  news  of  the  day  and 
current  events  in  a  brief,  breez}-  manner. 
The  circulation  is  about  one  thousand  at 
present,  and  everything  promises  that  it  has 
a  greater  future  in  store.  The  editor  spares 
neither  time,  effort  nor  expense  in  making 
this  a  model  paper.  It  is  independent  in 
politics,  fearless  in  censuring  wherever  cen- 
sure is  needed,  and  equally  ready  to  praise 
where  pi^aise  is  due.  Thus  it  reflects  in  its 
columns  the  real  opinions  of  its  editor,  in 


most  instances,  for  he  strives  to  present  the 
truth,  unbiased  by  obligations  of  any  kind, 
save  an  innate  love  for  justice. 

On  St.  \'alentine's  day,  1900.  ]SIr.  \'on 
Xordheim  was  united  in  marriage  to  ]\Iiss 
]\Iabel  Kenyon,  daughter  of  one  of  the  highly 
honored  citizens  of  this  county — Ed  Kenyon. 
She  is  the  eldest  of  the  four  surviving  chil- 
dren of  that  worthy  gentleman,  the  others 
being  named,  respectively :  Grace,  Florence 
and  Elmer.  Airs.  \'on  Xordheim  is  a  mem- 
lier  of  the  Alethodist  Episcopal  church,  and 
her  culture  and  social  attainments  make  her 
a  general  favorite.  Fraternally,  our  sub- 
ject is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythics, 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the 
Court  of  Honor. 


LYOX  KARR. 


Lyon  Karr,  the  well-known  and  popular 
county  treasurer  of  Woodford  county,  and 
also  cashier  of  the  State  Bank  at  Eureka,  is 
a  native  of  Illinois,  born  at  Fleyworth,  i\Ic- 
Lean  county,  December  29,  1861,  and  is  a 
son  of  Henry  A.  and  Martha  (Storey)  Karr, 
still  prominent  residents  of  that  place.  The 
father  was  born  near  Cincinnati,  Hamilton 
county,  Ohio,  August  5,  1830,  and  traces  his 
ancostr}-  back  td  Sir  Walter  Kerr  (as  the 
name  was  then  spelled),  a  nati\-e  of  Scot- 
land and  the  founder  of  the  family  in  Amer- 
ica. He  vvas  one  of  the  pioneers  of  X'ew 
Jersey  and  the  family  became  quite  promi- 
nent in  Sussex  county,  that  state.  There 
our  subject's  great-great-grandfather,  Cap- 
tain John  Karr,  an  officer  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  spent  his  entire  life.  The  great- 
grandfather, Ihomas  Karr,  was  also  a  native 
of  Sussex  county,  X'ow  Jerse}',  where  the 
grandfather,  Walter  Karr,  was  born  July  7, 


LYON  KARR. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


507 


\J'-)J.  Alxmt  1817.  tlie  latter  niosed  to 
llaniiltnn  county.  Oliio.  wlicre  he  niarrieil  a 
second  cousin,  I-^liza  Karr.  also  a  native 
of  Xew  jersex.  In  1834  they  came  to  Mc- 
J,ean  county.  Illinois,  and  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives  at  Heywortii.  where 
the  ^grandfather  died  in  Marcli.  1879.  his 
w  ife  in  1  S^S- 

ileni"v  A.  Karr,  our  subject's  father, 
j^rew  to  manhood  in  McLean  county,  and 
was  married  in  i  le\\\(irtli.  January  10.  iSdi, 
\'>  -Martha  V..  .Storey,  a  native  of  ll;uniltou 
count V,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Htjnry 
;md  Mar\-  (Allen)  Storey.  Her  father  was 
from  Georgia.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Karr  were 
horn  four  children:  Lyon,  our  subject: 
(irant.  who  is  now  principal  training  teacher 
in  the  Oswego.  Xew  York.  Normal  School: 
Mary,  a  successful  teacher  of  Chicago:  and 
J''rauk,  now  a  student  ^it  Lelar.d  Stanford 
Lniversity,  Throughout  life  the  father  has 
devoted  con.-^iderable  attention  to  agricul- 
tural ])in-suits,  and  still  owns  a  tine  farm  near 
lleywoith.  lie  is  a  jackst^nian  Democrat, 
and  has  tak(...i  a  very  active  and  prominent 
part  in  local  politics.  Eraternally  he  and  his 
sons  are  members  of  the  Masonic  order,  and 
I'eligiouslv  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  I'res- 
1)  terian  church. 

In  1S7X  Lyon  Karr  was  a  member  of  the 
first  class  that  graduated  from  tho  llewvortb 
I'ublic  scliools  and  then  attended  the  normal 
school  for  two  years,  after  which  he  success- 
fully engaged  in  teaching  in  McLean  county 
for  three  years,  having  charge  first  of  tho 
ilickory  school  near  Leroy,  and  later  the 
Pleasant  Hill  school  in  Lexington  township. 
The  following  two  years  he  again  attended 
normal  and  was  graduated  in  1883.  Lor 
three  years  he  taught  school  at  Loda,  Iro- 
i|Uois    county,  and    one    year    at    Minonk, 

\\'(X)dford  county.     In    1889.  wiiile  at  the 
27 


latter  place,  he  was  appi>inted  1)\-  the  board 
of  supervisors  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the  ottice 
of  county  superintendent  of  schools,  and  the 
following  year  was  elected  to  that  position 
01,  the  Democratic  ticket  for  a  term  of  four 
years.  He  filled  the  otihce  in  a  most  credi- 
table and  satisfactory  manner,  and  during 
biis  term  a  uniform  course  of  study  for  coun- 
try schools  was  ado])te<l,  which  was  the 
greatest  step  in  advancement  that  had  been 
made  for  a  number  of  \ears.  In  1894  he 
was  rc-uoniinated,  but  was  defo;iled  on  ac- 
count of  the  county  seat  contest. 

In  1895  Mr.  Karr  assisted  in  organizing 
the  State  Hank  of  Eureka,  with  .a  capital 
stockof  thirty  thousand  dollais,  and  after 
serving  as  assistant  cashier  four  years  was 
made  cashier,  which  office  ho  now  holds. 
The  bank  is  doing  a  succcs>ful  and  con- 
stantly increasing  business,  ami  its  deposits 
now  amount  to  eighty  thou.sand  dollars. 
Mr.  Karr  has  !)een  prominently  identihetl 
with  the  I'.m-eka  J'.uilding  &  Loan  .\ssocia- 
lion,  which  he  organized,  and  inuler  bis- 
nianagement  has  become  a  very  successful 
institution.  He  also  owns  a  third  interest 
in  the  Eureka  Telephone  Exchange,  and  is 
a  stockhi>lder  in  the  Farmers'  State  Bank  of 
.Mason  Citv,  Illinois.  As  a  business  man  he 
possesses  untiring  energy,  is  ([uick  of  percep- 
tion and  forms  his  plans  readily  and  is  de- 
termined in  their  execution  :  and  his  closo  ap- 
])licati<in  to  business  and  his  excellent  man- 
agement have  brought  to  him  a  well-deser\ed 
success. 

On  the  Jf)th  of  jimo.  1890.  Mr.  Karr  \jas 
imitcd  in  marriage  with  Miss  Emma  Dillon, 
of  X'ormal,  illin(jis,  who  was  educated  at  the 
Xormal  and  W'esleyan  Universities  and  the 
i^.loomington  Conservatory  of  Music,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church.  They 
have  one  dauglitor,  Helena. 


5oS 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Ellis  Dillon,  Mrs.  Karr's  father,  was 
born  in  Clinton  county,  Ohio,  March  25, 
1816,  a  son  of  Jesse  and  Hannah  (Pugh) 
Dillon,  also  natives  of  that  state,  and  a 
grandson  of  Daniel  and  Anna  Dillon.  In 
1823  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Taze- 
well county,  Illinois,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood. He.  married  Alartha  Fisher,  who  was 
born  in  Clinton  county,  Ohio,  July  10,  1827, 
a  daughter  of  James  and  Amy  (Bennett) 
Fisher,  natives  of  the  same  state-.  Her 
family  moved  to  Tazewell  county,  Illinois, 
in  1828,  and  there  the  father  died  October 
22,  1844,  the  mother  September  11,  1861. 
In  early  life  Mr.  Dillon  became  intere-.ted 
in  the  stock  business,  making  a  .specialty  of 
tine  horses,  which  he  imported  from  Europe. 
In  1865  he  moved  to  Bloomington  and  three 
years  later  to  Normal,  where  he  made  his 
home  throughout  his  life,  dying  there  April 
13,  1899'.  For  over  sixty  years  he  was  an 
earnest  and  active  member  of  the  Christian 
church,  to  which  his  wife  also  belongs,  and 
in  politics  was  a  Republican. 

.Mr.  Karr  was  made  a  Mason  in  Abra- 
ham Jonas  Lodge,  o.  254,  of  Loda,  and  de- 
mitted  to  William  C.  Hobbs  Lodge,  No. 
30(3,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Eureka,  of  which  he  has 
been  senior  warden  one  year;  worshipful 
master  two  years;  and  a  representative  to 
the  grand  lodge  in  1892  and  in  1896.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  Mackey  Chapter,  R.  A.  M., 
of  El  Paso;  Couer  de  Leon  Commandery, 
K.  T.,  of  the  same  place;  and  Mohamet  Tem- 
ple of  the  ^Mystic  Shrine  at  Peoria.  He  be- 
longs to  \\'alnut  Grove  Lodge,  No.  394,  K. 
P.,  in  which  he  is  serving  as  master  of  ex- 
chequer; and  Republic  Court  of  Honor  of 
Eureka.  In  1898  he  was  elected  county 
treasurer  of  Woodford  county  on  the  Dem- 
ocratic ticket,  and  is  now  filling  that  office 
in  a  most  creditable  and  acceptable  manner. 


In  1892  he  had  the  honor  to  represent  the 
ninth  congressional  district  in  the  national 
Democratic  convention  at  Chicago,  at  which 
time  there  was  quite  a  struggle  in  the  elec- 
tion of  a  delegate.  Mr.  Karr  is  a  pleasant, 
genial  and  polished  gentleman  of  high  social 
qualities  and  is  very  popular,  having  a  most 
extensive  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances 
who  esteem  him  highly  for  his  genuine 
worth. 


JOHN  ADAMS. 

Among  I-'anola  township's  honored 
and  highly  respected  citizens  must  be 
numbered  John  Adams,  who  has  been 
a  resident  of  Woodford  county  since 
August,  1866,  and  has  been  actively  iden- 
tified with  its  industrial  and  agricultural  in- 
terests. He  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Ger- 
many, June  II,  1827,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
'and  Mary  Margaretta  (Rottmah)  Adams, 
who  spent  their  entire  lives  in  that  country. 
By  occupation  the  father  was  a  wagon- 
maker. 

Reared  in  his  native  land,  our  subject 
received  about  the  average  common-school 
education,  and  learned  the  wagon-maker's 
trade  with  his  father.  In  1854,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-seven  years,  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  first  located  in  Albany  county. 
New  York.  He  worked  at  his  trade  for 
three  years  and  a  half  in  the  city  of  Albany, 
and  then  opened  a  shop  of  his  own  at  Bethle- 
hem, the  same  county,  where  he  carried  on 
business  until  1866,  which  year  witnessed 
his'  arrival  in  Illinois.  From  April  until 
August  of  that  year  he  had  charge  of  the 
wagon  shop  of  Mr.  Steinhauer,  at  Vandalia, 
and  on  the  6th  of  August  moved  to  El  Paso, 
where,  in  partnership  with  Adam  Henning, 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


509 


he  engaged  in  business  fur  tluee  years.  In 
August,  1869,  he  came  to  Panola  and  bouglit 
a  shop  of  Jolin  Ward,  where  lie  followed 
biacksmithing  and  wagon-making  with  good 
success  until  1890,  when  on  account  of  fail- 
ing health  he  retired  from  the  I)usiness  and 
has  since  rented  his  shop.  He  still  assists 
in  the  work  of  his   farm,  however. 

In  Albany,  Xew  York,  Mr.  ^Vdams  was 
married,  in  1859,  to  Miss  Mary  Margaret 
Hugelshafer,  also  a  native  of  Bavaria,  Ger- 
many, and  to  them  have  been  born  eight 
children,  as  follows:  (i)  George  Albert, 
born  in  Albany,  August  8,  i860,  died  in  St. 
Louis,  Mis.souri,  December  9,  1891.  He  was 
a  painter  and  a  temporary  resident  of  St. 
Louis  at  the  time  of  his  death.  For  a  time 
he  lived  in  Bloomington,  Illinois,  where  he 
served  as  mail  carrier  from  1884  to  1888. 
He  traveled  considerably  and  in  1882  visited 
Europe  with  his  mother.  (2)  Mary  Mar- 
garet, born  in  Albany,  March  12,  1862,  is 
now  the  wife  of  Lewis  Senf,  of  I'ort  Dodge, 
Iowa.  (3)  Carl  John,  born  April  11,  1863, 
was  reared  and  educated  in  Woodford  coun- 
ty, and  has  made  farming  his  principal  oc- 
cupation in  life.  He  aids  his  father  in  car- 
rying on  the  home  farm,  where  he  has  lived 
continuously  with  the  exception  of  one  year 
spent  in  Kansas,  where  he  pre-empted  a 
claim  of  one  liundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
ill  Deerhead  township.  Barber  county,  Kan- 
sas, which  place  he  still  owns.  He  is  one 
of  the  progressive  young  men  of  Panola 
township,  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
Democracy,  and  is  now  serving  as  tax  col- 
lector. (4)  William  Henry,  born  May  14, 
1865,  died  August  13,  1866.  (5)  Fred- 
erick Wilhelm,  born  July  14,  1867,  became  a 
minister  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He  was 
exceedingly  well  educated,  being  a  gradu- 
ate of  several  colleges,  and  studied  theology 


at  .St.  Louis,  being  ordained  in  iS8t;.  He 
began  his  ministerial  work  in  the  Lutheran 
mission  of  that  city,  and  later  erected  a 
church  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Garrison 
and  St.  Louis  avenue,  St.  Louis,  where  he 
died  December  17,  1891.  This  was  the 
first  English  Lutheran  church  of  the  Mis- 
souri synod  in  St.  Louis.  .\ltli<>ugh  his 
career  was  short,  he  accomplished  much  and 
was  a  faithful  worker  in  the  Master's  vine- 
yard. (6)  Amelia  Louise,  born  April  14, 
1869,  is  at  home.  (7)  John  Henry,  born 
July  29,  1 87 1,  is  engaged  in  farming  on  the 
home  place  in  Panola  township.  (8)  Henry 
Harmon,  born  December  5,  1875,  died  April 
3.  1878.  The  family  is  one  of  which  any 
parents  might  be  justly  proud. 

The  Democratic  party  has  always  found 
in  Mr.  Adams  a  stanch  supijurter  of  its 
principles,  and  he  has  labored  earnestly  for 
its  success.  He  served  as  tax  collector  for 
two  terms,  and  as  a  public-spirited  and  en- 
terprising citizen  his  best  wishes  are  for 
the  welfare  of  his  neighbors  and  his  adopted 
country.  Religiously  he  is  a  faithful  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  he  is  high- 
ly respected  and  esteemed  by  all  who  know 
him. 


JAMES  KERRICK. 

James  Kerrick.  who  is  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial and  highly  respected  citizens  of 
Minonk,  and  whose  elder  brother  is  the 
present  representative  of  this  district  in  the 
state  legislature  (.see  sketch  of  Hon.  Josiah 
Kerrick)  is  a  worthy  scion  of  one  of  the 
long-established   families  of  Illinois. 

Born  in  Woodford  county,  February  15, 
1858,  James  Kerrick  has  been  a  life-long 
resident  of  this  immediate  locality,  and  is 
closely   identified    with    its    upbuilding   and 


5IO 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


progress.  His  parents,  Armstead  and  Sarah 
(Sloan)  Kerrick.  natives  of  Virginia  and 
New  Jersey,  respectix'ely,  were  pioneers  nf 
Indiana  and  Illinois,  and  to  their  posterity 
thev  left  an  inheritance  far  better  than  wealth 
— the  record  of  noble,  well  spent  lives.  The 
father  was  a  local  minister  <if  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  cluirch,  and  with  lofty,  self-sac- 
rificing spirit  he  labored  for  the  good  of  his 
fellow  men.  Few  of  the  pioneers  of  cen- 
tral Illinois  were  better  known  or  more 
thoroughly  beloved,  and  their  children  were 
reared  to  a  high  standard  of  integrity  and 
dutv.  Eleven  in  number,  they  were  named 
as  follows;  Joanna.  Mary,  Steven,  Josiah, 
Jacob.  Thomas,  Harrison,  Henry,  James, 
Benjamin  and  Phiebe.  The  mother  depart- 
ed this  life  in  1870,  in  her  fiftieth  year. 
By  a  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Kerrick  three 
children  were  born.  Orpha(  deceased  ),  John 
B.  and  Richard  L.,  residents  of  Fairfield, 
Iowa,  where  the  mother  also  makes  her 
h.ome.  The  huslian.d  ami  father  was  sum- 
moned to  the  better  land  in  1873,  when  he 
v.as  about  seventy-three  years  old.  (  See 
sketch  of  Hon.  Josiah  Kerrick,  elsewhere  in 
this  work,  for  further  family  history). 

The  birthplace  of  James  Kerrick  was 
upon  the  ])arental  homestead  in  this  count}", 
not  far  distant  from  the  village  of  Low 
I'oint.  and  much  of  his  Ijoyhood  was  passed 
on  a  fine  stock  farm  near  Belle  Plain,  Illi- 
nois. He  mastered  the  various  details  of 
agriculture  and  slock  raising,  and  when  he 
was  twent}'-two  years  old  he  entered  into 
an  agreement  with  his  father  and  leasing  a 
part  of  the  farm,  coiunienced  its  cultivation, 
ai<led  b\-  the  team  and  inii)lements  which  his 
senior  fiu'uished  him.  At  the  end  of  three 
years  he  remmed  to  ]\linonk.  and  for  the 
past  seventeen  years  has  made  his  home  here. 
He  has  been  engaged  in  the  buying,  selling 


and  shipping  of  horses,  frequently  sending 
away  a  car-load  every  two  w-eeks  and  in  less 
in  his  chosen  (jccupation.  Since  his  early 
busy  seasons  he  ships'  according  to  the  de- 
mand. He  owns  and  conducts  a  large  feed  and 
sale  stable  and  has  met  with  deserved  success 
his  chosen  occupation.  Since  his  early 
years  he  has  been  a  lover  of  good  horses,  and 
developed  great  ability  in  managing  them. 
He  is  considered  an  authority  on  the  good 
points  of  a  horse,  and  rarely  makes  a  mis- 
take in  his  judgment. 

Fully  appreciated  as  a  citizen,  Mr.  Ker- 
rick was  selected  by  the  pnljlic  for  the  jio- 
sition  of  assessor  of  this  township,  his  term 
if  otfice  extending  from  January,  1898,  until 
January,  iqoi.  In  his  political  standing  he 
ii  an  uncompromising  Repulilican,  as  to  the 
policy  of  that  party  he  believes  the  prosperity 
of  the  nation  since  the  "reconstruction" 
period  should  be  largely  attributed.  Strictly 
lionorable  and  worthy  of  confidence,  he 
possesses  a  host  of  friends. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Kerrick  and  Mar- 
tha Emma  Hollenback  was  solemnized  Au- 
gust 5.  1883,  near  Belle  Plaine.  Four  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  them,  namely  ;  Orpha 
A.,  Edna  L..  Ruth  H.  and  Walter  A.  The 
eldest  daughters,  Orpha  and  Edna  L..  now 
attending  the  high  school,  possess  consider- 
able artistic  ability,  as  is  plainly  shown  by 
some  cle\erlv  executed  paintings  the}-  hax'e 
made. 

The  parents  of  Airs.  Kerrick  are  (jeorge 
and  Malinda  Hollenback,  honored  pioneers 
of  \\'oodfortl  count}-,  and  among  the  first 
settlers  in  central  lllini;)is.  The  father  \\as 
born  in  Perry  count}-.  Ohio,  December  31. 
1819.  a  son  of  Daniel  and  a  grandson  of 
Jacob  Hollenback.  Daniel  Hollenback  was 
as  farmer,  and  for  some  years  was  engaged 
in  freighting  supplies  across  the  mountains, 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD.  511 

from  Haltiniorc  t(i  Perry  i.-ounty.  Ohii),  and  dt"  being-  inscril)eil  on  its  roll  i>\  honnr.      By 

du  cine  trip  carried  nearly  three  lingsheads  diligence  and  sonntl  hnsiness    sense    he    ac- 

^<i  tiihaccd  til  the  seaixirt.  retnrning  witli  a  (|uired   a   com]3etence.   and   reared   his   large 

wagon-load  of  provisions  anil  necessaries,    in  t'aniilv  to  occiipv  respected  positions  in  the 

the  autumn  of  icS^s  he  came  to  the  west  and  husx'  world. 

found  very  few  inhabitants  of  Marshall  and  The  wife  of  Mr.  HoUenhack's  youth  was 
Woodford  counties.  He  settled  near  the  di-  jane  Patton,  a  daughter  of  Nathan  and  Jane 
\-ision  line  between  these  counties  and  was  Patton.  William,  the  eldest  born  of  Mr.  and 
(Mie  of  the  first  to  locate  a  cabin  on  Crow  Mrs.  1  lollenback,  resides  in  .Xebraska.  He 
creek.  .\  true  frontiersman,  he  was  an  wedded  .\daline  (iilchrist,  and  their  only 
e.\[)ert  marksman  and  fond  of  hunting,  son.  Rnfns,  is  a  nn'nister  in  the  Methodist 
and  his  sons  inheritecl  his  skill.  His  TC])iscopa]  church.  J'dla  is  the  wife  of  I*"r;mk 
wife  was  Martha,  the  daughter  of  S,'un-  Lavton,  and  the  Nounger  daughter,  I'ertha, 
iiel  and  Martha  Thralls,  the  latter  an  luigiish  is  unmarried.  John  L'..  second  son  of  Mr. 
lady,  who  came  to  this  country  with  her  i  lollenback.  is  the  proprietor  of  a  fruit  farm 
parents  when  she  was  young.  Daniel  and  in  letTerson  county.  Illinois.  His  wife  was 
IMartha  Hollenback  became  the  i)arents  of  lormerh-  Miss  Lydia  (Miller)  (Irahrnn.  and 
eight  children,  of  whom  (ieorge  is  the  eld-  their  onl\'  son.  lulgar,  died  at  the  age  of 
est.  Julia  is  the  widow  of  Rex.  .Samuel  twenty-twn  years,  while  Minnie,  the  daugh- 
CJgle.  an  earlv  settler  of  .Marshall  county,  ter.  is  at  home,  (ieorge  11..  third  son.  died 
and  well  known  as  a  minister  of  the  .Method-  at  the  age  id'  seven.  Xathan  P..  of  Xe- 
ist  Episcojjal  church,  lie  died  about  twenty  braska,  married  -Mary  (lilchrist,  and  of  their 
years  ago.  and  is  sur\ived  by  bis  three  children.  I-Tsie.  (ieorge  and  Leslie  are  de- 
daughters.  Susan,  wife  of  C'barles  Dobson,  ceased,  while  those  living  are  tarl,  I'red, 
and  Mar\-  .\nn.  wife  of  William  Perry,  are  1  )aisy  and  a  bab_\-.  Elizabeth  J.,  elder  dangh- 
deceased.  Sophia  T..  wife  of  ],ewis  Wine-  ter  of  the  Hollenback  family,  is  the  widow- 
leer,  resides  in  tliis  county.  Jacob  married  of  Ira  l)a\-idson.  and  mother  of  .\rthm- W'il- 
Margaret  .McCune.  She  is  now  deceased,  mer.  Mabel.  Emory  and  (ieorge  (  George  and 
Daniel,  who  served  three  years  in  the  Sev-  .\rthur,  deceased).  Sarah  E..  the  y.mnger 
enty-se\enth  Regiment  of  Illinois  Infantr}-  daughter,  is  the  wife  of  John  ( irubb.  of  K:m- 
(UuHng  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  is  at  the  sas.  and  their  nine  children  are:  (ieorge. 
Soldiers'  I  lonie  in  (Juincy.  Illinois.  Martha  Rosa  (decea.sed).  Pearl.  .Myrtle.  Willam, 
Ellen  married  William  Mann,  but  died  se\--  Hattie.  ['"rank.  I''.;n-1  ;md  Paul.  .Mrs.  Jane 
eral  years  ago.  (  Patton)  Hollenback  departed  this  life  De- 
George  Hollenback  sutt'ered  all  of  the  cember  2.  1857.  after  having  been  a  faithful 
vicissitudes  of  frontier  life,  as  he  i)assed  Christian  and  member  of  the  Methotlist 
his  boyhood  in  a  ])ortion  of  the  lUickeye  church  for  several  years.  The  union  of  Mr. 
state,  which  was  but  sparsely  settled,  and  in  Hollenback  and  Malinda  Warden  Davis  was 
1835  became  a  pioneer  of  Woodford  county  celebrated  May  1.  \^^i).  Her  father,  David 
— then  an  undevelo]jed  wilderness.  Xol^ly  did  Da\is.  was  born  in  X'erniont.  September 
he  i)la\-  the  i)art  of  a  founder  of  its  present  jo,  1809.  and  died  Xo\  ember  j  1 ,  1858, 
])rosperity  antl  his  name  is  entireh-  worthy  se\-enteen     years     after     his     settlement     in 


Si2 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Illinois.  His  wife,  Mary  A.  (Stattler) 
Davis,  was  ])orn  October  5,  1812,  and 
died  February  2,  1896.  Both  were  de- 
vout members  of  the  Methodist  church  for 
many  years.  Their  eldest  child,  Clarissa 
Ann,  died  in  infancy  and  the  third  child, 
Mary  J.,  also  died  when  young.  Albert 
lives  in  Forrest,  Illinois;  Eliza  Ann  ]\Iann 
is  a  resident  of  Kansas,  and  Amanda  J-. 
v,(idow  of  the  Hon.  Andrew  J.  Bell,  lives  in 
Peoria,  Illinois.  Charlotte.  Mrs.  Sylvester 
Coan,  died  in  Xdvember,  1897.  at  the  age  of 
fifty-two  years.  John  A.,  the  youngest 
brother  of  Mrs.  Hollenback.  was  one  of  the 
brave  boys  who  wore  the  blue  in  the  Civil 
war  and  was  one  of  the  unfortunate  victims 
of  Liby  Prison.  For  six  months  he  suf- 
fered the  untold  horrors  of  that  dismal  pen, 
and  when,  at  last,  he  was  exchanged,  it  was 
too  late,  for  he  was  so  weakened  by  illness 
and  starvation,  that  he  died  just  as  the  train 
conveying  him  to  Annapolis  reached  the  sta- 
tion in  that  city.  To  George  and  ^lalinda 
Hollenback  two  daughters  were  born,  name- 
ly:  Mrs.  Kerrick  and  Cora  Luella,  who  is 
Mrs.  John  Cheeseman,  and  has  three  sons, 
(jeorge  T.,  Harry  Leroy  and  Lester  \'. 
Mrs.  Hollenback  was  Imru  December  10, 
1833,  and  when  eight  years  of  age  came  to 
the  prairies  of  Illinois.  Here  she  grew  to 
womanhood,  literally  "growing  up  with  the 
country,"  for  within  her  recollection  nearly 
ah  of  the  development  of  the  central  portion 
of  the  state  has  been  accomplished. 


JONATHAN  D.  W ATKINS. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  a  prosperous 
farmer  residing  on  section  i,  Be'.le  Prairie 
township,  Livingston  duuity,  Illinois,  was 
born  near  Lniontown.   the  count}-   seat  of 


Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  October  22, 
1825.  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Sarah 
(Da\'id)  ^\'atkins.  The  father  was  also  a 
nati\-e  of  Pennsvlvania,  where  he  .spent  the 
greater  part  of  his  life,  engaged  in  farming 
and  operating  a  saw-mill.  Aljout  1837  he 
rcmox'ed  to  Union  county,  Ohio,  where  he" 
was  engaged  principally  in  farming  for 
some  time,  and  then  went  to  Shelby  county, 
the  same  state,  wdiere  he  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty-six  years.  His  wife,  wIk)  survived 
him,  died  in  the  same  county  at  the  ripe  old 
age  of  eighty-two  years,  and  was  laid  to  rest 
by  his  side.  Thev  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  six  sons  and  three  daughters,  of 
\\hom  Jonathan  D.  is  the  oldest.  The  others 
were  as  follows:  Thomas  J.,  a  prosperous 
farmer,  died  in  Shelliy  county,  Ohio,  in 
1863,  leaving  a  widow  and  two  children; 
Isaac,  a  school  teacher  of  that  county,  died 
in  Alabama;  Joseph  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
war  and  a  farmer  of  Ohio;  Benjamin,  also 
an  agriculturist,  died  in  Shelby  county; 
Enoch  is  still  engaged  in  farming  in  that 
C(.'unt}';  Phtebe  J.  is  the  wife  of  B.  F. 
Howell,  a  farmer  of  Shelby  county:  Marga- 
ret is  the  wife  of  John  Kohler.  a  \-eteran  of 
the  Civil  war,  and  a  farmer  of  Cass  county, 
Missouri:  Rebecca  A.  is  the  wife  of  Elias 
H(_)wel!.  a  pn.isperous  farmer  of  Shelby 
county,  ( )hio. 

The  boyhood  antl  youth  of  Jonathan 
D.  W'atkins  were  passed  upon  the  home 
farm  in  Shelby  count)-,  which  at  that  time 
was  almost  an  unbn.iken  wilderness,  there 
being  but  few  settlers,  while  deer  and  other 
^\•ild  game  were  plentiful  in  the  forest.  At 
the  age  of  twenty  years  he  started  out  in  life 
for  himself  as  a  school  teacher  and  taught 
for  a  short  time  in  Shelby  county,  and  later 
followeil  farming  there.  In  1866  he  came 
to  Livingston  county,  Illinois,  and  purchased 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


5'3 


forty  acres  of  land  on  section  2,  Belle  Prai- 
rie township,  but  sold  that  place  a  few  years 
later  and  bought  his  present  farm  of  eight}- 
acres  on  section  i,  the  same  township,  to  tlie 
cultivation  and  improvement  of  whicli  lie 
has  since  devoted  his  energies  with  marked 
success.  This  farm  was  entered  by  Judge 
David  Davis,  of  Bloomington,  from  whom 
our  suliject  purchased  it.  He  has  made  near- 
ly all  of  the  improvements  upon  the  place. 

In  March,  1853,  I\Ir.  Watkins  was  united 
in  marriage  with  ]Miss  Rachel  M.  Howell, 
a  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Elizabeth  (Ma.x- 
im)  Howell,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who 
lived  to  a  ripe  old  age  and  died  in  Shelby 
county,  Ohio,  where  they  located  at  an  early 
day.  By  occui)ation  her  father  was  a  farm- 
er. Mr.  and  Mrs.  ^^'atkins  have  a  family 
of  four  children,  three  .sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter, namely:  Franklin  S.,  born  in  Ohio,  in 
1849,  is  engaged  in  farming  on  tlie  home 
place;  Joseph  is  married  and  also  engaged 
in  farming  in  Livingston  county;  William  E. 
is  married  and  is  a  jeweler  and  watchmaker 
of  Cropsey,  Illinois;  and  Laura  is  the  wife 
of  George  W.  Howell,  a  retired  farmer  of 
Strawn,  Illinois.  Other  children  of  the  fam- 
ily died  when  young. 

Politically  Mr.  Watkins  has  always  affil- 
iated with  the  Democracy,  but  has  never 
sought  nor  desired  public  office,  although  he 
is  a  public-spirited  citizen,  who  gives  his 
support  to  all  that  tends  to  impnne  or  ad- 
vance the  interests  of  the  connnunity  in 
which  he  lives. 


ANDREW  J.  MOURER. 

Among  Eureka's  most  enterjjrising  an<l 
successful  business  men  none  stand  higher 
than  the  gentleman  whose  name  introduces 


this  sketch.  He  became  connected  with  the 
business  interests  of  the  city  as  a  clerk  in 
December,  1869,  and  is  now  a  member  of 
the  well-known  firm  of  McGuire  &  Mourer, 
the  leading  grocers  of  the  place. 

Mr.  !Mourer  was  born  April  16,  1851, 
in  Alsace-Lorain,  then  a  part  of  France,  but 
now  a  province  of  Germany,  and  was  only 
four  years  old  when  brought  to  this  country 
by  his  parents,  Joseph  and  Kalherine 
(Schweitzer)  Mourer.  In  the  spring  of 
1856  they  came  to  Woodford  county,  Illi- 
nois, and  located  on  a  farm  in  Worth  town- 
ship. The  father  was  one  of  the  fust  min- 
isters of  the  old  Ornish  or  Mennonite  church 
in  this  section  of  the  state,  and  one  of  its 
leading  men  for  many  years.  He  died  en 
route  to  New  Orleans  in  the  fall  of  1867,  and 
his  wife  died  in  February  of  the  same  year. 
.  Our  subject  attended  the  common  schools 
of  Worth  township  during  the  winter 
months,  jjut  as  soon  as  the  season  opened 
he  commenced  work  on  the  farm.  He  was 
taught  some  at  home  by  his  father,  who  was 
a  good  German  scholar,  and  supplementet! 
the  knowledge  thus  acquired  by  reading  and 
contact  with  the  world  in  later  years.  He 
worked  on  the  farm  until  the  fall  of  1869, 
and  then  came  to  Eureka  and  accepted  a 
position  as  clerk  in  the  grocery  store  of 
loerger  Brothers.  For  some  time  he  was 
with  different  proprietors  of  the  same  store, 
and  then  went  to  Metamora,  where  he  was 
employed  in  a  general  store  for  thirteen 
months.  Returning  to  Eureka,  he  entered 
the  store  of  which  he  is  now  a  proprietor 
as  clerk  July  i.  1878.  and  in  1886  bought 
an  interest  in  the  business,  the  firm  becom- 
ing McGuire  &  Mourer.  He  devotes  his 
entire  time  and  attention  to  the  business, 
which  is  mostly  under  his  management,  and 
is   meeting   with    marked    success.        They 


su 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


carry  a  largfe  and  well  selected  stock  of  gro- 
ceries and  queensware,  and  enjoy  a  larger 
trade  than  any  firm  of  the  kind  in  the  city, 
giving  empldvment  to  three  men  hesides 
themseKes. 

Mr.  Mourer  was  marriefl,  Fehruary  5, 
1S75,  to  Miss  Hattie  Jackson,  a  daughter 
of  Samnel  Jackson,  one  of  the  old  residents 
of  Eureka.  Mr.  Ahjnrer  "wns  a  ])leasant 
home  hesides  other  pro])ert\'  in  the  citx'. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  are  crmsistent  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  church,  and  he  is  now 
filling  the  office  of  deacon.  He  is  (|uite  a 
prominent  memlier  of  Olici  Lo<lge.  Xn.  31  i, 
I.  O.  O.  v..  of  which  he  is  past  grand;  is 
also  past  chief  patriarch  of  the  encampment, 
])ast  grand  marshal  of  the  grand  encani])- 
ment  of  Illinois,  and  official  instructor  and 
examiner  of  the  unwritten  work.  He  is  a 
nieml)er  of  Canton  Wildey,  Xn.  4,  at  Peoria, 
and  is  major  chaplain  of  the  second  brigade. 
As  a  Republican  he  takes  quite  an  active  in- 
terest in  local  politics,  and  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  executive  committee.  Al)out  ten 
years  ago  he  was  elected  Aillage  trustee  on 
the  temperance  ticket,  and  filled  that  oftice 
for  two  terms,  during  \vhicli  time  the  water 
works  were  put  in  operation  and  the  first 
lirick  sidewalks  in  the  \-illage  were  laid. 
In  the  spring  of  1900  he  was  elected  alder- 
man from  the  first  ward.  Eureka  having  been 
incorporated  as  a  city.  By  the  citizens  of 
Olio  township  he  was  ajipointed  a  member 
of  the  county  seat  committee  to  make  the 
struggle  for  the  county  seat  at  Eureka,  antl 
their  work  was  satisfactorily  accomplished, 
getting  first  a  petition,  later  the  xote  of  the 
county,  and  finally  a  clecision  of  the  courts 
in  favor  of  Eureka,  the  final  a])peal  being  to 
the  supreme  court  of  the  state.  This  re- 
ciuired  a  great  deal  of  work  and  also  the  ex- 
penditure of  considerable  money.   Mr.  Mour- 


er was  a  member  of  the  finance  committee, 
and  took  a  vevv  acti\e  part  in  the  strug- 
.gle. 


WILLIAM  J  CRY. 

Prominent  among  the  early  settlers  of 
W'liodford  county,  Illinois,  who  have  wit- 
nessed the  marvelous  development  of  this 
section  of  the  state  in  the  last  half  centur}^ 
and  wli(]  ha\e,  by  honest  toil  and  industry, 
succeeded  in  ac(|uiring  a  handsome  compe- 
tence, and  are  now  able  to  sjjend  the  sun- 
set of  life  in  quiet  and  retirement,  is  the 
gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this  re- 
\-iew.  For  many  years  he  was  successfully 
engaged  in  farming,  but  is  now  li\ing  a  re- 
tired life  in  Washburn. 

Mr.  Jury  was  born  in  Devonshire.  Eng- 
land, December  26,  i8j8,  and  is  a  son  of 
Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (  Tanton  )  Jury,  also 
nati\es  of  Dexonshire.  who  in  1S30  emigrat- 
ed to  the  new  world  and  took  up  their  resi- 
dence in  Woodford  C(.)unty,  Illinois,  .\fter 
s])ending  two  years  in  Cazeno\ia  town- 
ship, the)-  removed  to  Linn  townshi]),  where 
the  father  took  u|)  a  tract  of  goxernmcnt 
land,  to  the  improvement  and  cultixation  of 
which  he  at  once  turned  his  attention,  mak- 
ing it  his  home  throughout  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  He  died  on  that  place  in  1872.  and 
his  wife  passed  away  in  Metamora  town- 
shi]). in  1879.  honored  and  respected  hy  all 
who  knew  them.  Their  children  were  Will- 
iam, om-  subject:  Elizabeth,  who  died  in 
Cazenovia  township,  in  1850:  Thomas,  a 
resident  of  Washliurn:  and  Mrs.  i\Iary  Ful- 
ton, of  Ford  count)',  Illinois. 

The  first  fourteen  years  of  his  life  Will- 
iam Jury  passed  in  his  native  land,  l)ut  in 


MRS.  WILLIAM  JURY. 


V. 

i 


WILLIAM  JURY. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


S17 


184J  he  set  sail  from  I'idefonl.  luigland,  .uid 
after  a  loiia:  and  tedimis  voyage  of  ele\eii 
weeks  and  tliree  days  landed  at  New  ^'oI•k. 
He  iinniediately  came  west,  liy  tlie  (ireat 
Lakes.  ti>  C'hicagn.  and  liy  wagon  to  Wood- 
ford county.  Illinois,  where  lie  lived  with  an 
inicle  for  six  years.  He  then  returned  to 
England,  and  came  again  to  this  country 
with  the  family  in  1850.  Since  that  time  he 
has  made  his  home  uninterrn|)ted]y  in  \\'ood- 
ford  county.  The  year  of  his  arrival  he 
hought  land  in  Linn  township  and  also  took 
uj)  a  tract  of  government  land,  hecoming 
owner  of  three  hundred  and  twenl\-  acres  in 
that  township,  which  he  converteil  into  a 
fine  farm.  There  he  niaile  his  liome  until 
his  remoxal  to  WashlnuMi  in  1896.  Being  a 
skillful  agriculturist  and  a  man  of  excellent 
business  and  e.xecutive  ahility.  he  met  with 
marked  success  in  his  farming  operations, 
and  besides  his  valuable  jiroperty  in  Linn 
townshi]).  he  owns  over  four  hundred  acres 
of  well  imprii\e<I  land  in  Cazenovia  town- 
ship. 

In  1837  .Mr.  jury  was  married  in  I'eoria 
county.  Illinois,  to  Miss  Maria  Radley.  also 
Ji  native  of  De\onshire,  England,  and  to 
them  were  born  six  children,  namely  :  Mary  : 
Clara:  William,  decea.sed :  Belle:  Cora,  de- 
ceased:  and   Clarence. 

Politically  Mr.  Jury  is  identified  with  the 
Republican  party,  and  was  the  first  assessor 
of  what  is  now  Linn  and  Clayton  townshii)s. 
He  also  .served  as  commissioner  and  school 
trustee  of  Linn  -townshi]).  and  in  early  life 
took  quite  a  prominent  and  influential  part 
in  public  affairs.  He  was  prominentlv  iden- 
tified with  the  organization  of  the  coimtv 
and  of  the  townships  of  Linn  and  Cazenovia. 
and  has  ever  borne  his  part  in  the  work  of 
progress  and  advancement.  His  career  has 
been  such  as  to  gain  for  him  the  confidence 


and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  has  come 
in  contact,  and  he  justly  merits  the  high  re- 
gard in  which  he  is  hel<l. 


J.\CKSOX  PARKER. 

Jackson  Parker,  honored  as  one  of  the 
founders  of  Woodford  county  and  for  sev- 
eral decades  numbered  among  the  citizens 
of  Minonk,  is  certainly  entitled  to  a  promi- 
nent place  in  the  history  of  this  section  and 
state.  Long  and  earnestly  he  labored  in  the 
grand  work  of  bringing  the  prairie  wilder- 
ness into  its  present  condition — the  abode  of 
thousands  of  happy,  prosperous  people,  and 
with  the  fortitude  of  the  true  frontiersman, 
the  pioneer  of  ci\'ilization.  he  endured  hard- 
ships and  trials  of  which  this  generation  can 
form  little  idea.  .Ml  honor  to  such  heroic 
souls,  the  bulwark  and  mainstay  of  this  great 
nation  I 

In  tracing  the  ancestral  history  of  Mr. 
Parker  it  is  learned  that  he  is  of  Cerman 
extraction,  though  as  long  ago  as  the  Rc\'o- 
lutionary  war  in  the  United  States,  his  pa- 
ternal grandfather,  James  Parker,  was  in 
the  service  of  the  patriots  and  was  a  tlrum- 
mer  boy.  helping  to  inspire  his  comrades  to 
their  devoted  duty.  He  was  one  Inmdred 
and  one  years  old  when  he  died,  about  1830, 
and  in  his  last  years  received  a  pension  from 
the  goveriunent  which  he  had  thus  helped 
to  establish.  The  maternal  grandfather  of 
our  subject  was  .\bner  Settle,  whose  wife 
li\ed  to  the  age  of  ninety-nine. 

James  Parker,  Jr..  father  of  oiu"  subject, 
was  born  and  reared  in  \'irginia.  becoming 
a  thorough  millwright  and  carpenter.  \\'hen 
he  had  passed  his  sixtieth  anniversary  he 
conceived  the  idea  of  settling  in  Illinois. 
where  he  belie\ed  better  opportunities   for 


5i8 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


his  large  family  would  be  afforded.    In  1838, 
therefore,   they  made  the  long  journey  in 
wagons.    o\-er   the   mountains,    valleys   and 
plains  of  what  seemed  almost  impenetrable 
wildernesses,  and  at  the  end  of  six  weeks  ar- 
rived at  their  land  of  promise.    They  located 
at    a   point    near   the   Illinois   river,    where 
for  fifty  miles  in  some  directions  there  was 
not  a  habitation.    The  two  eldest  sons,  Jack- 
son and  James,  bought  eighty  acres  of  land 
in  Cazenovia  township,  Woodford  county, 
and  here  the  parents  dwelt  for  several  years. 
Then  they  went  to  Minonk  to  reside  and 
spent  their  last  years  there,  the  revered  fa- 
ther  dying   at   ninety-one    (lacking  twelve 
davs ) .  and  the  mother  at  eighty-four.     She 
was  Frances  Settle  in  her  girlhood,  and.  like 
her  husband  was  a  native  of  Virginia.   Their 
eldest  born,  udge,  was  killed  when  in  his 
fifteenth  year,  and  of  the  others,  James,  Jack- 
son, Joseph,  Martin,  Lewis,  Mary  Ann  and 
Mildred,  only  three  survive.     James,   who 
sold  out  his  possessions  near  Dana,  Illinois, 
about   twenty-six   years   ago   and    went   to 
Washington,  is  still  living  in  that  state.  J^Iar- 
tin  is  a  prosperous  citizen  of  Elburn,  Illinois. 
The  parents  were  devout  members  of  the 
Christian  church  and  possessed  the  affection 
and  high  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of  friends. 
The  father  had  been  married  prior  to  his 
union  with  Frances  Settle  and  the  wife  died, 
leaving  nine  children,  namely:     Thornton, 
Shelton.    Jane,    Louisa,    :Matilda,    Alcinda. 
Emily,  Sarah  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 
The  birth  of  Jackson  Parker  took  place 
in  Rappahannock  county,  Virginia,  Novem- 
ber 2,  1819.     He  attended  the  old-style  sub- 
scription schools,  when  ten  dollars  a  year 
was  the  payment  rerpiired  for  each  child's 
tuition.     Perhaps  his  own  youthful  enthusi- 
asm was  an  important  factor  in  his  father's 
decision    to    remove   to   the   broad   western 


prairies,  and  certain  it  is  that  he  has  not  seen 
reason  to  regret  his  choice  of  a  location. 
After  farming  in  partnership  with  his 
brother  for  three  3-ears  he  sold  out  his  in- 
terest and  then  rented  land  for  a  period.  In 
1847  li^  purchased  some  wild  prairie  land  in 
Bennington  township  and  from  his  liouse. 
situated  in  the  border  of  ^Marshall  county, 
not  a  furrow  had  been  turned  as  far  as  the 
Vermilion  river,  nor  on  his  side  of  Sandy 
creek  on  the  north.  Panther  creek  on  the 
south  and  for  twenty  miles  to  the  eastward. 
He  still  owns  two  hundred  acres  of  finely  im- 
proved land  and  retains  forty  acres  of  tim- 
ber land,  situated  at  the  head  of  Crows 
creek.  He  rents  his  farm.  recei\'ing  grain  in 
payment. 

In  partnership  with  Charles  Dobsnn,  ]\Ir. 
Parker  built  the  first  store  erected  in 
^Minonk  and  for  two  vears,  from  1S54  to 
1856,  \\as  engaged  in  selling  dry  goods 
there.  Subsequently  he  conducted  a  hard- 
ware establishment  for  a  short  time,  but  the 
town,  at  that  period,  comprised  only  six  or 
seven  houses.  He  has  dwelt  here  contin- 
uously since  its  infancy,  and  few  have  been 
more  thoroughly  interested  in  its  upbuilding. 
He  purchased  some  of  the  first  grain  ever 
sold  in  the  place,  and  for  many  decades  has 
dealt  to  some  extent  in  this  product  of  the 
fertile  country  around.  Strict  attention  to 
business  and  unusual  sagacity  in  his  invest- 
ments have  been  factors  in  his  financial  suc- 
cess. 

On  the  nth  of  March,  1847.  ^^^'-  P^irker 
married  Harriet  Dobson,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Mary  Dobson.  Born  in  Eng- 
land. November  17,  1825,  she  emigrated  to 
the  United  States  when  in  her  fifth  year 
and  passed  her  early  girlhood  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  her  father  owned  and  carried 
on  a  farm.     Later  the  family  remo\'ed  to 


THE    EIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


5'9 


^farsliall  ci unity.  Illinois,  and  thns  Mrs.  Par- 
ker also  is  one  of  the  earlv  si'ttlers  of  central 
Illinois.  Six  children  were  horn  to  our  suh- 
ject  and  wife,  namely:  Mary  Frances,  who 
is  tlie  wife  of  Samuel  Richardson,  of 
iMinonk.  and  has  one  child,  Frances;  Alice 
Jane,  who  is  li\ing  with  her  parents;  Ida 
May,  wife  of  Mehalon  Camphell.  of  Minonk. 
and  the  mother  of  Grace,  Fred,  Harr\'.  Alic  ■ 
Edna  and  John  (deceased);  Xora  A.,  wife 
of  Charles  Stonier,  a  farmer  of  the  \icinily 
of  Patten.sburg,  Illinois,  and  mother  of  fi\e 
children.  Elsie,  Flora.  Josephine.  Floyd  and 
Esther;  and  Harriet  Ellen,  wlio  became  the 
wife  of  briar  Richardson,  a  farmer  of  Li\- 
ingston  county,  and  lias  one  son,  Roy. 

Mr.  Parker  is  not  a  politician,  nor  has 
he  been  an  aspirant  to  public  oftice.  though 
he  has  filled  some  positions  when  called  upon 
to  do  so  by  bis  neighbors  and  friends.  He 
votes  for  Democratic  nominees  and  prin- 
ciples in  national  elections.  Fraternally  he 
is  identified  with  the  Masonic  order  and 
carries  a  son\'enir  of  the  good  will  and  es- 
teem of  that  brotherhood — ;i  beautiful  gold- 
beaded  ebony  cane,  presented  to  him  as  a 
worthy  exponent  of  Masonic  principles  and 
as  one  of  the  most  venerable  and  most 
revered  early  settlers  of  Woodford  county. 
Mr.  Parker  was  one  of  the  charter  memljers 
of  Rub  Morris  Lodge.  No.  247.  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  is  the  onlv  one  now   livino-. 


b:R.\EST  ZLMMEKM.WX. 

As  a  successful  druggist  and  prominent 
business  man  Ernst  Zimmerman  has  made 
his  home  in  Roanoke,  Woodford  count v 
since  Xoveniber,  1891.  He  was  born  in 
Peoria,  Illinois,  February  24,  1857,  and  is 
a  son  of  Christian  and  Catherine  (Ziegler) 


Zimmermann,  both  natives  ot  Germany,  the 
ti  inner  born  in  .Muenchweiler.  Rheinisch, 
liavaria.  .March  _•  r .  1828,  and  the  latter  in 
Schoenenberg,  Rheini.scb,  Bavaria.  August 
10,  ii^,i4.  They  were  married  in  Ba- 
varia, and  two  children  were  born  to 
them  before  Ihcir  emigration  to  America, 
but  the  daughter  Louisa  died  in  infancy. 
The  other.  Charles,  born  June  1.  1851,  is  a 
retired  retail  druggist  of  Peoria.  Six  chil- 
dren were  added  to  the  family  after  com- 
ing to  this  country,  one  of  whom.  (/)tto.  died 
in  I'eoria  during  infancy;  Herman  was  a 
jeweler  before  entering  the  United  States 
.service  at  \\"ashington.  District  of  Colum- 
bia, but  is  now  living  retired,  being  an  in- 
valid; luMist  is  the  next  of  the  family;  Eu- 
gene was  at  one  time  a  druggist  of  Peoria, 
nut  is  now  selling  phonographs  and  sup- 
plies in  that  city;  Robert  purchased  a  store 
of  his  brother  Charles  and  is  in  the  drug- 
business  in  Peoria  ;  and  .\lberi  is  also  a  drug- 
gist of  that  city,  has  been  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  state  board  of  pharmac)-  I'ni:  vears, 
and  its  president  a  ye;ir  and  a  half.  With 
erne  exception  all  of  the  sons  were  grad- 
uates of  the  School  of  Pharmacy  of  Chi- 
cago, and  are  now  successful  druggists, 
Charles  completing  the  course  in  1873  •  J-''"st 
and  Eugene  in  1882;  Robert  in  1884;  and 
Albert  in  1887.  For  twenty-five  years  the 
father  taught  in  a  (jerman  free  school  in 
Peoria,  and  also  gave  private  instructions 
in  ( ierman  and  music  for  several  years,  lie 
was  selected  as  assistant  to  James  Walsh, 
then  circuit  clerk  of  Peoria  county,  but  was 
taken  ill  and  never  had  an  opportunity  to 
serve.  He  held  cjuite  a  prominent  position 
in  social  circles  in  Peoria.  His  mother 
came  to  this  country  and  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty  years,  being  laid  to  rest  in  Peoria. 
Our  subject's  mother  was  killed  in  the  rail- 


520 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


road  wreck  at  Chats\V(jrth,  Illinois,  in  1887, 
on  the  fifty-third  anniversary  of  her  birth. 
Her  brother,  Jacob  Zeigler,  was  for  many 
years  a  well-known  business  man  of  I'enria, 
and  ha\'ing"  become  (juite  wealtln'  is  now 
li\ing  retired   in  that  city. 

Ernst  Zimmermann.  of  this  rex'iew,  was 
educated  in  the  German  and  English  public 
schools  of  Peoria,  and  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen began  his  business  career  as  an  appren- 
tice in  a  drug  store,  where  he  remained  until 
in  a  drug'  stnre,  where  he  remained  until 
1877,  when  he  was  placed  in  charge  oi  a 
branch  store  belonging  to  Charles  Zimmer- 
mann &  Company,  at  Morton,  Illinois.  A 
year  later  the  business  was  sold  and  inn- 
subject  went  Xo  Chicago,  where  he  worked 
as  a  clerk  while  attendini;  the  Chicago 
School  of  Pharmacy,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1882.  He  remained  in  that 
city  until  some  time  during  the  following 
year,  when  he  returned  to  Morton  and  pur- 
chased the  store  of  which  he  had  formerly 
had  charge.  He  was  engaged  in  Inisiness 
there  until  Xo\eml)er,  1891,  when  he  came 
to  Roanoke  and  embarked  in  business  at 
his  present  location.  In  1893  he  had  the 
misfortun  to  lose  e\'erything.  a  fire  de- 
stro_\-ing  his  store  and  stock,  but  with  char- 
acteristic energy  he  at  once  rebuilt,  put- 
ting up  a  UKxlern  jjrickk  building.  He  now 
carries  a  well-selected  stock  of  drugs,  school 
books,  paints,  musical  merchandise  and  gen- 
eral notions,  valued  at  thirty-five  hundred 
dollars,  and  has  built  up  an  excellent  trade. 

While  a  resident  of  ^b)rton,  Mr.  Zim- 
mermann was  married,  March  13,  1884,  to 
Miss  Louisa  R.  Hay,  who  was  born  in 
Pekin,  Illinois,  January  29,  1861,  and  died 
in  Roanoke.  January  20,  1892,  leaving  three 
children:  Ernest,  born  May  3,  1885;  Dora 
M.,  born  September  2.  1886;  and  Ralph  E., 


born  May  20,  1891.  Two  children,  X'ellie 
1.  and  Charles  A.,  died  in  early  childhood. 
On  the  4th  of  .\.ugust,  1892,  Mr.  Zimmer- 
mann was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Barbara  Rush,  who  was  born  in  Switzer- 
land, Jidy  14,  1862,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  with  her  parents  when  only  a  }ear 
old.  Mr.  Zimmermann  has  prospered  in 
business  and  besides  his  store,  he  owns  good 
residence  property  in  Roanoke  and  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres  in  northern 
Kansas.  He  represents  three  insurance 
ci.impanies,  the  Aetna,  Manchester,  and  Ger- 
man of  Peoria,  and  does  ([uite  a  Imsiness 
along  that  line.  In  his  political  affiliations 
he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  been  appointed 
one  of  the  judges  of  election.  While  a  resi- 
dent of  Morton  he  was  a  member  of  the 
town  board,  and  also  a  director  of  the  vil- 
lage school  several  terms.  Socially  he  is 
a  member  of  William  C.  Hobbs  Lodge,  Xo. 
306,  F.  iS:  A.  M.:  Tazewell  Chapter,  No. 
199,  R.  A.  M.:  Couer  de  Leon  Command- 
ery.  No.  47,  K.  T.,  of  El  Paso;  was  a  char- 
ter member  of  Morton  Camp,  No.  768,  M. 
W.  A..  Init  now  belongs  to  Roanoke  Camp, 
No.  1206. 


WILLIAM  H.  DAVENPORT. 

Woodford  county  has  been  the  home 
and  scene  of  labor  of  many  men  who  have 
not  only  led  lives  that  should  serve  as  an 
example  to  those  who  come  after  them,  but 
ha\'e  also  lieen  of  important  service  to  their 
county  and  state  thn}Ugh  \-arious  avenues  of 
usefulness.  Among  them  must  be  named 
William  H.  Daxenport,  who  passed  away  at 
his  home  in  Eureka  January  17,  1863.  after 
a  life  of  industry  and  rich  in  those  posses- 
sions which  only  a  high  character  can  give. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


He  was  horn  in  Cliristian  county.  Ken- 
tucky. June  7,  1823.  a  son  of  William  and 
Eliza  (Tribue)  Davenport.  The  father, 
who  was  also  a  native  of  tliat  state,  l)ronfjht 
his  family  tn  illinnis  in  iS:;;  and  settled  at 
\\'alnut  (iro\e.  Woodford  county,  lie  was 
a  minister  of  the  Christian  church  ami 
preached  thrriuijhiiut  different  parts  nf  this 
state.  He  took  a  \or\-  iimmincnl  part  in  L;et 
ting  the  charter  forEurtka  College  and  in  so- 
liciting means  f'lr  its  sup])ort.  He  was  also 
one  of  the  first  trustees  of  the  college  and 
gave  as  liberally  towards  its  supjiort  as  his 
means  would  permit,  having  later  in  life 
been  vmfortunate  financially.  He  hel])ed  tn 
build  the  firsl  church  in  Mureka  and  took  an 
acti\c  interest  in  politics,  but  his  life  was 
mainly  dexoted  to  cluu'ch  and  college  work. 
He  was  a  strong  anti-sla\ery  man. 

William  H.  Davenport,  of  this  re\ie\\. 
was  educated  in  Knox  College,  and  at  the 
age  of  nineteiMi  years  took  charge  of  his 
father's  farm  with  the  liojje  of  redeeming 
the  property,  his  father  having  lost  heavily 
by  going  security  for  friends  in  Mississippi. 
]->y  his  own  exertinns  and  good  business 
abilit}-  he  recmered  most  uf  the  large  es- 
tate and  also  |)rovided  fur  the  family.  He 
cniuinued  tn  fullow  farming  ^uccessfulU-  im- 
til  twi)  years  jjrior  to  his  death,  and  became 
the  owner  of  six  hundred  acres  of  \alnable 
land  in  Ohio  and  El  Paso  townships.  He 
also  dealt  in  stock  and  found  that  branch  of 
his  business  (juite  profitable. 

On  the  15th  of  June.  1S51.  Mr.  Daven- 
port married  .Miss  Mary  J.  Willis.  Her  fa- 
ther. Prank  M.  Willis,  w;is  l>i>rn  in  West- 
moreland CMunty.  \'irgitn'a,  nnd  when  a 
young  man  niovetl  to  Cla.sgow,  Kentucky, 
where  he  married  Hespatia  David.son,  a  na- 
tive of  Christian  county,  that  state.  To 
them  were  born  three  daughters,  of  whom 


Mrs.  Davenport  is  second  in  order  of  birth. 
In  1829  the  family  came  to  Walnut  Grove. 
Illinois,  and  were  among  the  earliest  settlers 
<if  Woodford  county.  The  father  being  a 
millwright  b\-  trade,  built  a  mill  mi  Panther 
creek,  which  was  the  lirst  in  this  section, 
and  tci  which  men  came  from  lilonniington 
:md  other  jjlaces  equally  distant  to  have  their 
grain  grianid.  He  did  a  big  business  for 
many  years,  but  hually  other  mills  were 
started.  He  bought  land  in  El  Paso  town- 
ship and  impro\e(l  a  farm  of  one  lumdred 
and  si.xty  acres,  but  spent  his  last  days  in  re- 
tirement from  active  labor.  He  died  June 
g.  1875.  and  his  wife  departed  this  life 
-March  jj,  189J.  They  were  among  the 
first  members  of  the  Christian  church  or- 
ganized at  Walnut  Grove  and  were  well 
known  and  highly  respected.  L'pright  and 
honorable  in  all  things  Mr.  Willis  was  known 
as  the  "honest  miller."  He  served  as  town- 
shi])  collector  of  El   Paso  for  many  vears. 

On  leaving  the  farm  Mr.  Daven])ort  re- 
mused  to  Eiu-eka  and  ])in-chased  nearlv  all 
of  block  3,  on  which  he  built  the  beautiful 
residence  now  owned  and  occupied  bv  his 
widow.  He  left  two  .sons,  but  b'.dgar  .\., 
the  older,  who  was  for  many  years  railmad 
agent  at  lun-eka.  died  May  3.  1893.  In 
187')  he  married  Emma  Slielby.  wh.o  sur- 
vives him.  with  four  children :  Prank  W., 
a  graduate  of  the  dental  department  (jf  the 
Xorthwestern  University  of  Chicago:  John 
Ernest,  who  is  attending  lunx'ka  College; 
and  William  H.  and  Amy,  both  in  school. 
hVank  W.,  the  younger  son  of  our  subject, 
w  as  graduated  at  the  University  of  Michigan 
in  1 88 J,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B..  and  then 
connnenced  the  study  of  law  in  Blooming- 
ton,  but  died  on  the  7th  of  October,   1883. 

By  his  ballot  Mr.  Davenport  sup|)orted 
lust   the   Whig   and   later   the   Republican 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


parties.  From  his  boyhood  up  he  was  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Christian  church 
and  filled  the  office  of  deacon  for  some  time. 
He  was  also  a  trustee  of  the  college  and  a 
member  of  the  financial  committee,  and  as- 
sisted in  building  the  first  chapel,  being  a 
memlier  of  the  building  committee.  He 
was  untiring  in  his  labors  for  both  college 
and  church.  In  speaking  of  Mr.  Daven- 
port we  cannot  do  better  than  to  quote  the 
following  from  one  who  was  intimately  ac- 
cpiainted  with  him : 

"William  H.  Davenport  was  a  noble 
man.  He  was  phenomenally  energetic  and 
industrious,  accumulating  a  substantial  com- 
petency while  a  young  man  in  the  midst  of 
many  discouragements.  Yet  he  did  not  be- 
come stingy,  nor  lose  interest  in  public  af- 
fairs. He  was  the  constant  and  liberal  friend 
of  the  church  and  college.  Although  he  was 
engaged  in  several  kinds  of  business,  he  made 
very  few,  if  any,  enemies.  He  was  so  just 
and  genial,  so  transparently  honest  and 
friendly  that  he  was  almost  universally  be- 
loved. His  father  was  a  man  of  exceptional 
oratorical  power,  being  one  of  the  mighty 
pioneer  preachers  of  Illinois.  William  H. 
did  not  inherit  his  oratorical  gifts,  but  was 
gifted  in  song,  and  led  the  young  people  in 
their  praise  services,  and  at  one  time,  in  the 
early  clay,  organized  them  into  a  bible-study 
class,  which  met  from  house  to  house  of 
evenings."' 

Mrs.  Davenport  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Woodford  county  and  in  early  life 
became  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  hard- 
ships and  privations  incident  to  pioneer  life. 
She,  too.  is  a  faithful  and  earnest  member 
of  the  Christian  church,  has  been  actively 
identified  with  the  College  Aid  Society  and 
a  member  of  the  advisory  board,  and  is  also 
■connected  with  the  Woman's  Christian  Tem- 


perance Union  and  different  church  so- 
cieties. She  is  an  estimable  lady  of  many 
sterling  qualities  and  has  a  large  circle  of 
friends  in  the  communitv. 


JOSEPH  R.   CLANDIN. 

Joseph  R.  Clandin,  one  of  the  most  pop- 
ular young  business  men  of  Roanoke,  is  a 
native  of  Woodford  county,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  at  Metamora,  January  5,  1870. 
His  grandfather.  Eugene  Clandin,  one  of 
the  pioneer  merchants  of  Roanoke,  was  born 
in  France  and  came  to  the  new  world  about 
1853.  For  several  years  he  was  engaged 
in  farming  in  McLean  county.  Illinois,  but 
in  1880  purchased  the  store  and  business  of 
Johft  Frantz  at  Roanoke  and  turned  his  at- 
tention to  general  merchandising.  He  en- 
larged the  building,  increased  the  stock  and 
built  up  a  flourishing  trade.  The  father  of 
our  subject  was  associated  with  him  in  busi- 
ness under  the  firm  name  of  E.  Clandin  & 
Son  until  1882,  when  he  sold  his  interest  to 
the  son,  though  he  continued  in  the  clothing 
and  grocery  business.  He  is  still  living  in 
Roanoke  at  the  age  of  seventy  years,  but 
his  W'ife,  Marian,  died  in  1892.  To  them 
were  born  only  two  children  and  the  daugh- 
ter died  at  the  age  of  two  years. 

John  E.  Clandin.  the  only  son  and  fa- 
ther of  our  subject,  was  born  in  1844.  After 
he  and  his  father  dissolved  partnership  he 
was  alone  in  business  for  some  time  and 
then  became  associated  with  Eli  Gudeman, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Clandin  &  Gude- 
man. They  carry  a  well  selected  stock  of 
general  merchandise,  valued  at  twelve 
thousand  dollars,  including'  everything  with 
the  exception  of   hardware,   and   recei\-e  a 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


523 


lilieral  sliare  of  tlie  pul)lic  patronage.  In 
his  bnsiness  career  Mr.  Clandni  lias  met  with 
excellent  success  and  nnw  nwns  considerahlL- 
real  estate  in  tlie  town.  Me  was  marrieil,  in 
Wooilfonl  (.•i>nnty.  in  1868,  to  Miss  Madeline 
EI)ersoll.  a  native  of  France,  and  to  them 
Iiave  been  hi)rn  twelve  children,  of  whom 
Joseph  R..  i>ur  subject,  is  the  eldest;  Peter 
J.  is  wnrkins.^  at  the  carpenter's  trade  for 
a  coal  company  in  Pontiac;  Mary  is  the  wife 
of  J.  B.  Snyder,  a  carpenter  of  Roanoke ; 
Martha  is  the  wife  of  Eli  Gndeman,  who  is 
associated  with  her  father  in  business ;  Chris- 
tian, a  carpenter  of  Roanoke;  Benjamin,  a 
teamster  of  that  ])lace;  Amelia,  at  luime ; 
Dax'id.  who  is  in  the  emplny  "i  his  father; 
l:"mma.  John,  Jac<ib  and  Nettie,  all  at  home. 
All  the  children  have  been  educated  in  the 
graded  schools  of  Roanoke.  The  father  casts 
his  ballot  witii  the  Democratic  party,  but  has 
never  taken  an  active  part  in  politics.  He  is 
a  member  of  tlie  German  Apostolic  church 
of  Roanoke  and  gives  liberally  to  its  sup- 
port. 

As  soon  as  Joseph  R.  Clandin  was  grad- 
uated at  the  public  school  of  Roanoke  he 
began  his  business  career  as  an  employe  in 
his  father's  store,  and  later  in  company  with 
his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Gu.leman,  embarked 
in  the  dry  goods  business,  which  they  carried 
ori  together  for  three  years.  He  then  sold 
out  to  the  firm  of  Clandin  &  Gudeman  and 
accepted  the  position  of  manager  of  the  dry 
goods  and  gents'  furnishing  department, 
which  he  has  filled  since  1891.  He  has  also 
been  writing  fire  insurance  since  1894,  rep- 
resenting five  of  the  best  companies :  The 
North  American,  Phoenix  of  Brooklyn,  the 
Hartford,  the  Niagara  and  the  Fire  -\ssocia- 
tion  of  Philadelphia.  He  has  met  with  suc- 
cess in  this  undertaking  and  has  built  up  a 
fine  business.     For  the  past  nine  years  he 


has  been  manager  for  the  Central  Union 
Tele])lione  Company,  with  office  at  Roanoke, 
and  has  lieen  instrumental  in  establishing 
thirty-five  'phones.  He  is  a  very  energetic 
and  progressi\-e  young  Inisiness  man  and  un- 
doubtedly a   successful    future  awaits   him. 

In  .\pril,  1893.  ^f"'-  Clandin  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Nettie  L.  McCord, 
wild  was  born  in  Greene  township,  Wood- 
ford oiunty,  in  1872,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Mary  McCord,  now  living  in 
Roanoke.  She  is  the  oldest  of  three  chil- 
dren, the  others  being  Willis,  a  teamster  of 
Roanoke,  and  Alma,  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Clandin  have  one  child.  Neali  Kathleen,  born 
December,  1899.  The  family  have  a  very 
]jlcasant  home.  Mr.  Clandin  having  pur- 
chased a  lot  and  erected  thereon  ;i  good 
modern  residence. 

As  a  Democrat  he  has  always  taken  an 
active  part  in  political  aftairs  and  has  filled 
local  offices  of  honor  and  trust,  serving  as  a 
member  of  the  town  board  two  years,  town- 
ship collector  the  same  length  of  time,  and 
postmaster  of  Roanoke.  He  was  appointed 
to  the  last  named  position  during  President 
Cleveland's  administration  and  most  ably 
managed  the  affairs  of  the  office,  though  he 
had  an  assistant  ti  1  <1(  >  most  of  the  work.  So- 
cially he  is  a  member  of  Roanoke  Camp,  No. 
1206,  M.  W.  A.,  and  religiously  his  wife  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Iipiscopal  church. 


FREDERICK  N.  TALLYN. 

This  well-known  and  popular  cashier  of 
the  Benson  State  Bank,  is  a  native  of  Wood- 
ford county,  born  in  Clayton  township,  Jan- 
uary 30,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  Anthony  and 


524 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Susanna  Tallyn :  the  father  died  wlien  nur 
subject  was  only  three  years  i_)ld,  l)ut  the 
mother  is  still  living  and  makes  her  home 
with  a  S(.)n.  Charles  A.  Tallyn,  a  hardware 
merchant  of  Benson.  The  other  children  (.f 
the  famih-  were  .\nna.  deceased,  who  was  the 
wife  cif  yose])h  Pickard,  of  Minonk,  IllinMis; 
Carrie  S.,  wife  of  .\lfred  E.  Farney,  of  Cla_\- 
ton  township,  Woodford  county;  and  Mary 
N.,  deceased  wife  of  Daniel  Davis.  ])ost- 
master  of  Benson. 

Frederick  X.  Tallyn  was  educated  at 
Eureka  and  Galesburg  and  began  his  busi- 
ness career  with  his  brother  in  the  hard- 
ware trade.  Later  he  engaged  in  the  cloth- 
ing business  and  afterward  was  in  the  em- 
ploy of  Martin  Kingman  &  Company,  an  im- 
})lement  firm  of  Peoria.  He  was  ne.xt  of- 
fered the  position  of  assistant  cashier  in  the 
Benson  Bank,  then  owned  liy  B.  F.  Zinser, 
and  served  in  that  capacity  for  four  or  fi\'e 
years.  \\'hen  the  bank  was  renrganized  as 
a  state  bank.  February  i.  1900.  he  x^as  made 
cashier;  B.  F.  Zinser,  jiresident,  and  P.  H. 
Davison,  vice-president ;  while  the  directors 
were  Joseph  Pickard,  B.  E.  Backer.  J.  Peters, 
Sr.,  S.  L.  Peterson  and  F.  N.  Tallyn.  When 
IMr.  Zinser  resignieil  the  presidencv  ^Ir.  Pet- 
erson was  chosen  to  that  position,  which 
he  now  fills,  and  |.  Pickard  was  made  as- 
sistant cashier.  The  bank  has  a  cajjital  stock 
of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  and  is  now 
doing  an  e.xcellent  Inisiness.  Its  thri\-ing 
condition  is  due  to  the  capable  management 
of  its  officials,  w  bo  are  all  good  reliable  busi- 
ness men,  conservative,  yet  progressi\e. 

On  September  27,  i8go.  Mr.  Tallyn  mar- 
ried Emilic  L.  Fry.  and  to  them  have  been 
born  three  children,  namely:  Alpha  'S\.. 
Gordon  C.  and  Beth  J.  In  his  political  af- 
filiations Mr.  Tallyn  is  a  strong  Republican, 
and  as  a  public  spirited  and  progressive  citi- 


zen takes  an  active  interest  in  promoting 
those  enterprises  tending  to  public  develop- 
ment. 


DA\'ID  EVANS. 

Da\id  Exans.  deceased,  through  the  years 
of  his  identification  with  Woodford  comity, 
enjovecl  the  highest  respect  of  his  fellow 
townsmen  by  reason  of  his  strict  integrity 
and  true  manhood.  He  was  liorn  in  Mont- 
gomery county,  Pennsylvania,  October  11, 
1829,  a  son  of  Evan  and  Amelia  (Morris) 
Evans,  also  natives  of  that  state.  He  is  a 
descendant  of  Jenkin  Evans,  who  with  his 
brother  David  came  from  Wales  to  America 
in  1694.  His  grandparents,  Walter  and 
Mary  (Smith)  Evans,  spent  their  entire 
lives  in  Pennsylvania.  There  the  father  con- 
tinued to  make  his  hcime  until  1840.  when  he 
renio\-ed  to  Peoria  count}',  Illinois.  By  oc- 
cupation he  was  a  farmer  and  miller.  He 
was  twice  married  and  by  each  union  had 
three  children,  those  of  the  first  marriage 
being  Walter,  Elizabeth  and  David.  His 
scconil  wife  was  2\Iary  A.  Hill. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  began  his  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
after  the  remo\-al  of  the  family  to  this  state 
attended  school  in  Peoria  county  for  a  time. 
After  attaining  his  majority  he  engaged  in 
the  gn)cery  antl  milling  business  successfully 
for  a  time,  and  then  returned  to  his  fath.er's 
home,  where  be  was  needed.  Later  he  con- 
ductetl  a  mill  anil  farm  on  the  Kickapoo 
river,  fifteen  miles  from  Peoria,  until  1871. 
when  he  came  to  El  Paso.  Here  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  William  'S\.  Jenkins,  and 
together  they  engaged  in  the  grain  business 
for  twelve  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


527 


Mr.  Evans  purchased  his  partner's  interest 
and  carried  in  the  business  alone,  'Mv.  Jen- 
kins removing  to  San  Bernardino,  CaHfor- 
nia.  He  had  one  large  elevator  destroyed  by 
fire,  but  soon  erected  another  much  larger 
and  one  of  the  best  on  the  Toledo,  Peoria  & 
Western  Railroad.  He  was  one  of  the  i^'r- 
ganizers  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Ri 
Paso,  and  served  as  its  vice-  president  for 
several  years,  till  the  time  of  his  death.  As 
a  business  man  he  was  energetic,  progress- 
ive and  thoroughly  reliable,  and  carried  for- 
ward to  successful  completion  whatever  he 
undertook. 

At  Blue  Rapids,  Kansas,  October  10, 
1876,  Mr.  Evans  married  Mrs.  Eunice  C. 
Ryder,  of  Cleveland.  Ohio,  a  daughter  of 
Jliram  and  Lucy  Ann  (Bowler)  Brewster. 
The  ceremony  was  performed  by  Rev.  W. 
A.  Briggs,  a  nephew  of  the  noted  Governor 
George  N.  Briggs,  of  Massachusetts,  and 
who  was  for  sixteen  years  pastor  of  the 
Oaklawn  Baptist  church  of  Providence, 
Rhode  Island,  and  died  November  12,  1897. 
In  speaking  of  the  happy  married  life  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Evans  their  pastor  said  :  "To- 
gether they  have  lived  more  than  twenty-one 
years.  They  had  begun  to  speak  of  a  silver 
anniversary,  but  the  call  to  the  Golden  City 
brought  to  him  a  higher  and  holier  joy, while 
she  is  left  to  comfort  her  heart  with  the 
thought  that 

"  Though  the  circling  years  of  time  may  find  us 
Far  apart  and  sundered  more  and  more, 
Still  the  farewell  always  lies  behind  us 
And  the  welcome  always  is  before  " 

Mrs.  Evans  is  the  ninth  generation  from 
Sir  W'illiam  Brewster,  who  came  over  in  the 
Mayflower,  and  on  the  mother's  side  is  the 
ninth  generation  from  John  Alden  and 
Priscilla  Mullen.     Her  grandfather,  George 


I.  Bowler,  was  a  captain  in  the  war  of 
1812. 

By  his  ballot  Mr.  Evans  always  sup- 
ported the  Republican  party  and  its  prin- 
ciples, but  he  was  never  an  office  seeker.  He 
served,  however,  as  alderman  of  El  Paso  for 
four  years  and  as  school  director  nearly 
twenty-one-thousand-dollar  mortgage,  at  ten 
part  of  the  time.  While  serving  as  director 
he  was  mainly  instrumental  in  lifting  a 
twenty-one  thousand  dollar  mortgage  at  ten 
per  cent  interest,  from  the  school,  which  it 
was  hard  for  the  community  to  meet,  and 
w  ith  the  other  directors  he  bonded  the  dis- 
trict at  si.x  per  cent.  At  the  end  of  nine 
years  the  debt  was  paid. 

Mr.  Evans  died  October  28,  1897,  after 
two  weeks  illness  from  paralysis.  He  was 
one  of  nature's  noblemen  and  the  world  is 
better  for  his  having  lived.  He  was  an  act- 
ive and  prominent  member  of  the  Baptist 
church  of  El  Paso,  of  which  he  was  a  deacon 
for  almost  twenty  years,  and  treasurer  for 
siteen  years.  Those  who  knew  him  best 
speak  in  unqualified  terms  of  his  sterling  in- 
tegrity, his  honor  in  business,  and  his  fidelity 
to  all  the  duties  of  public  and  private  life. 
At  his  death  Mrs.  Evans  received  the  fol- 
lowing testimonial  in  regard  to  the  appre- 
ciation of  Mr.  Evans  as  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Baptist  State  Missions  of  Illinois : 

"Acknowledging  the  hand  of  God  in  tak- 
ing to  himself  our  brother,  Deacon  David 
Evans,  we  desire  to  place  upon  record  our 
high  appreciation  of  his  character  and  inter- 
est in  our  work.  For  many  years  he  sus- 
tained a  sympathetic  and  generous  relation 
to  state  missions.  His  prayers  and  alms 
alwas  went  together. 

"Resolved  that  we  extend  to  the  widow 
oiu"  sincere  sympathy. 

"That  a  copy  of  this  action  be  sent  to  his 


525 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


bereaved  family,  and  -copied  into  our  min- 
utes. 

"E.  J.  Thomas, 
"E.  C.  Hewitt, 
"A.  R.  Newton, 
"J-  F.  Howard,  Com. 
"The  above  report  was  adopted  by  the 
board  of  the  Baptist  General  Association  of 
Illinois  at  Bloomington,  April  12,  1898. 
"S.  F.  Gleason,  Rec.   Sec." 
Rev.    Howard    in   the    Standard    said : 
"The  church  has  met  with  a  deep  loss  in  the 
death  of  Deacon  David  Evans,  the  son  of  a 
deacon,  himself  a  deacon  over  twenty-five 
years.    He  magnified  his  office.    He  did  not 
think  himself  great  or  good,  but  he  was  both. 
He  was  the  young  man's  example,  the  poor 
man's  friend,  the  church's  pillar,  the  pastor's 
comfort,  the  Lord's  dear  servant.   His  death- 
bed was  triumphant;  his  entrance  into  glory 
abundant.'' 


[  HERMAN  LEFFERS. 

Herman  Leffers,  who  is  serving  the  peo- 
ple of  the  third  ward  of  Minonk  as  their  re" 
resentative  in  the  city  council,  is  a  worthy 
type  of  the  German-American  citizen.  He 
was  born  June  7,  i860,  in  the  land  of  the 
Teutonic  race  and  there  grew  to  maturity, 
receiving  an  excellent  education.  His  par- 
ents, Gerhard  and  Jennie  Von  Hovel)  Lef- 
fers, are  residents  of  Minonk,  and  for  fifteen 
years  have  looked  upon  this  city  as  their  per- 
manent home.  Of  their  six  children,  one  is 
deceased,  little  Wilhelm  having  died  in  Ger- 
many when  two  years  old.  The  others  live 
in  the  United  States,  Henrietta,  wife  of 
George  DeFries,  being  employed  in  Stod- 
dard's elevator,  and  Mary,  wife  of  George 
Miels,  being  connected  with  the  office  de- 


partment of  Wylie's  elevator  business. 
Henry  married  Heiney  Bonk,  and  Hannah, 
Mrs.  John  Radamacher,  resides  upon  a  farm 
near  this  city.  All  are  respected  citizens  of 
the  land  of  their  adoption  and  are  a  credit  to 
their  upright,  estimable  parents. 

Herman  Leffers  is  the  eldest  of  the  six 
children,  and,  according  to  the  commendable 
custom  of  progressive  European  nations,  he 
was  apprenticed  to  a  trade  when  he  was  of 
a  suitable  age  and  served  for  three  years. 
He  then  was  employed  by  the  government 
in  the  navy  3'ards  as  a  ship  carpenter,  as- 
sisting in  the  construction  of  some  war  ves- 
sels, and  being  associated  in  this  work  with 
five  or  six  thousand  men.  After  spending 
six  years  in  this  service,  one  year  of  the 
period  sailing  the  high  seas  on  a  German 
steamship,  still  as  a  ship  carpenter,  he  con- 
cluded to  cast  his  fortunes  in  America.  His 
uncle,  whose  home  was  in  the  vicinity  of 
Benson,  Illinois,  had  repeatedly  written  to 
the  young  man,  urging  him  to  come  to  the 
new  \\orld,  where  he  believed  his  oppor- 
tunities for  financial  success  would  be  better. 

With  his  eldest  sister,  Henrietta,  Her- 
man Leffers  embarked  at  Bremen  on  a  steam- 
ship bound  for  America,  April  18,  1883. 
After  he  had  obtained  a  start  as  a  carpenter 
in  this  his  chosen  place  of  abode,  his  par- 
ents also  came  to  Minonk.  As  a  contractor 
and  builder  our  subject  has  won  an  enviable 
place  in  the  esteem  of  the  business  world 
and  year  by  year  his  success  has  been  grow- 
ing. At  points  within  twenty-five  miles  of 
Minonk  he  has  erected  buildings  of  different 
kinds  and  each  one  is  his  best  advertisement, 
for  thereby  is  shown  his  skill  and  thorough 
knowledge  of  his  business  and  the  fidelity 
with  which  he  executes  every  contract. 

In  the  domestic  circle  no  less  than  in  the 
commercial  world  Mr.  Leffers  is  happily  sit- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


529 


uated.  His  marriage  to  Mary  Bunger, 
daughter  of  John  and  Hannah  (Bense) 
Bunger,  was  solemnized  Octoljer  15,  1886. 
She  is  a  native  of  Germany,  whence  she 
came  to  tlie  United  States  with  her  parents 
in  1881,  settling  in  Minonk.  Her  eldest 
sister,  Christina,  is  the  wife  of  George  John- 
ston, of  the  state  of  ^\'ashington.  Anna, 
the  next  sister,  with  her  husband,  H.  Free- 
ling,  formerly  of  Washington,  is  deceased. 
Lizzie,  wife  of  Henry  Sathofif,  resides  in 
Peoria.  John,  who  wedded  a  Miss  Monk, 
lives  in  ^\'ashington,  and  Hannah  died  in 
her  fourteenth  year.  To  our  subject  and 
wife  three  children  have  been  born,  namely : 
Jennie  G.,  Minnie  H.  and  John,  all  living. 
Politically  Mr.  Leffers  is  affiliated  with 
the  Democratic  party.  In  1899  he  was 
elected  for  a  term  of  two  years  to  the  city 
council  and  is  ably  standing  for  the  rights 
and  interests  of  the  people  to  the  best  of 
his  knowledge.  He  is  popular  with  the  rich 
and  poor  and  merits  the  high  regard  in 
which  he  is  held,  for  he  possesses  admirable 
qualities  of  head  and  heart.  Religiously  he 
is  identified  with  the  German  Lutheran 
church  and  puts  into  daily  practice  the  high 
standards  of  conduct  which  were  inculcated 
in  him  when  he  was  voung. 


MICHAEL  PIPER. 

This  well-known  retired  merchant  of 
Eureka.  Illinois,  was  born  in  Salem  town- 
ship, Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  October  8, 
1816,  and  on  the  paternal  side  is  of  German 
descent.  His  father,  Peter  Pifer,  was  born 
in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  October  22, 
1786,  and  was  a  son  of  Peter  Pifer,  Sr.,  a 
native  of  Germany,  who  came  to  the  new 


world  about  1784  and  lived  for  a  time  in 
Philadelphia.  Later  he  made  his  home  in 
^^'estmoreland  county,  Pennsyl\-ania,  where 
he  purchased  land  and  improved  a  farm. 
There  the  father  of  our  subject  grew  to 
manhood,  early  becoming  familiar  with  all 
the  duties  which  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agri- 
culturist. He  also  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade  and  worked  at  shoemaking  during  the 
winter  months.  On  the  23d  of  February, 
1809,  he  married  Susannah  Shi])e,  who  was 
born  May  17,  1794,  and  in  18 12  they  moved 
to  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  and  in  1832 
to  Portage  county  in  the  same  state.  Later 
he  returned  to  Pennsylvania  to  care  for  his 
aeed  parents.  He  remained  there  three 
years  and  after  their  death  he  returned  to 
Portage  county  in  1840.  which  was  his  home 
until  about  1859,  when  he  and  his  wife  came 
to  Woodford  county,  Illinois,  where  they 
spent  their  last  days  with  our  subject,  both 
dying  in  1862.  They  were  among  the  early 
members  of  the  Christian  church  in  Ohio 
and  took  a  prominent  part  in  its  work. 

In  the  county  of  his  nativity  Michael 
Pifer  was  reared  and  educated  and  there 
learned  t'..i  tinner's  trade.  In  1840  he 
opened  a  shop  of  his  own  in  Garretsville, 
Portage  county,  Ohio,  where  he  engaged  in 
business  for  fourteen  years.  While  there 
he  filled  different  township  offices,  such  as 
supervisor  of  roads  and  member  of  the  school 
board,  and  was  also  deacon  of  the  Christian 
church  for  seven  years. 

On  the  nth  of  November,  1841,  Mr. 
Pifer  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Hannah  J.  \Villcutt,  of  Charleston,  Portage 
county,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Jesse  Willcutt. 
By  this  union  were  born  eleven  children, 
seven  of  whom  are  still  living,  namely : 
Frank  C,  a  resident  of  Kansas;  Ellen,  wife 
of  Rev.  G.   M.  Wiemer,  of  lola,   Kansas; 


S30 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Harriet  C,  widow  of  Bariga  and  a  resident 
ot  Peoria,  Illinois;  William,  a  hardware 
merchant  of  Deer  Creek,  Illinois;  Mary, 
wife  of  J.  H.  Frame,  of  Eureka;  Edward, 
a  business  man  of  the  same  city;  and  Ida, 
wife  of  J.  H.  Morris,  of  Eureka.  The  wife 
and  mother  died  November  30,  1894. 

In  1854  Mr.  Pifer  moved  to  Braceville, 
Illinois,  where  he  opened  up  a  farm,  but  soon 
rented  it  and  engaged  in  the  tinning  busi- 
ness at  Gardner  Station  until  coming  to 
Eureka  in  September,  1858.  Here  he  kept 
a  college  boarding  hall  for  two  years  and 
also  opened  a  hardware  store  on  the  west 
side  of  the  square,  where  he  built  a  good 
two-story  frame  store,  and  carried  complete 
stocks  of  stoves,  tinware,  etc.,  doing  the 
leading  hardware  business  of  the  place  for 
thirty-two  years.  In  connection  with  his 
son  he  also  owned  a  grocery  store  and  was 
prominently  identified  with  the  early  business 
of  the  city.  He  erected  a  good  residence 
north  of  the  railroad,  and  in  1867  built  the 
house  which  he  now  occupies.  Beside  this 
he  owns  two  other  houses  on  the  same  block 
and  has  other  real  estate  in  the  city.  He 
continued  in  active  business  until  1892,  when 
he  sold  out  and  has  since  lived  a  retired  life, 
enjoying  a  well  earned  rest,  free  from  the 
cares  and  responsibilities  of  business  life. 

Mr.  Pifer  was  reared  a  Democrat,  but  be- 
came a  strong  anti-slavery  man  and  a  sup- 
porter of  the  Republican  party.  He  served 
as  township  treasurer  twenty-two  years  and 
was  also  road  commissioner  for  some  time, 
school  director  five  or  six  years  and  school 
trustee  for  some  years,  having  always  taken 
a  great  interest  in  promoting  educational  af- 
fairs and  working  hard  for  the  betterment  of 
the  schools.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Union 
League  during  the  Civil  war,  and  has  long 
been  connected  with  the  Christian  church 


of  Eureka.  He  is  widelv  and  favorably 
known  and  is  held  in  high  regard  by  his  fel- 
low citizens. 


LOTT  SULLIVAN. 

Lott  Sullivan,  a  respected  citizen  of 
Minonk,  bears  the  Christian  name  which  has 
appeared  in  his  family  for  many  generations, 
and,  indeed,  it  can  be  traced  backward  for 
four  hundred  years,  to  the  time  of  the  Con- 
fiscation act.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Lott 
Sullivan,  held  the  position  of  agent  of  the 
estates  of  Simon  Purdin  in  Ireland  at  the 
time  of  the  battle  of  Waterloo.  Calling  in 
his  tenants,  the  proprietor  demanded  that 
they  renew  their  leases,  and  as  they  refused 
to  do  so  he  promptly  turned  them  out  of 
their  homes  as  soon  as  their  leases  expired. 
He  is  a  son  of  Lott  and  Margaret  (O'Con- 
nor) Sullivan,  natives  of  county  Clare,  Ire- 
land. The  father,  who  was  a  quiet,  unos- 
tentatious man,  came  to  the  United  States 
with  two  sons,  James  and  Dennie,  hoping  to 
found  a  new  home  in  a  land  where  better 
opportunities  for  making  a  livelihood  were 
afforded.  After  passing  four  years  in  New- 
York  and  Pennsylvania,  he  went  to  Illinois, 
and  thenceforth,  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-eight,  he  dwelt  upon  a  farm  in  La 
Salle  county.  His  wife,  who  died  when 
about  fifty  years  of  age  in  the  Emerald  Isle, 
possessed  an  exceptionally  fine  education, 
for  she  was  an  Irish  and  English  scholar, 
having  been  a  diligent  student  under  the  in- 
struction of  her  father,  John  O'Connor,  who 
had  been  trained  for  ihe  priesthood  and  had 
been  given  unusually  superior  advantages. 
He  was  an  only  son,  bearing  his  father's  en- 
tire name,  and  his  wife  was  a  Miss  Sallie 
McGraw   in   her   girlhood.      Bridget,    their 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


531 


first-born,  became  the  wife  af  Patrick  Cuf- 
fee,  and  Elizabeth  was  the  wife  of  Jolm 
Diicv,  while  William,  the  only  son,  died  un- 
married. 

r>orn  November  jo.  1S35,  on  llie  parental 
homestead  on  the  banks  of  the  Shannon  river 
in  county  Clare.  Ireland,  Lott  Sullivan,  of 
this  sketch,  spent  his  boyhood  in  the  beauti- 
ful isle  which  was  destined  to  suffer  terribly 
from  the  ravages  of  famine.  Some  pitiable 
cases  of  need  came  within  his  observation 
and  he  even  saw  one  man  who  had  died 
from  starvation.  Three  of  the  brothers, 
Michael,  Dennis  and  William,  are  farmers 
of  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  and  two  brothers 
are  deceased,  namely :  James  and  John. 
The  five  sisters,  Maggie,  Nora,  Elizabeth, 
Bridget  and  Nora  (the  second  of  the  name) 
died,  and  were  placed  to  rest  at  the  side  of 
th.eir  mother  in  their  native  land. 

After  mastering  the  rudiments  of  educa- 
tion and  ao^riculture  Lott  Sullivan  concluded 
to  join  his  father  and  brothers  in  the  United 
States,  and  in  1852  made  the  voyage  across 
the  broad  .\tlantic.  lie  went  to  Chester 
county.  I'ennsyhania,  where  they  were  em- 
ployed and  soon  found  work  on  a  farm, 
where  he  remained  about  two  3'ears.  He 
then  became  a  citizen  of  Peoria  county.  Illi- 
nois, and  by  energetic  labors  and  economy 
managed  to  olitain  a  financial  start.  At 
length  he  bought  two  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  in  Woodford  county,  improved  the 
farm  and  still  owns  it.  He  made  his  home 
there  until  1870,  when  he  came  to  Minonk. 
Later  he  purchased  a  quarter-section  of  land 
in  Marshall  county,  and  during  the  years  of 
his  repidence  there  greatly  incre:ised  the 
value  of  the  place.  In  the  first  year  of  the 
Civil  war  he  found  that  he  could  not  sell  a 
load  of  corn  and  hauled  it  home.  Later  he 
took   upwards   of   six   hundred    bushels    to 


I.acon  and  sold  it  for  fifteen  cents  a  bushel. 
That  same  corn  was  later  disposed  of  at  an 
increase  of  a  dollar  a  bushel,  and  at  one  time 
Mr.  Sulli\an  sold  corn  at  the  same  price, 
line  dollar  and  fifteen  cents  per  bushel. 

A  fact  which  speaks  well  for  his  popu- 
largely  through  his  own  unaided  efforts.  He 
this,  that  Mr.  Sullivan,  though  an  Irishman, 
living  in  a  community  largely  made  up  of 
German-.Americans  and  of  dift'erent  religious 
faith,  was  so  good  a  citizen  and  kindly  a 
neighbor  that  he  was  elected  to  numerous 
t(  wnship  offices,  and  for  nine  years  served 
in  the  capacity  of  justice  of  the  peace.  He 
thoroughlv  justified  the  confidence  placed  in 
him  and  proved  himself  a  true  son  of  his 
adoi)ted  country.  In  his  political  i)references 
he  is  a  Democrat,  and  religiously  he  is  a 
Catholic,  as  his  ancestors  were  before  him. 

In  1856  Mr.  Sullivan  married  Bridget 
Tuohy,  daughter  uf  Jnhn  Tmihy  and  a  native 
of  the  same  part  of  Ireland  as  our  subject. 
She  came  tn  this  country  in  i(S48  and  dwelt 
here,  happily,  until  her  death  December  13, 
1890,  when  she  was  in  her  seventy-second 
year.  Of  her  si.x  children  two.  Mary  and 
Michael,  are  deceased.  William  resides  in 
Toluca,  Marshall  county,  Illinois,  and  John, 
who  married  Katie  Martin,  lives  on  his  fa- 
ther's old  homestead  in  this  county.  Lott, 
Jr.,  married  .\nna  Burns  and  has  three  chil- 
dren, I^arl,  Leo  and  Lauretta.  Maggie,  the 
only  living  daughter,  is  living  at  Imme  with 
our  subjec*'. 


PETER  BELSLEV. 

At  the  time  of  his  death,  Peter  Belsley 
was  one  of  the  prosperous  farmers  antl  busi- 
ness men  of  Roanoke  township,  Woodford 
county,  and  his  possessions  had  been  acquired 


532 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


largely  thrugh  hi  own  unaided  efforts.  He 
had  also  won,  by  an  honorable,  upright  life, 
an  untarnished  name,  and  the  record  which 
he  left  behind  him  is  one  well  worthy  of 
perpetuation.  He  was  a  native  of  Wood- 
ford county,  born  in  Spring  Bay  township, 
December  7,  1841,  and  was  a  son  of  Joseph 
and  Barbara  Belsley,  in  whose  family  were 
eleven  children.  Those  living  are  Christian, 
Joseph,  John,  David,  Solomon  and  Benja- 
min. 

In  his  native  township  Peter  Belsley  was 
reared  and  educated  in  much  the  usual  man- 
ner of  farmer  boys  of  his  day,  and  he  re- 
mained on  the  home  farm  until  his  mar- 
riage. It  was  in  1866  that  he  wedded  Miss 
Catherine  Schertz,  who  was  born  in  \\'orth 
township,  Woodford  county,  September  15, 
1846.  Her  parents,  John  and  Magdalena 
Schertz,  were  natives  of  Alsace  Lorraine, 
France,  now  a  part  of  German)^,  and  were 
married  after  their  emigration  to  America. 
After  spending  one  year  in  New  Orleans 
they  came  to  Illinois  and  took  up  their  resi- 
dence in  \\'i.:iodfortl  county,  where  thev  con- 
tinued to  make  their  home  throughout  life, 
the  father  dying  in  Linn  tDWuship,  the 
mother  in  \Vorth  township.  They  were 
farming  people  and  were  highly  respected 
and  esteemed.  Six  of  their  children  are  still 
living,  namely:  Christian,  a  resident  of 
Metamora  township,  Woodford  county; 
Catherine,  now  Mrs.  Belsley;  Annie,  wife 
of  Joseph  Livingston,  of  Hamilton  cnuntv, 
Nebraska;  John,  a  resident  of  Aurora,  Ham- 
ilton county,  Nebraska;  Peter,  (^f  I'anola 
township,  Woodford  county,  Illinois;  and 
Joseph,  of  Waldo  township,  Livingston 
county.  One  daughter,  Magdalena.  is  de- 
ceased. The  father  was  married  a  second 
time,  and  by  that  union  had  one  son,  Jacob, 
a  resident  of  California.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bel- 


sley became  the  parents  of  nine  children, 
whose  names  and  dates  of  birth  are  as  fol- 
lows:  Anna  H.,  January,  1868;  John  J., 
September,  1869;  David  C,  July,  1871 ; 
Alichael  E.,  September,  1873;  Alattie  E., 
August,  1876;  Amos  A.,  August,  1878;  Bar- 
bara M.,  September,  1880;  Kathryn  A.,  De- 
cember, 1883;  and  Benjamin  R.,  December, 
1886.  They  ha\-e  all  received  good  com- 
mon school  educations  and  one  son  took  a 
collegiate  course.  All  are  at  home  with  ex- 
ception of  John  J.,  who  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  himself  in  Roanoke  township.  He 
married  Mattie  Riscer,  and  they  have  one 
child,  \'era  Fern. 

In  early  life  Mr.  Belsley  followed  thresh- 
ing and  corn  shelling,  of  which  he  made  a 
success,  and  after  his  marriage  operated  a 
rented  farm  for  a  time.  He  had  some  land 
deeded  him  by  his  father.  In  1866  he  came 
to  Roanoke  township  and  located  on  the 
place  now  owned  by  Solomon  Belsley,  it 
belonging  to  their  father  at  that  time.  In 
1875  our  subject  purchased  the  farm  now 
occupied  liy  his  ^vid(lw.  and  througlK)Ut  the 
remainder  of  his  life  successfully  engaged 
in  general  farming  and  sti.ick  raising  here. 
He  had  twenty-nine  acres  of  timlier  land  be- 
sides three-quarters  of  a  section,  which  he 
tiled,  broke  and  improved,  converting  it  into 
one  of  the  most  desirable  farms  of  its  size 
in  the  county.  He  erected  thereon  a  com- 
fortable residence  and  commodious  barns, 
and  made  other  impr(i\-emeiUs  which  added 
greatly  to  the  \alue  and  attractive  appear- 
ance of  the  place.  Progressive  antl  enter- 
prising, he  was  among  the  men  who  sunk 
the  coal  shaft  at  Roanoke,  and  was  president 
of  the  coal  company  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  October  24,  1899.  He  was  one 
of  the  best  known  men  of  his  township, 
and  always  gave  his  support  to  any  enterprise 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


533 


calculated  to  benefit  the  community.  He 
always  took  an  active  interest  in  maintain- 
ing good  schools  and  et^ciently  served  as 
director  for  many  years.  He  held  other 
township  offices  and  affiliated  with  the  Demo- 
cratic part}-.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Mennonite  church,  though  he  gave  liberally 
to  the  support  of  all  religious  denominations, 
and  never  withheld  his  aid  from  any  object 
which  he  believed  would  promote  the  moral, 
social  or  material  welfare  of  his  township 
or  county.  He  had  a  large  circle  of  friends 
and  acquaintances  and  was  held  in  high  re- 
eard  bv  all  who  knew  him. 


JOHX  E.  REED. 

For  the  i)ast  nine  years  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  has  successfully  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  upon  his  preent  farm  on 
section  1 1.  Linn  township,  having  come  here 
from  Belle  Plaine  township.  Marshall  county, 
in  1891.  He  was  born  in  Perry  county, 
Ohio.  March  17,  1851,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
W.  and  Evaline  (Holcomb)  Reed,  also  na- 
tives of  the  Buckeye  state.  For  some  years 
the  father  owned  and  operated  a  farm  in 
\\'isconsin.  and  from  that  state  came  tf)  Illi- 
nois, in  the  fall  of  1865,  locating  in  Marshall 
county,  where  he  continued  to  follow  farm- 
ing for  some  time.  For  three  years  he 
conducted  a  hotel  in  La  Rose,  and  since 
18S0  has  been  proprietor  of  the  Reed  House 
at  X'arna.  Marshall  cnunty.  Politically  he 
is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  religiouslv  is  a 
faithful  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  having  always  taken  an  active  part 
in  its  wiirk.  Of  the  eleven  children  torn  to 
himself  and  wife,  one  daughter  died  in  Wis- 
consin at   the  age  of   four  years,   and  one 


son,  Grant,  died  in  La  Rose,  Illinois,  at  the 
age  of  twelve.  The  others  are  as  follows: 
Clark  E.,  a  plumber  of  Davenport,  Iowa, 
and  formerly  superintendent  of  the  water 
works  of  that  city:  Caroline,  wife  of  Rob- 
ert Whitten,  of  Marshall  county.  Illinois; 
John  K..  our  subject;  Almeda,  wife  of  Mark 
Wilson,  a  farmer  of  Colorado;  bittn.  wife  of 
August  Sangbush,  of  Washburn,  Illinois; 
Charles  and  Ephraim,  who  died  in  Colorado ; 
Julia,  wife  of  James  B.  Foster,  of  Marshall 
county,  Illinois,  and  Belle,  wife  of  Samuel 
Myers,  of  Galesburg.  Ihe  children  all  re- 
ceived good  common-school  educations.  The 
father  is  now  seventy-six  years  of  age,  the 
mother  sex'enty. 

John  E.  Reed  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Wisconsin,  and  remained  at  home,  aiding 
in  the  work  of  the  farm  until  reaching  man- 
liood.  In  1S73  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Sophia  J.  Perry,  who  was  born 
in  Marshall  county,  Illinois,  September  7, 
1851,  a  daughter  of  Elijah  and  Xancy  (^Hat- 
ton)  Perry,  natives  of  Kentucky  and  early 
settlers  of  Marshall  county.  They  had  a 
family  of  eleven  children,  of  whom  live  sons 
and  three  daughters  are  still  living,  namely : 
John,  a  resident  of  Marshall  county:  Sophia 
J.,  wife  of  our  subject:  Zachariab.  at  home; 
Forsyth,  a  resident  of  Iowa;  Maggie,  wife 
of  A.  H.  Davidson,  of  Linn  township,  Wood- 
ford county;  Frank  E.,  a  teacher  of  La 
Rose;  ICUa  A.,  at  home;  and  Cora  \'.,  wife 
of  Andrew  Snow,  of  Marshall  county.  The 
father  is  now  deceased,  but  the  mother  is 
still  li\ing  and  makes  her  home  with  two 
sons  in  Marshall  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Reed  have  four  children:  Carrie  F.,  wife 
of  Frank  ^^'rythmiller,  a  farmer  of  Marshall 
county;  Ellson  L.,  who  is  taking  a  commer- 
cial and  teacher's  course  at  Dixon  College, 
Illinois;  Rose  P.  and  Jay  E.,  both  at  home. 


534 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


The  children  have  all  attended  the  public 
schools  and  have  had  advantage  of  a  college 
course. 

Since  his  marriage  Air.  Reed  has  always 
followed  general  farming  and  stock  raising 
and  has  successfully  operated  his  present 
farm  mi  section  ii,  Linn  township,  W'ood- 
foi'd  county,  for  the  past  nine  years.  The 
Republican  party  has  always  found  in  him  a 
stanch  supporter  of  its  principles,  and  since 
1896  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  county 
central  committee.  He  takes  an  active  part 
in  campaign  work,  and  has  most  creditably 
filled  a  number  of  township  offices.  Fra- 
ternallv  he  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  Camp.  Xo.  1821,  at  Washburn, 
and  religiously  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church,  in  which  he  is  serving  as  deacon. 


HON.  JOHN  L.  AIcGLTRE. 

Ireland  has  furnished  to  the  United 
States  many  bright  and  enterprising  young 
men,  who  have  become  prominent  in  busi- 
ness and  public  life.  Though  born  across 
the  water,  they  are  thoroughly  American  in 
thought  and  feeling,  and  are  patriotic  and 
sincere  in  their  love  for  the  Stars  and 
Stripes.  Among  their  number  is  Air.  AIc- 
Guire,  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Aleta- 
mora,  Illinois,  who  is  now  practically  living 
a  retired  life. 

He  was  born  in  count}-  Tipperary,  Ire- 
land, August  J/,  1844,  a  son  of  John  and 
Bridget  (Ouinn)  McGuire,  also  natives  of 
that  country,  where  the  mother  died  soon 
after  the  birth  of  our  subject.  In  1853  the 
father  came  to  America  and  located  in  Cin- 
cinnati. Ohio,  where  he  died  two  years  later. 
In  their  family  were  three  sons  and  three 
daughters,  who  reached  vears  of  maturity. 


but  only  Airs.  Catherine  Murray,  of  Louis- 
\ille,  Kentucky,  and  our  subject  are  now 
li\ing. 

Ah".  AIcGuire  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
inured  to  many  hardships,  receiving  a  very 
limited  education.  He  is  therefore  almost 
wholly  a  self-educated  as  well  as  a  self-made 
man.  He  crossed  the  Atlantic  with  his  fa- 
ther, and  in  Alarch,  1858,  at  the  age  of  thir- 
teen years,  came  to  Woodford  county,  Illi- 
p.ois. where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  Here 
he  began  life  empty-handed  among  strang- 
ers, but  he  steadily  overcame  the  obstacles 
and  dif^culties  in  his  path,  and  is  now  en- 
abled to  lay  aside  all  business  cares  and  en- 
joy the  fruits  of  former  toil. 

In  January,  1862,  Air.  AIcGuire  enlisted 
as  a  private  in  Company  D,  Fifty-first  Illi- 
nois Volunteer  Infantry,  which  was  assigned 
to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  The  first 
engagement  in  which  he  participated  was 
the  battle  of  Xew  Aladrid,  followed  by  the 
battles  of  Island  Xo.  10,  Stone  River  and 
Chickamauga.  During  the  last  named  en- 
gagement he  received  a  gunshot  through  the 
body,  and  was  taken  prisoner  the  same  night, 
being  sent  to  the  Richmond  hospital,  where 
he  remained  for  seven  months,  and  was  then 
paroled  and  sent  to  Baltimore,  where  he  was 
granted  a  furlough,  ^^llile  at  home  he  re- 
ceived word  of  his  exchange,  and  then  re- 
ioined  his  regiment  in  time  tn  take  part  in 
the  battle  of  Kenesaw  Alrmntain  and  the  .\t- 
lanta  campaign.  Later  his  command  was 
sent  back  to  Tennessee  and  ji^ned  General 
Thomas'  army  at  Xashville.  They  took  part 
in  the  battle  at  that  place  and  at  Franklin, 
and  assisted  in  driving  Hood  from  the  state. 
.Vt  the  close  of  the  war  Air.  AIcGuire  was 
b.onorably  discharged  at  Huntsville.  Ala- 
bama, in  Alarch,  1865.  and  returned  to  his 
home  in  Woodford  count  v. 


JOHN  L.  McGUIRE. 


k 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


537 


After  working  by  the  month  as  a  farm 
liand  for  two  or  three  years  lie  engaged  in 
operating  rented  land  for  several  years,  and 
then  purchased  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  in 
Metaniora  township,  which  he  improved. 
Later  he  rented  that  farm  and  bought  a  par- 
tially improved  place  of  eighty-five  acres, 
on  which  he  made  his  home  for  several 
years.  He  has  bought  and  sold  other  lands, 
and  still  owns  a  valuable  tract  of  three  hun- 
dred acres,  known  as  the  old  Page  place,  ad- 
joining Metamora,  to  the  improvement  and 
cultivation  of  which  he  devoted  his  energies 
for  some  years. 

In  Woodford  county,  Xovembcr  24, 
1870.  Mr.  ^IcGuire  married  Miss  Adelia 
Page,  a  native  of  Gilmanton,  Xew  Hamp- 
shire, and  a  daughter  of  Adino  and  Arvilla 
(Page)  Page,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  W'ood- 
ford  county,  where  she  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated. Prior  to  her  marriage  she  successful- 
ly engaged  in  teaching  for  a  time.  By  this 
union  three  children  have  been  born :  May, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty  years;  Myra, 
a  graduate  of  the  School  of  Oratory  of  the 
\\'esleyan  University  at  Bloomington,  Illi- 
nois; and  John  A.,  at  home. 

In  1868  Mr.  McGuire  cast  his  first  vote 
for  U.  S.  Grant,  but  since  that  time  has  been 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  and 
has  taken  an  active  and  prominent  part  in 
k'cal  politics.  He  has  been  a  delegate  to 
numerous  county,  congressional  and  state 
conventions  of  his  party,  and  has  been  elected 
to  important  ofticial  positions,  serving  nine 
consecutive  years  as  supervisor  and  repre- 
senting the  county  in  the  thirty-ninth  and 
fortieth  general  assemblies.  Among  his  as- 
sociates in  the  house  was  Mr.  Alschuler,  the 
present  Democratic  candidate  for  governor 
of  Illinois.  He  was  a  member  of  five  impor- 
tant committees  during  his  first  term  and 


eight  the  last,  and  took  a  very  active  part  in 
the  work  of  that  august  body.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  school  board  for  nine  con- 
secutive years,  president  of  the  village  board 
for  five  years,  and  is  now  one  of  the  justices 
of  the  peace  of  the  township,  having  held 
lliC  office  for  thirteen  years.  During;  his 
service  as  mayor  of  the  city  the  water  works 
were  put  in. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  McGuire  are  members  of 
the  Baptist  church,  but  now  attend  the  Union 
Protestant  church  of  Metamora,  and  give 
liberally  of  their  means  to  its  support.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  post  at 
t.ureka,  the  ^Modern  Woodmen  camp  at  Met- 
amora; Eureka  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Wash- 
ington Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  El  Paso  Com- 
mandery,  K.  T. ;  and  Mohamet  Temple  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine  at  Peoria.  During  his 
long  residence  in  Woodford  county  he  has 
championed  every  movement  designed  to 
promote  the  general  welfare,  has  supported 
e\ery  enterprise  for  the  public  good,  and  has 
materially  aided  in  the  advancement  of  all 
social  and  moral  interests.  After  a  useful 
and  honorable  career  he  can  well  afford  to 
lay  aside  all  business  cares  and  live  in  ease 
and  retirement. 


J.    B.    GOODWIX. 

The  well  known  and  highly  respected 
citizen  of  Roanoke,  Illinois,  was  born  in 
Salem,  Roanoke  county,  Virginia,  Septem- 
ber 22,  1865,  and  is  a  wrthy  representative 
of  old  and  honored  families  of  that  state. 
The  Goodwins  were  among  the  very  earliest 
settlers  of  the  Old  Dominion,  the  family  be- 
ing founded  in  Augusta  county  at  a  very 
early  day  in  the  history  of  the  colony.  Our 
subject's  grandfather,  Joseph  Goodwin,  was 


538 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


a  native  of  that  county,  and  his  wife  who 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Polly  Jenkins,  was 
also  of  Virginian  stock.  He  died  during 
the  childhood  of  John  Goodwin,  father  of 
our  subject.  The  latter  was  born  in  1830, 
and  spent  his  entire  life  in  Roanoke  county, 
his  occupation  being  that  of  farming.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Gaines,  also  a  native  of 
Roanoke  county,  and  a  daughter  of  Major 
Kemper  Gaines,  who  served  with  distinction 
as  an  officer  in  the  war  of  181 2.  Her 
brother,  Thomas  Gaines,  was  a  soldier  of 
the  ]\lexican  war  and  a  commissioned  offi- 
cer in  the  Ci\il  war.  He  died  in  Clarks- 
ville,  Texas.  Mrs.  Goodwin's  grandfather, 
Colonel  Gaines,  was  one  of  the  heroes  of 
the  Revolutionary  war.  It  will  thus  be  seen 
that  her  family  has  been  well  represented  in 
the  wars  of  his  county.  Her  grandfather 
was  a  native  of  Scotland  and  located  in  Vir- 
ginia at  a  very  early  day. 

Our  subject  was  the  fifth  in  order  of 
birth  in  a  family  of  seven  children,  the  others 
being  as  follows:  Thomas  P.,  and  C.  E., 
both  residents  of  Salem,  Virginia;  Anna, 
wife  of  George  Kern;  Laura  V.,  wife  of  E. 
M.  (hoss;  Zelia,  wife  of  Robert  Sears;  and 
Kemper.  With  exception  of  our  subject  all 
make  their  home  in  Salem,  Virginia. 

In  the  cmmty  of  his  nativity  J.  B.  Good- 
win grew  to  manhodd,  his  education  being 
obtained  in  its  public  schools.  In  early  life 
he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  Init  later 
gave  his  attention  to  carpentering  an  engin- 
eering, continuing  to  follow  those  occupa- 
tions in  Virginia  until  1885,  when  he  came 
west  and  settled  in  Roanoke.  Illinois.  Here 
he  was  employed  as  engineer  at  the  tile  fac- 
tory for  two  years,  and  then  returned  to 
carpenter  \\'ork,  which  he  followed  in  Roan- 
oke and  vicinity  until  the  spring  of  1897, 
when  he  took  charge  of  the  Roanoke  electric 


light  plant  for  Isaac  Snyder  and  has  since 
run  it.  He  has  also  had  the  management  of 
a  gristmill  for  Mr.  Snyder. 

On  the  3rd  of  March,  1892,  'Sir.  Good- 
win was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mayme  L.  Hollenback,  a  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel Hollenback,  who 'lives  near  Belle  Plaine, 
Woodford  county.  Politically  Mr.  Good- 
win is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Democratic 
party,  and  socially  is  a  member  of  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  widely 
and  favorably  known  and  during  his  resi- 
dence in  Roanoke  has  made  many  warm 
friends. 


ALEXANDER  HAWK. 

Among  the  leading  and  influential  farm- 
ers and  stock  raisers  of  Linn  township, 
\\^oodford  county,  who  thoroughly  under- 
stand their  business,  and  pursue  the  \oca- 
tioft  of  their  chosen  calling  in  a  methodical 
and  workmanlike  manner,  is  the  subject  of 
this  biography.  He  resides  on  section  11, 
and  owns  a  well  improved  and  highly  culti- 
vated farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres. 

A  native  of  Illinois,  Mr.  Hawk  was  born 
in  Tazewell  county,  September  5,  1845,  and 
is  a  son  of  Philip  and  Sarah  (Kerr)  Hawk, 
both  natives  of  Brown  county,  Ohio,  the 
former  born  in  181(1.  the  latter  in  1815. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  John  Hawk,  a 
soldier  of  the  war  of  181 2,  died  about  1825, 
when  Philip  was  only  nine  years  old,  and 

the  maternal  grandfather, Kerr,  died 

in  181 8,  when  the  mother  of  our  subject 
was  but  three.  The  parents  were  reared 
and  educated  in  their  native  county,  and 
there  they  were  united  in  marriage.  In 
1844  thev  came  to  Illinois  and  first  settled  in 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


539 


Tazewell  county,  where  the  fatlier  purchased 
land  anil  fnllowcd  farming  for  ten  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  came  to  Wood- 
ford county,  and  from  the  unhroken  prairie 
de\elo])ed  a  tine  farm,  owning  at  the  time 
of  his  death  two  hundred  and  forty  acres. 
During  the  '70s  he  speculated  in  land  and 
was  quite  successful.  He  tlied  at  his  home 
in  Linn  township,  in  i8y8,  after  a  residence 
there  of  forty-one  years.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Democrat,  hut  took  no  active  part  in  polit- 
ical ati'airs.  though  he  alwaj's  gave  his  sup- 
\)oTt  to  any  enterprise  calculated  to  pro\-e 
of  puhlic   heneht. 

Our  suhject  is  the  second  in  order  of 
hirth  in  a  family  of  eight  children,  all  of 
whom  reached  years  of  maturity.  The 
others  were  as  follows  :  J(jhn,  horn  in  Ohio, 
served  four  years  as  a  soldier  of  the  Civil 
war,  an  died  on  the  old  homestead  in  Linn 
township,  in  1871').  Mincr\a  is  li\ing  on 
the  home  farm.  Mary  wedded  William 
Hopwood,  and  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  years,  leaving  one  daughter,  Lillie,  now 
the  wife  of  Isaac  Black.  Sarah  married 
Samuel  W'hitmore,  of  Roanoke  townshi)), 
Wootlford  county,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five  years,  leaving  one  son,  John,  now 
a  resident  of  California.  James  is  living 
in  Linn  ti  i\\  nshij).  Maria  L.  lives  on  the  old 
homestead.  I'lora  is  the  wife  of  Samuel 
Rohinson,  of  Cazeni  i\ia  township,  \\'o(  idfi  <vi\ 
county.  The  children  were  all  educated  in 
the  district  school  near  their  early  home. 

Alexander  Hawk  attended  school  hoth 
in  Tazewell  and  Woodford  counties,  and 
under  the  direction  of  his  father  acfjuired 
an  excellent  knowledge  of  every  department 
of  farm  work.  He  remained  under  the 
parental  roof  until  he  was  married,  in  Oc- 
toher,  1866,  to  IMiss  Hatie  \'an  Bu.skirk, 
a   native   of    Marshall    countv,    Illinois,    hv 


whom  he  had  three  children,  hut  all  died 
in  childhood.  The  wife  and  mother  tlied 
in  May,  i87[.  They  lived  for  a  time  in 
Clayton  townshi]),  \\'oodford  county,  and 
then  returned  to  Linn  township,  where  her 
death  occurred.  After  the  death  of  his  wife 
Mr.  Hawk  lived  r>ith  his  parents  for  three 
years.  In  1874  he  was  married  again,  his 
second  union  being  with  Miss  Mary  Whiten, 
who  was  horn  in  Tazewell  county,  Decemlier 
T,i.  T850,  and  is  the  fourth  in  order  of 
hirth  in  a  familv  of  six  children,  two  sons 
and  four  daughters.  Her  ])arents  are  both 
deceasetl.  Of  the  four  children  horn  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hawk,  Charles  died  in  1887, 
at  the  age  of  ten  years,  and  William  died 
in  1888,  at  the  age  of  nine.  I'liilip,  the  eld- 
est of  the  family,  married  Daisy  I'erry,  and 
have  one  daughter,  Marian.  He  lives  with 
his  father  and  assists  in  the  operation  of  the 
farm,  lie  attended  college  in  Bloomington 
an  Juneka,  taking  a  lousiness  and  commer- 
cial course,  (irace,  the  only  daughter,  re- 
ceived a  good  high-school  education,  and  is 
row  successfully  leaching  in  the  district 
schools. 

In  1874  Mr.  Hawk  made  his  hrsl  jiur- 
chase  of  land,  consisting  of  eighty  acres  in 
Linn  townshi]),  to  which  lie  has  since  added 
a  forty-acre  tract,  all  of  which  has  been  im- 
])roved  by  him.  He  has  tiled  and  fenced 
llie  land  and  erected  thereon  good  modern 
buildings.  He  operates  two  hundred  acres 
of  land  in  connection  with  general  farming 
and  engages  in  stock  raising,  to  which  he 
formerly  devoted  most  of  his  time  and  at- 
tention. In  political  sentiment  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat, but  at  local  elections  votes  for  the  man 
and  not  the  party.  He  has.  filled  the  offices 
of  collector  and  assessor,  and  at  present  is 
serving  as  school  treasurer  of  his  township. 
As  a  public-spirited  and  progressive  citizen 


540 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


he  takes  a  commendable  interest  in  any  en- 
terprise tending  to  advance  the  moral,  social 
or  material  welfare  of  his  community.  Re- 
ligiously both  he  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  ^Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


TJARK  EILTS. 

Tjark  Eilts,  agent  for  the  Kenning 
Brewing  Company,  of  INIendota,  Illinois,  for 
the  city  of  Minonk,  is  a  native  of  Hanover, 
Germany,  his  birth  having  occurred  July 
9,  1843.  He  accompanied  his  parents,  L. 
E.  and  E.  K.  Eilts,  to  the  United  States  in 
1856,  and  for  sixty- four  daj'S  was  tossed 
to  and  fro  upon  the  broad  Atlantic.  Com- 
ing direct  to  Illinois,  the  family  located  in 
Peoria,  where  the  father  worked  at  vari- 
ous pursuits.  Our  subject  had  attended  the 
public  schools  in  his  native  land  prior  to  his 
emigration,  and  after  becoming  a  resident 
of  this  republic  it  was  not  his  privilege  to 
devote  much  time  to  his  education  while  he 
was  young.  The  father  is  still  living,  and 
on  the  1 2th  of  March,  1900,  passed  the 
eighty-third  anni^'ersary  of  his  birth.  The 
mother  died  in  August,  1899,  when  about 
eighty-two  years  old.  They  have  been  iden- 
tified with  the  German  Lutheran  church  for 
many  years,  and  their  lives  have  been  noble 
and  worthy  of  praise,  in  every  respect.  To 
their  children  they  leave  the  priceless  herit- 
age of  an  untarnished  name  and  record. 
Margaret,  the  eldest  daughter,  is  the  wife  of 
Peter  Wuebbens,  and  resides  near  Flannigan, 
Illinois,  and  John  J.  and  Tjamde  are  unmar- 
ried and  living  with  their  father. 

Tjark  Eilts,  as  the  eldest  son  and  main- 
stay of  his  parents,  remained  with  them  an.d 
assisted  in  the  support  of  the  family  until 


he  was  nearly  thirty  years  of  age.  For  six 
years  thereafter  he  was  actively  engaged  in 
farming,  and  eighteen  years  ago  he  embarked 
in  his  present  line  of  business.  For  a  score 
of  years  he  has  been  a  citizen  of  Minonk, 
which  has  grown  rapidly,  and,  though  he 
is  not  a  politician,  he  does  his  duty  as  a 
patriot,  and  performs  his  full  share  of  the 
obligations  devolving  upon  him,  as  a  \()ter 
and  inhabitant  of  a  prosperous  republic. 
His  business  ability  is  beyond  ciuestion,  and 
that  his  firm  appreciates  his  services  on  its 
behalf  is  shown  by  the  long  period  of  his 
connection  with  the  one  house. 

On  the  1 2th  of  July,  1873,  Mr.  Eilts  mar- 
ried JNIiss  Imke  Cordsen,  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Renc^ldt  Cordsen,  both  of  whom  died 
when  she  was  a  }-oung  child.  E.  Catherina, 
the  first-born  of  our  subject  and  wife,  became 
the  wife  of  Otto  Klatt,  and  their  only  child 
bears  the  name  of  Otillie.  Jacob  E.,  the 
eldest  son  of  Tjark  Eilts,  married  Mary 
Vosberg.  He  resides  at  IMinonk  and  is  now 
in  his  father's  employ.  The  younger  mem- 
bers of  the  paternal  fanfily  include  Irena 
A.  and  A'illamena  E. ;  John  J.,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  twenty-eight  nuinths ;  .Vnnic 
T.,  who  attends  school;  Matilda,  who  died 
when  twenty-se\en  months  old,  one  who 
died  uiuiamed,  and  Jiihn  J.,  now  eight  years 
of  ase. 


G.  M.  SIMPSON. 

In  the  activities  of  the  present  age,  we, 
the  heirs  of  generations  of  brave,  hardy 
pioneers  who  led  the  way  for  ci\'i]ization, 
by  going  forth  into  the  untrodden  western 
wildernesses  and  there  ■"enduring  all  things, 
suffering  all  things,"  are  too  apt  to  think 
lightly  or  seldom  of  the  debt  of  gratitude 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


54« 


which  we  owe  to  tliose  strong,  noble  souls 
who  "builded  better  than  they  knew."  It 
is  fitting  that  the  names  and  annals  of  all  of 
the  worthy  founders  of  each  county  and  state 
should  be  handed  down  in  the  records  of 
progress,  for  in  biographies  of  active  workers 
on  the  world's  stage  are  to  be  found  the 
truest  histories  of  a  nation's  development. 

G.  M.  Simpson  is  a  son  of  Harrison  and 
Maria  (Combs)  Simpson,  who  indefatigably 
labored  in  making  a  home  and  provision  for 
their  large  family  on  the  prairies  of  this  state. 
The  father  was  born  in  Ohio  in  the  early 
part  of  this  century,  and  was  of  Scotch  de- 
scent. His  father,  who  was  one  of  llie 
early  settlers  in  the  Buckeye  state,  was  a 
native  of  the  land  of  the  thistle  and  heather, 
but  for  a  wife  he  chose  a  lady,  who,  though 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  was  of  German 
extraction.  Mrs.  Harrison  Simpson,  born 
in  Virginia.  October  19,  1S13,  resides  at  the 
home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  .\nna  C.  Hop- 
wood,  of  Livingston  county,  and  has  sur- 
vived her  husband  nearly  sixteen  years.  He 
came  to  Illinois  in  1848  and  tiiree  years  sub- 
sequently became  a  farmer  of  this  county. 
In  the  course  of  time  he  became  well  to  do 
and  prominent,  owning  and  cultivating  more 
than  a  section  of  fine  land.  In  all  the  varied 
relations  of  life  he  proved  himself  true,  just 
and  competent  to  meet  every  responsibility. 
He  occupied  numerous  minor  local  offices  and 
for  many  years  was  a  deacon  in  the  Baptist 
church. 

G.  M.  Simpson,  the  fifth  of  eight  chil- 
ihen,  was  born  in  Canton,  Illinois,  October 
27,  1849.  His  older  brothers  were  William 
Henry,  J-  A.  and  W.  C.  The  last  named, 
vvho  was  an  able  and  successful  lawyer, 
served  as  state's  attorney  and  occupied  nu- 
merous public  positions  in  this  count)-,  and 
after  going  to  Emporia,  Kansas,  where  he 


also  held  a  iwsition  as  prosecuting  attorney, 
and  was  retained  as  legal  advisor  of  the 
Santa  Fe  Railroad,  he  died,  in  the  midst  of 
his  activities.  Benjamin  F.,  who  also  has 
been  an  attorney  and  commanded  an  ex- 
tensive practice  until  he  removed  to  Chicago, 
is  now  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business. 
Charles  T.,  the  youngest  brother,  married 
Lillie  Humphrey  and  carries  on  a  farm  in 
this  county.  Catherine,  wife  of  John  Hop- 
wood,  is  numbered  among  the  agricultural 
class  of  Livingston  county,  and  Laura 
wedded  E.  B.  Kipp,  who  is  a  lumber  mer- 
chant of  Evanston,  Illinois. 

The  birthplace  of  our  subject  is  in  Can- 
ion,  Illinois,  and  his  early  years  were  passed 
on  a  farm.  When  he  was  a  mere  lad  a  taste 
for  commercial  life  was  developed  in  him, 
after  completing  a  public  school  course  he 
attended  Illinois  State  University  at  Cham- 
paign, Illinois,  and  thoroughly  mastered  the 
business  branches  taught  there.  In  1882  he 
located  in  Woodford,  and  since  that  time 
has  been  connected  with  the  grain  trade  of 
tins  section  of  the  state.  As  this  region 
is  exceptionally  fertile  and  productive  of 
grain,  a  large  and  flourishing  business  is 
carried  on,  and  Mr.  Simpson  attends  to  the 
management  of  three  elevators  here.  He 
possesses  marked  ability  and  foresight,  and 
to  his  efforts  much  of  the  financial  activity 
of  this  place  is  due.  He  is  considered  one 
of  the  substantial  men  of  the  local  business 
world,  and  in  every  respect  is  a  progressive 
and  public-spirited  citizen. 

On  the  9th  of  January,  1880,  Mr.  Simp- 
son married  Miss  Sophronia  H.  Colean, 
daughter  of  Edward  and  Nancy  Colean,  for- 
merly of  Jerseyville,  Illinois.  The  father 
is  deceased  and  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
Mrs.  Simpson  is  a  native  of  this  state,  and 
for  several  years  prior  to  her  marriage  was 


542 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


numbered  among  its  successful  teachers. 
Slie  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  an  excellent 
education,  and  is  a  graduate  of  Mt.  Carroll 
Seminary.  Four  children  bless  the  union 
of  this  worthy  couple,  namely :  Colean,  Cora, 
Stella  and  Lorena. 

In  his  political  faith  Mr.  Simpson  is  a 
Republican,  taking  marked  interest  in  the 
success  of  his  party.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  Ameri- 
ca and  the  Court  of  Honor.  In  the  home 
circle  he  finds  his  deepest  happiness,  and  as 
a  husband  and  father,  son  and  neighbor,  his 
life  has  been  above  reproach.  He  delights  in 
surrounding  his  dear  ones  with  advantages 
and  everything  which  contributes  to  an  at- 
tractive home  of  culture.  At  the  same  time 
he  is  every  ready  to  extend  a  helping  hand 
to  the  poor  and  afflicted,  and  all  who  know 
him  speak  of  him  in  terms  of  praise  and  ap- 
preciation. 


PROFESSOR  I.  G.  LIXVILLE. 

Among  Roanoke's  best  known  and  most 
popular  citizens  is  Professor  Linville,  prin- 
cipal of  the  public  schools  of  that  place.  He 
was  born  in  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  on 
the  nth  of  February,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of 
D.  J.  and  Rachel  (Rosetta)  Linville,  also 
natives  of  Lancaster  county.  The  Linville 
family  was  founded  in  this  country  by  three 
brothers,  who  came  to  America  with  Will- 
iam Penn  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  One 
of  the  number  later  went  to  Ohio  and  found- 
ed a  branch  of  the  family  there,  another  went 
south  and  was  never  afterward  heard  from. 
The  other  one  remained  in  Pennsylvania  and 
he  was  the  great-great-grandfather  of  our 
subject. 

B.  J.  Linville,  the  Professor's  father,  was 


a  farmer  by  occupation.  In  1870  he  left  his 
native  state  and  witli  his  family  removed  to 
Russell  county,  Kansas,  where  they  spent  one 
summer,  and  then  moved  to  Mason  City, 
Illinois,  making  that  place  their  home  for 
five  years.  Subsequently  they  lived  for  a 
short  time  on  a  farm  near  that  city,  and  in 
1883  removed  to  La  Platte,  Adair  county, 
^Missouri,  where  Mrs.  Linville  died  in  1895. 
The  father  is  now  a  resident  of  New  Hol- 
land, Logan  county,  Illinois.  In  the  family 
vvere  sev.en  children,  namely:  H.  F.,  a  resi- 
dent of  New  Holland ;  Mary,  wife  of  David 
Berrier,  of  Kirksville,  Missouri;  B,  J.,  of 
New  Holland;  George,  who  died  in  infancy; 
I.  G.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Rose,  wife 
of  John  Brown,  of  Vinton,  Iowa ;  and  Robert 
N.,  a  minister  of  the  Christian  church  at 
Canton,  Missouri. 

Professor  Linville  received  his  prelim- 
inary education  in  the  public  schools  of  Ma- 
son City,  Illinois,  and  in  1883  entered  the 
Brashear  Academy  at  Brashear,  Missouri, 
where  he  continued  his  studies  until  1886, 
and  while  a  student  there  he  was  also  em- 
ployed as  instructor  in  that  institution. 
He  next  attended  the  State  Normal  School 
at  Kirksville,  Missouri,  for  one  year.  For 
one  vear  he  taught  at  the  Brashear  public 
schools,  and  for  the  same  length  of  time  at 
Bee  Grove,  Illinois.  He  was  then  elected 
principal  of  the  Brashear  public  schools,  in 
which  capacity  he  served  two  years,  and  at 
the  end  of  that  time  entered  the  normal 
school  at  Valparaiso,  Indiana,  where  he  was 
a  student  during  the  school  year  of  1893- 
1894.  In  the  fall  of  the  latter  year  he  ac- 
cepted the  principalship  of  the  schools  at 
Broadwell,  Illinois,  and  served  in  that  ca- 
pacity for  five  years.  In  1899  he  accepted 
liis  present  position  as  principal  of  the 
schools  at  Roanoke,  which  he  has  since  filled 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


543 


in  a  most  creditable  and  satisfactory  man- 
ner. He  is  progressive  in  his  methods  and 
has  never  ceased  to  be  a  student,  but  while 
teaching  has  attended  the  summer  schools 
at  Valparaiso,  Indiana,  i-'entnii,  Michigan, 
and  at  Hoopeston,  Illinois.  He  has  been 
granted  the  degrees  of  Bachelor  of  Science, 
Bachelor  of  I'liilosophy  and  Bachelor  of 
Fed  agog}-. 

On  the  24th  of  June,  1896,  Professor 
Linville  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Katherine  Ginther,  of  New  Holland,  Illinois. 
Iraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  the  Court  of  Honor.  He  is  an 
earnest  and  successful  educator,  who  is  out- 
I. -inked  by  few  in  thoroughness  of  prepara- 
tion and  scope  of  experience. 


HERBERT  D.  LEWIS. 

Herbert  D.  Lewis,  the  well-known  editor 
and  proprietor  of  the  Benson  Bee,  is  a  nati\e 
of  Woodford  county,  born  in  Eureka,  in 
1867,  and  is  a  son  of  G.  W.  and  Helen  M. 
(Bidwell)  Lewis,  natives  of  New  York,  and 
representatives  of  old  families  of  that  state. 
The  father  is  a  contractor  and  builder,  and 
with  his  partner  has  probably  built  nearly 
one-third  the  houses  of  Eureka.  For  over 
fifty  years  he  and  his  wife  have  traveled  life's 
journey  together,  sharing  its  joys  and  sor- 
rows, its  adversity  and  prosperity,  and  on  the 
14th  of  August,  1900,  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding.  Our  subject  is  the  youngest  of  their 
children.  Of  those  still  living,  Mrs.  Lillie 
Krater  resides  with  her  parents;  Crayton  is  a 
farmer  of  Worth  township,  Woodford  coun- 
ty; and  Emma  is  the  wife  of  I.  G.  Leach, 


a  farmer  of  Paxton,  Illinois.  One  son, 
Fred,  died  at  the  age  of  two  years,  and  a 
daughter,  ]\Iinnie,  married  James  Snead. 
She  died  in  Peoria  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
three  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated 
in  the  Eureka  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen completed  the  course  of  study  at  the 
high  school,  after  which  he  was  chosen  sec- 
ond assistant  in  tliat  institution  and  filled 
that  position  one  year.  Later  he  taught  in 
various  district  schools  for  nine  years,  and 
during  vacations  studied  the  printer's  trade. 
After  giving  up  teaching  he  entered  the 
office  of  the  "Woodford  Courier"  as  com- 
l^ositor,  and  worked  three  years.  In  1896 
he  worked  for  D.  Davis,  the  editor  of  the 
Benson  paper,  and  afterwards  connected 
with  the  "Journal"  office.  On  the  8th  of  De- 
cember, 1899,  he  established  the  "Benson 
Bee,"  a  bright,  newsy  sheet,  which  he  pub- 
lishes wholly  as  a  local  newspaper,  making  no 
effort  to  write  politics,  but  running  it  solely 
as  an  independent  paper.  Mr.  Lewis  also  has 
a  fine  job  printing  department,  which  has 
proved  quite  profitable.  With  his  work  as 
reporter  and  other  duties  connected  with  the 
office,  he  is  a  very  busy  man,  and  is  meeting 
with  well  deserved  success. 

In  1894  Mr.  Lewis  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Maude  C.  Fisher,  of  Eureka 
a  daughter  of  J.  L.  Fisher,  a  retired  farmer 
of  that  place,  and  to  them  have  been  born  one 
child,  Harold.  In  1898  Mr.  Lewis  served  as 
city  clerk  of  Eureka.  He  is  a  member  of 
Walnut  Grove  Lodge,  No.  344,  K.  of  P., 
of  that  city,  of  which  he  is  past  chancellor, 
and  also  belongs  to  the  LTniform  Rank  of  the 
same  order.  Religiously  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  of  Eureka,  as  is  also 
his  wife,  who  was  an  active  worker  in  the 
church  during  her  residence  there.     They 


544 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


liave  made  many  fi-ieiids  since  cuniing  to 
Benson,  and  wherever  known  are  held  in 
high  resard. 


JOSEPH  A.  HOLMAN. 

This  gentleman,  who  is  one  of  Wash- 
burn's highly  esteemed  citizens  and  an  hon- 
ored veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  claims  Indi- 
ana as  his  native  state.  He  was  born  on  the 
20th  of  July,  1828,  and  is  a  son  of  Tanda 
and  Laura  (Parker)  Holman,  the  former 
a  native  of  Kentucky,  the  latter  of  Xew 
^'ork.  The  father  grew  to  manhood  in 
Kentucky  and  there  learned  the  cabinet- 
maker's trade,  which  he  made  his  life  work. 
At  an  early  day  he  moved  to  Indiana,  and 
in  1855  came  to  Pattonsburg,  \\'oodford 
county,  Illinois,  but  his  last  days  were  spent 
in  Missouri.  His  wife  survived  him  some 
years  and  died  near  Columbia,  that  state.  In 
their  family  w^ere  eleven  children,  several  of 
whom  were  soldiers  of  the  Civil  war,  while 
the  father  aided  in  the  defense  of  his  coun- 
try in  the  war  of  18 12.  Of  the  children 
Emaline  and  Elizabeth  both  died  in  ;\Iis- 
souri;  Joseph  is  the  next  of  the  family; 
Gideon  entered  the  Union  service  from 
Woodford  county,  Illinois,  and  later  died  in 
that  county;  Samuel  is  a  resident  of  Wash- 
burn; John  enlisted  in  Woodford  county, 
and  is  now  living  in  the  state  of  Washing- 
ton; William  was  captain  in  an  Indiana 
regiment  and  died  in  that  state;  Frank  en- 
listed at  Springfield,  Illinois,  served  two 
years,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Petersburg 
Junction,  Indiana. 

In  1852  Joseph  Holman  first  came  to 
Woodford  county,  Illinois,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  a  time,  but  prior  to 
the  Rebellion  moved  to  Kentucky.    In  Can- 


ton. Trigg  county,  that  state,  he  enlisted,  in 
1863,  in  Company  M,  Third  Kentucky  Cav- 
alry, under  Colonel  Murray  and  Captain 
vShaw.  He  was  mustered  in  at  that  place, 
his  regiment  being  assigned  to  the  Army 
cf  the  Cumberland.  He  did  garrison  duty 
most  of  the  time,  and  went  on  a  scouting 
expedition  along  the  Cumberland  river. 
The  war  having  ended  he  was  honorably 
discharged  at  Catis,  Trigg  county,  Kentucky, 
in  1S63. 

^^  hile  li\ing  in  Kentuckv  ^Ir.  Holman 
\\as  married,  in  Trigg  county,  to  Miss 
Penina  El  ridge,  of  that  state,  who  died  leav- 
ing one  child,  Joe;  now  a  resident  of  Colo- 
rado. Mr.  Holman  was  again  married,  in 
U'oodford  county,  Illinois,  his  second  union 
l-.eing  with  Rebecca  Pickins,  who  also  died 
leaving  one  child,  Amanda.  In  1875  ^''^  ^'^' 
turned  to  Woodford  county,  and  now  makes 
liis  home  in  Washburn,  where  he  is  well 
known  and  highly  respected.  In  his  political 
affiliations  he  is  a  Republican. 


PERRY  W.  HOSHOR. 

The  subject  of  this  review  was  for  many 
vears  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and 
wealthy  citizens  of  Spring  Bay  township, 
Woodford  county,  Illinois,  and  was  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  agricultural  inter- 
ests. He  met  death  by  accident  November 
21,  1892,  and  his  loss  w.s  mourned  by  a 
large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 

A  native  of  Woodford  county,  Mr. 
Hoshor  was  born  on  the  old  homestead  in 
Spring  Bay  township.  November  5,  1841, 
and  was  a  worthy  representative  of  one  of 
its  prominent  pioneer  families.  His  father, 
William  Hoshor,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 


PERRY  W.  KOSHOR. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


547 


and  in  an  early  day  came  to  tliis  state,  being 
one  of  tlie  first  to  locate  in  what  is  now 
Spring  Bay  township,  \\'oodford  county, 
where  he  erected  a  grist  and  saw-mill,  and 
also  opened  up  a  farm,  becoming  one  of 
the  ])rominent  and  successful  business  men 
of  that  section. 

Upon  the  home  farm  Perry  \\'.  Hoshor 
grew  to  manhood,  and  his  primary  educa- 
tion, obtained  in  the  local  schools,  was  sup- 
plemented by  a  course  at  Marion.  Ohio.  He 
thus  obtained  a  good  practical  education,  and 
by  subsequent  reading  and  observation  be- 
came a  well-informed  man.  He  succeeded 
to  the  home  farm,  and  to  it  added  more  land 
until  he  had  over  six  hundred  acres  in  one 
tract,  while  his  landed  possessions  here  and 
elsewhere  amounted  to  nearly  two  thousand 
acres  of  choice  farming  land  under  a  high 
state  of  cultixation  and  well  improved.  He 
was  a  thorough  and  systematic  farmer,  and 
a  reliable  and  energetic  business  man,  who 
carried  forward  to  successful  completion 
whatever  he  undertook. 

In  Spring  Bay  township,  June  i8.  1865, 
Mr.  Hosher  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Catherine  Dwyer,  who  was  born  in 
Ireland,  but  was  reared  in  Woodford  coun- 
ty from  her  tenth  year.  On  first  coming  to 
America,  her  father,  Dennis  Dwyer,  now  de- 
ceased, located  in  Indiana,  and  from  there 
moved  to  Woodford  county,  Illinois.  Of  the 
eleven  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hosh- 
or two  are  deceased,  Ira  having  died  at  the 
age  of  two  months,  and  George  at  the  age 
of  five  years.  Those  living  are  as  follows : 
Mary,  wife  of  Solomon  Belsley,  of  Roan- 
oke; Cordelia,  wife  of  William  Frederick, 
whose  sketch  appears  on  another  page  of  this 
volume;  William  D. ;  Alfred,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  carries  on  the  home  farm ;  Ellen ; 
John;  Dora;  Talbert  and  Christian,  all  at 


home  with  their  mother.  Since  her  hus- 
band's death  Mrs.  Hosher  has  built  a  com- 
modious and  pleasant  residence  in  Spring 
Bay,  where  she  now  resides,  while  her  sons 
operate  the  farm.  She  is  a  most  estimable 
lady  and  the  family  are  widely  and  favora- 
l)ly  known. 

Politically  Mr.  Hoshor  was  a  stanch 
Democrat,  but  never  a.spired  to  ofllice.  His 
career  was  ever  such  as  to  win  for  him  the 
confidence  and  respect  of  those  with  whom 
he  came  in  contact,  either  in  business  or  so- 
cial life,  and  he  well  deserved  the  high  re- 
gard in  which  he  was  uniformly  held. 


JACOB  J.  FAW. 

As  an  energetic  and  progressive  farmer 
Jacob  J.  Faw  has  been  actively  identified 
with  the  development  and  upbuilding  of 
\\'oodford  county  for  over  a  third  of  a  cen- 
tury, his  home  being  on  section  9,  Linn  town- 
ship, since  1862.  He  was  born  in  Monroe 
county,  Indiana,  August  22,  1832,  a  son  of 
Jacob  and  Mary  (Callaway)  Faw,  who  were 
born,  reared  and  married  in  North  Carolina. 
On  the  paternal  side  he  was  of  German  de- 
scent. He  has  one  uncle,  John  Faw,  who 
was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  His  ma- 
ternal ancestors  came  to  this  country  from 
England  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  war  and 
settled  in  Ashe  county.  North  Carolina. 
After  their  marriage  the  parents  of  our  sub- 
ject continued  to  reside  in  their  native  state 
for  a  time,  and  then  moved  to  Indiana,  where 
Jacob  J.  was  born,  but  in  1834  returned  to 
North  Carolina  and  located  on  the  farm 
which  they  had  previously  occupied,  making 
it  their  home  throughout  the  remainder  of 
their  lives.     The  father  was  a  farmer  and 


54S 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


stock  dealer  and  was  a  very  successful  man 
for  those  days.  In  religious  belief  both  he 
and  his  wife  were  Baptists,  and  his  father, 
Jacob  Faw,  was  a  minister  of  the  Dunkard, 
or  German  Baptist  church,  at  an  early  day. 
Our  subject's  maternal  grandfather,  Elijah 
Callaway,  took  a  very  active  and  prominent 
part  in  public  affairs  and  represented  his 
district  in  the  state  legislature  many  years. 

Of  the  twelve  children  born  to  Jacob  and 
]\Iary  (Callaway)  Faw,  two  died  in  infancy. 
The  others  were  Martin,  a  Confederate  sol- 
dier, who  died  from  disease  contracted  in 
camp;  Eli,  who  died  near  Jacksonville,  Illi- 
nois, while  moving  to  Missouri;  Noah,  who 
died  at  about  the  age  of  twenty-six  years; 
Reuben,  who  lives  at  home  in  Ashe  county. 
North  Carolina,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four ; 
Matilda,  deceased  wife  of  Alfred  Graypeel, 
of  North  Carolina;  Caroline,  deceased  wife 
of  Harvey  Johnson;  Jacob  J.,  our  subject; 
Mary  A.,  wife  of  Winston  Hartzog,  of 
North  Carolina;  Amos,  wlto  died  in  Mis- 
souri ;  and  Franklin,  a  resident  of  North 
Carolina.  Farming  has  been  the  principal 
occupation  of  the  family  and  all  have  been 
quite  successful. 

On  the  old  homestead  in  North  Carolina 
Jacob  J.  Faw  grew  to  manhood  and  he  ac- 
quired h-s  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  the  neighborhood.  In  1853  he  came  to 
Illinois  and  first  located  in  Fulton  county, 
where  he  found  employment  as  a  farm  hand. 
Whil  there  he  was  married,  in  1856,  to  Miss 
Drusilla  Barker,  who  was  born  in  that  coun- 
ty, August  19,  1835,  and  they  have  become 
the  parents  of  five  children :  Caroline  is  the 
wife  of  Pence  Coble,  of  Newton,  Kansas, 
and  they  now  have  one  child,  Ina.  Marvin, 
a  farmer  and  ex-assessor  of  Linn  township, 
Woodford  coun<:y,  Illinois,  is  married  and 
has  seven  children.     Reuben,  now  serving 


as  assessor  of  Linn  townshiiD,  is  married  and 
has  four  children.  Mary  is  the  wife  of 
Columbus  Raines,  of  Iowa.  Franklin  is  at 
home  assisting  his  father  in  the  farm  work. 
Mr.  Faw  operated  rented  land  in  Fulton 
county  for  eight  years,  and  in  1862  came  to 
Woodford  county  and  purchased  his  present 
place,  for  which  he  paid  ten  dollars  per  acre, 
although  there  were  no  improvements  upon 
the  place  at  that  time.  He  erected  buildings 
and  immediately  began  to  break  and  culti- 
vate the  land,  converting  it  into  a  most  de- 
sirable land.  Having  succeeded  in  his  new 
home  he  has  added  to  the  original  purchase 
and  now  owns  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land  on  section  9,  Linn  township.  He 
also  operates  another  tract  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  and  carries  on  general  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising  in  a  most  profitable 
manner.  He  has  given  his  children  good 
common  school  educations  and  has  always 
taken  an  active  interest  in  promoting  edu- 
cational affairs.  Politically  Mr.  Faw  is  a 
Republican, but  has  never  been  prevailed  upon 
to  accept  or  hold  public  office.  In  early  life 
he  and  his  wife  united  with  the  Baptist 
church  and  formerly  took  an  active  part  in 
religious  work. 


PROF.  BENJAMIN  J.  RADFORD. 

Professor  Benjamin  J.  Radford,  dean  of 
the  Bible  department  of  Eureka  College  and 
filling  the  chair  of  history  and  political  sci- 
ence in  the  College  of  Arts,  was  born  near 
the  present  city  of  Eureka,  December  23, 
1838.  His  parents,  Benjamin  and  Frances 
(Lawrence)  Radford,  were  both  natives  of 
Virginia  and  of  English  descent,  the  former 
boi-n  in  Buckingham  county,   in   1797,  the 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


549 


hitter  in  Louisa  county,  in  1804.  W'itli  their 
respective  parents  they  moved  to  Kentucky 
in  tlie  beginning  of  tiie  nineteenth  century, 
anti  were  married  in  Christian  count}-,  in 
1825.  The  grandfathers,  Benjamin  J.  Rad- 
ford and  James  Lawrence,  were  also  natives 
of  Virginia  and  farmers  by  occupation.  In 
1834  our  subject's  parents  came  to  IlHnois, 
and  located  near  Eureka,  in  what  was  then  a 
part  of  Tazewell  county,  but  is  now  Wood- 
ford county.  Here  the  father  purchased  a 
tract  of  government  land,  the  deed  for  which, 
signed  by  President  Van  Buren,  is  now 
possession  of  our  subject.  The  family  un- 
derwent many  hardships  and  privations  in- 
cident U)  pioneer  life,  having  to  go  a  long 
distance  to  market,  either  to  Peoria  or  Pekin. 
Meeting  with  success  in  his  new  home  the 
father  became  the  owner  of  several  hundred 
acres  of  land  and  was  quite  extensively  en- 
gaged in  farming.  He  was  one  of  the 
earliest  members  and  officers  of  the  Christian 
church,  of  Eureka,  and  gave  liberally  to  its 
support  and  to  the  building  of  both  the 
church  and  college.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
to  become  interested  in  the  latter  and  was  one 
of  the  charter  members  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees, which  erected  the  first  building.  He  re- 
mained a  member  of  the  board  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  September,  1857, 
and  at  that  time  was  also  serving  as  deacon 
and  treasurer  of  the  church.  Politically 
he  was  originally  a  Whig,  and  joined  the 
Republican  party  on  its  organization.  He 
was  an  anti-slavery  man,  but  not  an  aboli- 
tionist, and  left  Kentucky  on  account  of  the 
baneful  effect  of  slavery.  His  wife,  who 
was  a  quiet  member  of  the  church,  but  a 
true  Christian,  died  in  October,  1864. 

Professor  Radford  began  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  Woodford  county, 
and    later    attended  Eureka  College,   from 


which  he  was  graduated  in  1866,  but  in  the 
meantime  he  taught  two  district  schools  and 
also  served  his  county  for  three  years  as  a 
soldier  of  the  Civil  war.  In  May,  1861,  at 
the  President's  first  call  for  seventy-five 
thousand  men,  he  enlisted  in  Compan}'  G, 
Seventeenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
which  was  first  sent  to  St.  Louis  and  later 
to  St.  Charles,  Sulphur  Springs  and  Cape 
Girardeau,  being  on  the  march  the  most  of 
the  first  year.  In  the  spring  of  1862  they 
participated  in  the  battle  of  Fort  Donelson, 
followed  by  the  battles  of  Shiloh  and  Cor- 
inth and  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  where  they 
remained  during  the  winter  of  1863-4.  In 
June  of  the  latter  year  Professor  Radford 
returned  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  where  he 
was  mustered  out  with  the  rank  of  corporal. 
He  then  re-entered  college  and  was  gradu- 
ated in  1866. 

Having  prepared  for  the  ministry,  he 
engaged  in  preaching  until  the  fall  of  1870, 
one  year  as  pastor  of  the  Christian  church 
at  Niantic,  Macon  county,  Illinois,  where 
he  dedicated  a  new  church,  and  then  became 
connected  with  the  faculty  of  Eureka  Col- 
lege, holding  the  chair  of  Latin  and  history. 
In  1 88 1  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of 
a  (christian  church  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa, 
and  was  also  made  first  president  of  Drake 
LTniversity,  that  city,  filling  that  position 
until  the  fall  of- 1883,  when  he  returned  to 
Eureka  College  to  take  charge  of  the  Bible 
department.  He  was  also  pastor  of  the 
Christian  church  in  Eureka  until  1885,  when 
he  was  called  to  the  Richmond  Street  Chris- 
tian church  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  became 
associate  editor  of  the  Christian  Standard, 
which  position  he  still  holds.  In  1890  he 
was  made  pastor  of  the  Central  Christian 
church  at  Denver,  Colorado,  but  two  years 
later  returned  to  Eureka  College  and  has 


550 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


since  been  connected  with  the  Bible  depart- 
ment. He  was  elected  dean  in  1898,  and 
also  fills  the  chair  of  histor}'  and  political 
science.  For  the  past  eight  years  he  has 
been  the  owner  of  the  "Eureka  Journal,"  and 
is  quite  prominently  identified  with  public 
affairs.  He  is  a  man  of  thoughtful,  earnest 
purpose,  of  strong  intellectual  endowments, 
of  broad  charity  and  kindly  nature,  and  by 
all  denominations,  as  well  as  his  own  peo- 
ple, is  held  in  the  highest  regard. 

On  the  15th  of  November,  1864,  Pro- 
fessor Radford  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Rosa  Alagarity,  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam S.  Alagarity,  the  first  sheriff  of  ^^■ood- 
ford  county  and  captain  of  Company  A, 
Eighty-sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
during  the  Civil  war.  They  have  a  family 
of  eight  children,  namely :  Sadie,  now  Mrs. 
A\'ilson,  of  Cincinnati ;  William  M.,  mana- 
ger of  the  "Eureka  Journal ;"  Charles  T.,  pas- 
tor of  the  Christian  church  at  Blackwell, 
Oklahoma;  Nora,  at  home;  Florence,  now 
Mrs.  Grifiith,  of  Eureka;  Benjamin  ].,  Jr., 
Theta  and  Lawrence,  all  at  home. 


GEORGE  HERMAN  ^^'ILLEAIS. 

^^'hile  some  men's  lives  are  quietly  and 
peacefully  spent  within  the  inflences  of  a 
home,  others  meet  with  adventures  in  the 
course  of  their  lives  which  read  almost  like 
a  romance.  Bold  and  adventurous,  they 
penetrate  into  unknown  lands,  and  meet  un- 
known dangers.  Among  the  latter  class  is 
the  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch.  For  several  years  he  traveled  ex- 
tensively over  the  world,  but  is  now  living  a 
more  quiet  life  in  Roanoke,  Illinois,  where 
he  is  succesfully  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  tile  and  brick. 


Mr.  ^^'illems  was  burn  in  Greetsiel.  near 
Emden,  Germany,  July,  12,  1866,  and  was 
educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land. 
At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  went  to  \\'itten- 
berg,  where  he  ser\"ed  an  apprenticeship  to 
the  machinist's  trade  for  nearly  three  years, 
Init  on  account  of  ill  health  was  forced  to 
abandon  the  shop  before  his  time  expired. 
He  then  returned  home  and  remained  there 
until  his  health  was  restored.  He  next 
went  to  sea  as  steward  on  the  North  German 
Lloyd  line,  sailing  from  Bremen  to  Antwerp, 
and  from  there  to  Lisbon,  Portugal;  the  La 
I'alnias  Islands,  St.  Vincent  Island,  Rio 
Janeiro,  Brazil  and  Santos,  returning  thence 
to  Bremen  the  same  way.  He  next  went 
to  Argentine  Republic,  and  made  fourteen 
trips  on  the  Elbe,  which  was  subsequently 
sunk  in  a  collision..  On  the  last  trip  with 
the  North  German  Lloyd  line  he  visited  all 
the  countries  on  the  east  coast  of  South 
America.  He  was  next  employed  as  fire- 
man on  the  railroad  for  a  short  time  in  Ar- 
gentine Republic.  Later  he  went  to  Pata- 
gonia, from  there  to  the  Bahama  Islands, 
then  Buenas  Ayres  to  Valparaiso,  Chili,  over 
the  Los  Andens.  For  a  time  he  worked  in 
a  saltpeter  mine  at  the  Pampas,  and  from 
there  went  to  Peru,  where  he  boarded  an 
American  vessel  for  the  first  time,  remaining 
on  her  for  two  years.  She  stopped  at  Port 
Townsend  and  IMelbourne,  Australia,  then 
went  to  New  Castle,  Sidney,  Port  Piere, 
Australia,  and  from  there  to  San  Francisco. 
He  has  also  been  in  Japan  and  China.  For 
a  time  Mr.  Willems  was  connected  with  the 
coast  trade  between  San  Francisco  and  Ore- 
gon, and  then  worked  in  Logan  Camp,  near 
Seattle,  W'ashington,  for  a  few  months, 
after  which  he  returned  to  sea.  His  last 
trip  was  on  a  five-mast  schooner,  the  Gov- 
ernor Ames,  which  carried  over  one  million 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


551 


I 


feet  of  lumber  from  Seattle  around  the  Horn 
to  Liverpool,  England. 

Alter  visiting-  his  old  home  in  Germany, 
Mr.  W'illenis  then  came  to  America,  landing 
in  New  York.  August  2^,  1894.  He  first  wenr 
to  Baltimore,  Maryland,  where  he  remained 
a  short  time,  but  later  in  the  same  year  came 
to  Secor,  Woodford  county,  Illinois,  where 
he  was  employed  in  a  tile  factory  for  about 
two  years.  In  1898  he  began  the  manu- 
facture of  brick  and  tile  in  Eureka  on  his 
own  account,  and  in  1899  moved  his  machin- 
ery from  that  place  to  Roanoke,  where  he 
has  since  successfully  carried  on  business, 
furnishing  employment  to  from  six  to  eleven 
hands.  He  uses  the  refuse  shale  and  fire 
clay  from  the  mines  at  this  place,  and  manu- 
factures all  kinds  of  paving  and  building 
brick,  roof  and  drain  tile.  He  is  a  wide- 
awake, energtic  business  man,  and  has  al- 
ready met  with  substantial  success  in  his 
new  undertaking. 

In  1899  Mr.  W'illenis  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Ida  Feen,  a  daughter  of 
John  Eeen,  of  Roanoke.  Mr.  Willems  is  a 
very  intelligent,  well-informed  man,  and  is 
able  to  speak  several  languages,  including 
English.  Norwegian.  Spanish,  low  and  high 
German.  As  a  business  man  he  is  upright 
and  honorable  in  all  his  dealings,  and  is  held 
in  high  regard  by  tiie  people  of  his  com- 
niunitw 


(;akmer  kleex. 

(iarnier  Kleen.  nnw  living  retired  from 
the  arduinis  labors  to  which  he  has  been  ac- 
customed throughout  life,  is  a  worthy  e.x- 
ample  of  the  patriotic  German-. \nierican 
citizen.  His  career  in  this  country,  where 
he  arrived  a  poor  youth,  unfriended  and  with 
little  means,  a  stranger  to  the  language  and 


customs  of  our  people,  possesses  much  of  in- 
terest and  ins))iration  to  the  younger  gen- 
erations. 

The  birth  of  Gamier  Kleen,  one  nf  the 
prominent  farmers  of  Woodford  county, 
occurred  in  Ciermany,  December  3,  1838. 
His  father,  II.  Kleen,  born  in  1789,  de- 
parted this  life  in  1852,  and  the  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Jane  Struck,  died 
in  Germany  when  in  her  seventy-third  year, 
in  1872.  They  reared  seven  children,  and 
oi  these  our  sul)ject  alone  left  the  Father- 
land. Henry  died,  unmarried,  \\hen  about 
forty  years  old;  Luban  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty  and  left  a  wife  and  one  child:  Elliott 
departed  this  life  wlien  in  his  thirty-ninth 
year,  and  Ihulj,  who  died  at  sixty-three, 
left  a  family  to  mourn  his  loss :  Rinste  is 
the  wife  oi  George  UphofY,  a  (ierman  farm- 
er, and  Etie,  wife  of  Henry  Schultz,  also  re- 
^ides  in  Germany. 

From  his  boyhood,  Gariner  Kleen  has 
been  devoted  to  agricultural  pursuits.  In 
1856  he  embarked  on  a  sailing  vessel  bound 
for  the  United  States,  and  at  the  end  of  a 
four-weeks  voyage  arrived  in  Xew  York 
city.  Thence  he  proceeded  to  Peoria,  and 
later  went  to  Pekin,  where  he  found  em- 
pk)yment  in  a  brickyard.  At  the  end  of  a 
year  or  more  he  rented  some  land  and  in 
dustriously  set  about  its  cultivation.  W'lien 
he  had  made  a  good  beginning,  he  bought 
eighty  acres  of  land  in  Woodford  county, 
and  from  time  to  time,  as  his  means  per- 
mitted, made  additional  investments  in 
farmlands.  Xow,  in  his  declining  years,  he 
(.wns  upwards  of  thirteen  hundred  acres  of 
v.  ell  improved  property,  about  seven  hundred 
acres  being  located  in  Clay  county  and  the 
remainder  in  Woodford  and  Henry  counties. 
"Diligence  in  business"  has  been  the  prime 
factor  in  his  unusual  success,  and  his  indus- 


552 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


try  has  been  no  more  marked  than  his  in- 
tegrity and  sterling  justice.  Thus  those  wlio 
are  life-long  acquaintances  of  his  rejoice  in 
the  prosperity  which  crowned  his  toil,  and  no 
one  envies  his  good  fortune. 

In  1868  Mr.  Kleen  married  Dora  Kalk- 
warf,  who  died  within  two  years,  as  also  did 
their  little  one.  In  1872  our  subject  chose 
Trinche  Johnson,  a  native  of  Germany,  for 
2.  wife,  and  after  twelve  years  of  happy  wed- 
ded life  she  was  summoned  to  the  home 
beyond.  She  was  about  forty  years  of  age, 
and  for  a  long  time  had  been  a  faithful 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  Harmon, 
their  eldest  child,  is  unmarried,  and  is  a 
farmer  of  Henry  county,  Illinois,  and  Jane 
keeps  house  for  him.  Reka,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Harmon  Kelm,  has  two  sons.  Otto 
and  Garmer.  The  younger  children  are 
Gretje,  Henry,  Dorothea  and  Jettie.  In  1885 
Mr.  Kleen  married  Teelka,  daughter  of 
Klaas  Frederichs,  and  three  children  bless 
this  union,  namely :  Klaas,  Garmer  and 
Freadrig. 

In  his  home  Mr.  Kleen  is  kind  and  af- 
fectionate, and  it  is  a  great  pleasure  to  him 
to  provide  his  dear  ones  with  all  the  essen- 
tials to  their  comfort  and  happiness.  With 
his  wife  he  is  identified  with  the  Lutheran 
church,  and  contributes  liberally  to  religious 
work.  Quietly  he  has  pursued  the  pathway 
of  right,  as  far  as  he  knew  it,  and  undoubt- 
edly his  influence  has  ever  been  salutary  and 
wholesome  in  his  community  . 


WILLIAM    H.  BOCOCK. 

There  is  probably  no  man  in  Washburn 
wider  or  more  favorably  known  than  Will- 
iam H.  Bocock,  who  has  made  his  home  in 
Woodford   county  since   1852,   and   is  rec- 


ognized as  one  of  the  important  factors  in 
its  progress  and  development.  For  many 
}ears  he  was  actively  identified  with  its  ag- 
ricultural and  business  interests,  but  has  now 
laid  aside 'all  business  cares  and  is  enjoying 
the  fruits  of  former  toil. 

Mr.  Bocock  was  born  in  Highland  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  March  12,  1835,  and  is  a  son  of 
George  W.  and  Martha  (Adams)  Bocock, 
natives  of  Virginia  and  Ohio,  respectively. 
In  1836  they  brought  their  family  to  Illi- 
nois and  first  located  in  Fulton  county,  where 
the  father  took  up  land  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  1852,  when  he  removed  to  Wood- 
ford county,  settling  on  a  tract  of  govern- 
ment land  in  Linn  township,  which  he  im- 
proved and  transformed  into  a  good  farm. 
There  he  died  in  1875,  his  wife  in  1863, 
honored  and  respected  liy  all  who  knew 
them.  To  this  worthy  couple  were  born 
ten  children,  as  follows :  Mrs.  Ellen  John- 
son, of  Canton,  Illinois ;  Hannah,  who  died 
in  Benson,  ^^'oodford  county;  Mrs.  Sarah 
Spencer,  of  Fairljury,  Illinois ;  Melissa,  who 
died  in  Fulton  county  ;  John,  who  served  one 
year  as  a  member  of  Companj'  H,  Eleventh 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  during  the 
Civil  war,  and  died  in  Linn  township, 
\\'oodford  county,  in  1874;  jNIrs.  JNIartha 
Rann,  of  Fairfield,  Iowa;  ]\Irs.  Melissa 
Fisher,  of  Nebraska;  Joseph,  who  enlisted 
at  Minonk  in  the  Forty-seventh  Illinois  Reg- 
iment and  died  in  the  service,  at  Jefferson 
City,  Missouri,  in  1862;  Maria,  who  died  in 
Fulton  count}^  Illinois;  and  William  H.,  of 
this  re\'iew. 

William  H.  Bocock  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Fulton  county,  and  in  1852  came  to 
Woodford  county.  He  was  successfully  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Linn  township  until 
1885,  when  he  moved  to  Washburn  and  em- 
barked in  the  agricultural  implement  busi- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


553 


ness,  wliich  lie  carried  on  for  six  years,  but 
since  that  time  has  lived  a  retired  life. 

At  Canton,  Fulton  county,  Mr.  Bocock 
was  married,  November  30,  1865,  to  Miss 
Julia  Johnson,  a  daughter  of  Richard  and 
Katie  (Fouts)  Johnson,  the  former  a  native 
of  Norath  Carolina,  the  later  of  Virginia. 
They  were  among  the  pioneers  of  Fulton 
county,  having  located  there  when  the  In- 
dians were  far  more  numerous  in  that  locality 
than  the  white  settlers,  and  there  the  father 
developed  and  improved  a  farm.  Both  parents 
died  in  that  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bocock 
have  three  children :  Mrs.  Ida  Bird,  a  res- 
ident of  Aspen,  Colorado;  Stephen,  who  is 
married  and  lives  in  Washburn,  Illinois;  and 
Mrs.  Cora  Streeper,  of  Fairbury,  this  state. 

Mr.  Bocock  joined  the  boys  in  blue  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war,  enlisting  at  Minonk,  in 
September,  1861,  serving  for  three  }'ears  or 
during  the  w-ar,  as  a  member  of  Company 
H,  Seventy-seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. He  was  mustered  into  the  United 
States  service  at  Peoria,  where  the  regiment 
was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  West,  and 
participated  in  many  engagements,  includ- 
ing si.xteen  regular  battles,  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg,  Mobile,  Fort  Morgan  and 
'  Blakesly,  and  the  Red  river  expedition.  At 
Vicksburg  he  received  a  gunshot  wound 
and  was  also  injured  by  the  e.xplosion  of  a 
shell.  The  war  having  ended  and  his  serv- 
ices being  no  longer  needed,  he  was  honor- 
ably discharged  at  Mobile,  July  10.  186^, 
and  returned  to  his  home  in  \\'oodford  coun- 
ty, rie  is  ni)w  an  Ik  mured  member  of 
Woodruff  Post,  No.  321,  G.  .\.  R.,  and  by 
his  ballot  he  supports  the  men  and  measures 
of  the  Republican  party.  He  also  belongs 
to  Washburn  Lodge,  No.  421,  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.       In    all  of   life's   relations   he   has 


been  fiiund  true  to  every  trust  reposctl  in 
him,  and  his  patriotism  and  loyalty  tn  coun- 
try has  never  been  doubted. 


FR.\NK  !•:.  LEARNED. 

This  well  known  and  poi)ular  druggist 
and  the  present  mayor  of  Benson,  Illinois, 
is  a  native  of  Woodford  county,  burn  in 
Clayton  township,  June  8,  1862,  and  is  a  son 
oi  Frank  D.  and  Rosa  (Fisher)  Learned, 
natives  of  New  Hampshire  and  \'ermont, 
respectively.  Our  sul)ject's  paternal  grand- 
parents, Harvey  and  Elvira  (Derby)  Lear- 
ned, were  also  natives  of  New  Hami)shire, 
and  the  former  was  a  farmer  by  occui)ation 
and  a  man  of  considerable  influence  in  his 
community.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  na- 
tional convention  that  nominated  General 
William  H.  Harrison  for  president,  and  cast 
his  last  vote  for  that  gentleman's  grandson, 
Benjamin  Harrison.  He  lived  to  the  ad- 
\anced  age  of  ninety-three  years. 

In  1855  our  subject's  father,  Frank  D. 
Learned,  came  to  Illinois,  having  previously 
taught  school  in  New  Hampshire  and  Mas- 
srchusetts  and  for  two  years  in  Delaware. 
In  this  state  he  workcil  as  a  farm  hand  at 
Lee  Center,"  Lee  county,  for  three  years,  and 
for  the  same  length  of  time  was  similarly 
employed  in  Woodford  county.  He  then 
purchased  eighty  acres  of  railroad  land  on 
section  18,  Clayton  township,  where  he  made 
his  home  until  1873,  when  he  moved  to  Ben- 
son, becoming  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the 
village,  and  serving  as  the  first  postmaster, 
which  office  he  held  for  nine  years.  He  es- 
tablished a  drug  store  and  carried  it  on  un- 
til 1888.  when  he  sold  out  to  our  subject, 
and   for  a   time  engaged   in   the   b"tcl   and 


554 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


livery  business,  but  for  the  past  four  years 
lias  lived  a  retired  life  in  Los  Angeles,  Cal- 
ifornia. As  a  Republican  he  has  always  taken 
an  actix-e  interest  in  political  affairs;  has 
l.)een  a  delegate  to  count}',  tlistrict  and  state 
con\'entions,  and  in  1888  was  an  alternate 
delegate  to  the  national  convention  of  his 
party.  He  has  filled  many  local  offices,  for 
thirty-fix'e  _\'ears,  such  as  justice  of  the  peace 
and  notary  public,  and  was  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful and  progressi\-e  men  of  Benson.  Re- 
ligiously he  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  On  the  loth  of  October, 
1 86 1,  he  married  Rosa  Fisher,  and  to  them 
were  born  three  children :  Frank  E.,  our 
subject;  Grant  S.,  who  married  Arvilla  Cole- 
man and  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Marshall 
county,  Illinois;  and  Lydia  C.  who  died  at 
the  age  of  six  years  in  Delaware,  October 
I,   1876. 

Frank  E.  Learned  began  his  education  in 
the  home  schools,  and  later  attended  Eureka 
College,  at  Eureka,  and  Wesleyan  College,  at 
Bloomington,  Illinois,  taking  a  classical 
course.  After  one  year  spent  at  the  latter  in- 
stitution he  returned  home  and  entered  his 
father's  drug  store,  where  he  took  up  the 
study  (^f  pharmacy.  In  1888  he  purchased 
the  store,  and  has  since  carried  it  on  with 
marked  success.  He  carries  a  full  line  of 
drugs,  paints,  wall  paper,  books,  stationery 
and  no\-elties,  and  is  enjoving  a  good  trade. 

On  the  8th  of  .May,  1888,  Mr,  Learned 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mattie 
Hu.xtable,  also  a  nati\-e  of  Woodford  county. 
His  father,  James  Huxtable,  who  was  born 
in  England,  took  up  his  residence  here  in 
1854,  and  was  successfully  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Greene  township  until  1886,  when  he 
remo\-ed  to  Benson  and  li\'ed  retired  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  September, 
1894.     He  was  a  large  land  owner  and  left 


his  family  in  comfortable  circumstances.  His 
widow  is  still  living  in  Benson.  Of  their 
fifteen -children,  Mrs.  Learned  is  the  eleventh 
in  order  of  birth.  Our  subject  and  his  wife 
ha\e  two  children  :  Dana  H.  and  Elsie  T., 
both  attending  the  home  schools.  The  par- 
ents are  both  active  members  of  the  Aleth- 
odist  Episcopal  church  and  teachers  in  the 
Sunday  school,  and  I\Ir.  Learned  is  also 
a  trustee  of  the  church. 

He  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for 
James  G.  Blaine  in  1884,  and  has  always  af- 
filiated with  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  township  central  committee 
and  has  been  a  delegate  to  numerous  conven- 
tions. Since  attaining  his  majority  he  has 
taken  an  active  interest  in  local  aft'airs  and 
has  filled  various  offices,  serving  as  li.iwn 
clerk  three  years;  postmaster  of  Bensor.  five 
vears  from  1889;  village  trustee  six  years; 
and  in  1900  was  elected  mayor,  which  office 
he  is  now  filling  in  a  most  creditable  and  sat- 
isfactorv  manner. 


JAMES  CASTXER  IR\TXG. 

There  are  few  men  in  ]\Ietamora  in  the 
past  decade  who  have  dmie  more  for  its  com- 
mercial interests  and  its  growth  and  devel- 
opment than  the  gentleman  whose  name  in- 
troduces this  sketch.  He  has  cheerfully 
given  his  support  to  those  enterprises  that 
tend  to  public  advancement  and,  with 
hardl}-  an  exception,  he  has  been  connected 
with  e\ery  interest  that  has  promoted  gen- 
eral welfare. 

A  native  of  Woodford  county,  Mr.  Ir- 
\ing  was  liorn  in  Metamora,  December  10, 
1850,  and  by  his  many  friends  in  this  vi- 
cinitx'    he    is    familiarlv  known  as   "Cass," 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


555 


His  father.  David  Irving',  was  born 
ill  Somerset  county,  Xew  Jersey,  in 
1820,  and  was  a  son  of  James  Irving,  a 
native  of  the  same  count}',  and  grandson  of 
Daniel  Irving,  who  was  born  in  Scotland 
and  came  to  the  new  world  in  ciilonial  days, 
lieing  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Somerset 
county.  Xew  Jersey,  where  in  the  midst  of 
the  wilderness  lie  made  for  his  family  a 
home.  He  was  a  commissioned  oflicer  in  a 
Xew  Jersey  regiment  in  the  colonial  wars, 
and  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  one  hun- 
tlred  years.  Our  suliject's  grandfather. 
James  Irving,  a  carpenter,  joiner  and  farmer 
of  Somerset  county,  died  at  the  age  of 
ninety. 

In  his  native  state  David  Irving  grew 
to  manhiind  and  learned  the  brickmason's 
trade,  which  he  followed  there  for  several 
years.  In  1839  he  came  to  Illinois  and  first 
Iccateil  at  Jacksonville,  where  he  worked  at 
his  trade,  assisting  in  the  erection  of  a  nuni- 
lier  of  business  houses  and  public  buildings, 
including  the  deaf  and  dumb  asylum.  In 
1844  he  contracted  to  build  the  court  house 
at  ^letamora  and  so  came  to  Woodford 
county,  where  he  started  a  brickyard,  manu- 
facturing the  brick  used  in  its  construction. 
This  building  was  used  as  a  court  house  for 
over  half  a  century,  or  until  the  county  seat 
was  moved  to  Eureka,  and  is  now  the  Met- 
aiiiora  opera  house.  As  a  contractor  and 
builder  David  Irving'  was  one  of  the  lead- 
ing Inisiness  men  of  the  place  for  some  years, 
and  did  much  toward  improving  and  devel- 
oping Woodford  county.  He  was  called 
upon  to  serve  his  fellow  citizens  in  numer- 
ous positions  of  trust  and  responsibility,  in- 
cluding the  office  of  sheriff.  Politically  he 
was  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  men  and  meas- 
ures of  the  Democratic  ])arty.  He  died  in 
^letamora,  June  6,   1898,  honored  and  re- 


spected by  all  who  knew  him.  He  married 
iliss  Esther  E.  Perry,  a  native  of  Chester 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  a  daughter  of 
Benjamin  F.  Perry.  By  this  union  were 
born  three  children  who  reached  years  of 
maturity!  namely:  Percival,  who  died  at  his 
home  in  Metamora ;  Eugene  Douglas,  a 
farmer  of  \\'ortli  township.  Woodford  coun- 
ty; and  James  Castner,  our  subject. 

James  C.  Irving  received  his  primary  ed- 
ucation in  the  common  schools  of  Metamora 
and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  began  his  busi- 
ness career  as  a  clerk  in  the  g-rocery  store 
of  James  F.  Earl,  where  he  was  employed  for 
several  years.  Later  he  attended  the  pre- 
paratory department  of  Eureka  College  dur- 
irig  the  fall  and  winter  terms  for  two  years, 
struggling  to  support  himself  and  pay  his 
way  by  wijrking  at  anything  which  he  could 
find  to  do,  sawing  wood  after  night  to  pay 
for  a  set  of  bookkeeping  books.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1869  he  returned  to  Metamora  and 
for  two  years  was  employed  as  clerk  in  the 
grocery  store  of  C.  Rohman.  In  October, 
1871,  he  commenced  work  for  Fisher  &  Gib- 
son, under  the  direction  of  John  F.  Fuller, 
an  exjjert  abstractor  of  titles,  to  prepare  a 
complete  set  of  abstract  books  of  Woodford 
county,  but  the  firm  soon  failed,  and  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1872,  he  entered  the  office  of  the 
"Woodford  Sentinel,"  where  he  began  at  the 
bottom,  learned  the  jirinter's  trade  and 
worked  his  way  upward  until  he  became 
foreman  of  the  office,  having  full  charge  of 
the  local  department  until  i88o.  when  he  ac- 
cepted the  position  of  deputy  circuit  clerk, 
serving  as  such  eight  years  and  becoming 
thoroughly  familiar  with  the  duties  of  the 
ofiice.  He  was  then  elected  circuit  clerk  by 
the  largest  majority  ever  given  a  county 
officer  in  Woodford  county,  and  filled  that 
position  in  a  most  creditable  and  satisfac- 


556 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


tory  manner  for  four  years.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  he  refused  to  become  a  candidate 
for  re-election  though  urged  to  do  so.  He 
was  then  appointed  master  in  chancery,  a  po- 
sition he  held  for  the  same  length  of  time, 
and  could  have  been  holding  yet  so  far  as  his 
ability  to  perform  the  work  was  concerned 
and  the  endorsement  of  the  bar  could  have 
prevailed,  never  having  been  overruled  in 
any  of  his  decisions  and  having  been  fully 
sustained  by  the  supreme  court  in  every  im- 
portant case  after  most  desperate  strug- 
gles on  the  part  of  eminent  attorneys.  In 
1892  Mr.  Irving  embarked  in  the  real  estate 
and  loan  business,  in  which  he  has  met  with 
remarkable  success,  and  to  which  he  now 
gives  his  entire  time  and  attention. 

On  the  nth  of  January,  1877,  Mr.  Irv- 
ing was  united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Carrie 
S.  Kern,  a  daughter  of  F.  F.  and  Caroline 
(Starrett)  Hirsch,  of  Metamora.  She  was 
born  in  Suncook,  New  Hampshire,  but  was 
reared  and  educated  in  Woodford  county, 
Illinois. 

Politically  Mr.  Irving  is  a  stanch  Demo- 
crat, and  an  active  worker  for  his  party's 
interests.  During  the  fight  for  the  removal  of 
the  county  seat  to  Eureka  he  stood  firmly  by 
his  native  township,  and  in  the  territory  as- 
signed to  him  did  effective  work,  as  the  vote 
still  shows.  On  its  removal  he  said  to  a  few 
friends  who  met  him  after  the  final  decision 
had  been  made :  "Well,  boys,  there  is  no 
use  ti.1  crv ;  it  has  gone;  now  let  us  put  our 
shoulders  to  the  wheel  and  give  old  Meta- 
mora a  boom  and  we  can  have  a  good  town 
yet."  Mr.  Irving  is  accredited  as  father  of 
the  water  works  of  Metamora,  having  been 
the  original  agitator  of  the  system  for  fire 
protection  and  drawing  the  plans  for  the 
same,  which  he  furnished  free  of  cost  to 
the  town.     For  four    successive    terms    he 


served  as  mayor  and  never  were  the  reins  of 
city  government  in  more  capable  hands,  for 
he  is  pre-eminently  public-spirited  and  pro- 
gressive, and  gives  his  support  to  all  meas- 
ures for  the  public  good.  In  July,  1900,  he 
was  unanimously  appointed  supervisor  of 
his  township  to  succeed  D.  M.  Owen,  de- 
ceased, and  is  now  acceptably  filling  that  of- 
fice. He  is  one  of  the  best  posted  men  of 
the  town,  and  as  a  genial,  pleasant  gentle- 
man, he  has  become  one  of  its  most  popu- 
lar citizens.  He  has  a  large  collection  of 
minerals,  petrifications,  Indian  relics  and  va- 
rious other  curiosities  in  his  office,  and  this 
museum  of  interest  is  open  and  free  to  all. 


S.  H.  WORTHINGTON. 

Among  the  prominent  business  men  of 
El  Paso  is  numbered  S.  H.  Worthington,  a 
leading  dry  goods  merchant  of  tat  place. 
He  was  born  in  Brooke  county,  ^\'est  Vir- 
ginia. August  23,  1842,  and  is  a  son  of  Rev. 
S.  G.  J.  and  Mary  (Hedges)  Worthington, 
natives  of  Maryland  and  ^'irginia,  respect- 
ivelv.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Nicholas 
Worthington,  was  also  a  native  of  Mary- 
land and  a  planter  by  occupation.  He  moved 
to  West  Virginia  when  his  son  was  about 
ten  years  old  and  located  in  Brooke  coun- 
tv,  where  the  latter  grew  to  manhood.  He 
received  a  good  collegiate  education  and  at 
an  early  day  entered  the  ministrty  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  to  which  he  de- 
voted fifty  years  of  his  life.  He  was  pastor 
of  churches  in  Allegheny,  Pennsylvania,  and 
\\'heeling,  ^^'est  A^irginia,  and  was  presiding 
elder  of  a  district  in  the  former  state,  his 
residence  being  at  Clarksburg.  In  1857  he 
came  west  and  first  located  in  Tazewell  coun- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


557 


ty.  Illinois.  He  was  the  pastor  of  the  First 
Methodist  church  of  Rock  Island  two  years, 
and  later  of  the  First  church  in  Peoria,  after 
which  he  preached  in  Geneseo.  Oniarg^a  and 
other  places  in  the  state.  He  was  a  presid- 
ing elder  for  eight  years  in  the  Central  Illi- 
nois conference,  and  as  a  su]>eranuated 
preacher  lived  retired  the  last  two  years  of 
his  life  at  El  Paso,  where  he  died  Septem- 
ber 29.  1883,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years.  His  wife  survived  him  some  time, 
dying  December  22,  1895.  at  the  age  of 
eighty-nine  years.  In  politics  he  was  a  Re- 
publican. 

To  this  worthy  couple  were  born  seven 
children,  and  all  but  one  reached  years  of 
maturity.  N.  E.,  a  resident  of  Peoria,  has 
served  as  judge  of  the  circuit  court  and  a 
member  of  congress  two  terms,  and  is  one  of 
the  best  known  men  of  Illinois.  He  mar- 
ried Elizal>eth  Fouchs  and  they  have  fi\e 
children.  Jennie  married  J.  W.  Coates,  and 
died  in  Clearwater,  Minnesota,  at  the  age  of 
thirty  years,  leaving  four  children.  S.  II.. 
our  subject,  is  next  in  order  of  birth.  Hilary 
E.  is  the  wife  of  George  E.  Hubbel,  a  lead- 
ing attorney  of  Davenport,  Iowa.  Emma 
L.  is  the  wife  of  George  Cunningham,  of 
Mannington,  ^\'est  Virginia.  Ella  died  in 
Genesee,  Illinois,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years. 

Our  subject  was  educated  in  the  high 
schools  of  Peoria.  The  Civil  war  having 
broken  out,  he  entered  the  army  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years,  enlisting  in  Company  C.  For- 
ty-seventh Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  under 
Captain  J.  D.  McClure  and  Colonel  John 
Bryner.  The  regiment  was  mustered  into 
the  United  States  service  at  Springfield,  in 
September,  1862,  and  assigned  to  the  Army 
of  the  Mississippi.  They  went  first  to  St. 
Louis,  and  from  there  to  Jefferson  City, 
where   they    remained    until   the   spring  of 


1863,  \\hen  the}-  went  to  Ottcrville  and  from 
there  to  St.  Charles,  Mis.souri.  Taking  the 
boat  they  proceeded  to  Pittsburg  Landing, 
and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Corinth,  where 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Miles  was  killed.  The 
summer  was  spent  in  Mississippi,  during 
which  time  they  participated  in  the  second 
battle  of  Corinth  and  the  siege  of  Vicks- 
burg.  They  were  with  Banks  in  his  expe- 
dition up  the  Red  river,  and  took  part  in 
the  battle  of  luka.  On  transports  they  went 
to  Xachez.  and  in  the  spring  of  1864  took 
part  in  the  engagements  at  Big  Black  river 
and  Jackson,  Mississippi.  During  the  siege 
of  \^icksburg  Mr.  Worthington's  brigade 
dug  a  canal  around  that  city.  His  term  of 
enlistment  having  e.xpired,  he  returned  to 
Memphis,  where  he  was  mustered  out,  and 
was  discharged  at  Springfield,  Ililnois,  in 
September,  1865.  During  his  last  year  he 
scrxx'd  as  quartermaster's  clerk  under  Bri- 
gade Quartermaster  Thomas  Pickerell,  of 
General  J.  A.  Mower's  brigade. 

;\fter  his  return  to  civil  life  Mr.  Worth- 
ingttin  tausrht  the  Deer  Creek  school.  Taze- 
well county,  and  the  Mossville  school,  Peoria 
county.  In  the  fall  of  1867  he  moved  to  a 
farm  in  I"-l  Paso  township,  Woodford  coun- 
ty, belonging  to  his  father,  and  operated  the 
place  one  year.  He  entered  the  emjjloy  of  J. 
P.  Ferrell,  at  El  Paso,  and  worked  for  him 
three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  lime  lie  went 
to  Fort  Worth,  Texas,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  tiie  hotel  business  one  year.  On  his 
return  north  he  engaged  in  farming  near 
Onarga.  Illinois,  one  year  and  from  there 
went  to  Wichita,  Kansas,  where  he  fol- 
lowed the  same  pursuit  one  year.  Dis- 
posing of  his  property  there  he  returned  to 
El  Paso,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  notion 
business  for  eight  years  in  partnership  with 
R.  C.  Springgate,  under  the  firm  name  of 


558 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


S.  H.  W'orthington  &  Company.  On  account 
of  ill  health  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  busi- 
ness to  S.  M.  Ferrell  and  went  to  Colorado, 
where  he  carried  on  the  real  estate  business 
one  year.  Since  then  he  has  made  his  home 
uninterruptedly  in  El  Paso,  and  has  engaged 
in  the  dry  goods  business  alone,  occupying 
a  double  store  room  and  carr^-ing  a  large  and 
well-selected  stock  of  merchandise.  lie  is  a 
wide-awake,  progressive  business  man,  and 
is  meeting  with  excellent  success. 

January  20,  1869.  Mr.  Worthington  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Sadie  M.  Fer- 
rell. who  died  eighteen  months  later.  Their 
only  child.  George,  died  in  infancy.  For  his 
second  wife  Mr.  Worthington  married  Miss 
Jennie  Carleton,  a  native  o'^  Connecticut,  and 
a  daughter  of  F.  W.  Carleton,  who  died  in 
El  Paso.  By  this  union  were  born  two  chil- 
dren, Helen  and  Major  Henry,  both  grad- 
uates of  the  El  Paso  high  school.  The 
daughter  is  now  a  trained  nurse  and  was 
with  the  army  at  Chickamauga,  but  is  now 
at  home.  The  son  completed  a  four  years' 
course  at  the  Xorthwestern  ■Medical  Col- 
lege, in  Chicago,  in  igoo. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Worthington  are  both  act- 
ive members  of  the  T\Iethodist  Episcopal 
church,  iif  which  he  has  been  a  trustee  for 
many  years,  and  he  is  also  connected  with  S. 
T.  Rogers  Post,  No.  531.  G.  A.  R.,  of  which 
he  is  senior  past  commander.  Since  casting 
his  first  presidential  vote  for  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, he  has  affiliated  witli  the  Republican 
party,  but  has  never  cared  for  political  hon- 
ors. 


CHARLES  H.  GISH. 

The  subject  of  this  personal  narration 
is  one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  public- 
spirited  citizens  of  Roanoke,  of  which  thriv- 


ing village  he  is  now  efficiently  serving  as 
mayor  and  also  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board.  He  is  a  native  of  Woodford  county, 
born  in  Roanoke  township,  south  of  the  vil- 
lage, .\pril  27,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  George 
W.  and  Sarah  Jane  (Ruddell)  (iish.  lj(}th 
natives  of  Roanoke,  Virginia.  In  1850  they 
came  to  Illinois  and  took  up  their  residence 
alxuit  one  mile  south  of  the  present  town  of 
Roanoke,  where  the  father  pre-empted  a  tract 
of  government  land  on  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  21,,  Roanoke  township,  for  which 
he  paid  a  dollar  and  a  quarter  per  acre.  He 
was  one  of  the  early  settlers  from  Roanoke, 
Virginia,  who  gave  to  the  township  its  name. 
Here  he  followed  farming  for  many  years, 
but  in  i8go  sold  his  place  and  moved  to 
( ireene  township,  where  he  made  his  hume 
until  called  from  this  life,  October,  1894.  For 
forty  jrears  he  served  as  a  minister  of  the 
United  Brethren  church,  and  by  his  upright, 
honorable  life  gained  the  confidence  and  re- 
spect of  all  who  knew  him.  After  his  death 
his  widow  made  her  home  with  her  children 
until  she  departed  this  life.  November  7, 
1896. 

This  worthv  couple  had  twelve  children, 
namely:  T.  \\'.,  now  sheriiY  of  Wiiodford 
county:  L}-dia.  wife  of  J.  L.  l'.r(iwn.  of 
Boise  Cit^',  Idaho;  ^^'.  B.,  a  resident  of  (Ok- 
lahoma; Bessie,  wife  of  J.  D.  Kendig.  nf 
Gilman,  Illinois;  Addie  and  Emma,  twins, 
the  former  of  whom  is  the  wife  of  T.  A. 
Kobin.son,  of  Mansfield,  Illinois ;  the  latter 
the  wife  of  C.  L.  IMoore.  of  North  Dakota; 
James  L.,  who  died  in  1893  ;  Maggie,  wife  of 
Ross  Polhemus,  of  Secor,  Illinois;  Charles, 
our  subject;  Ed  G.  and  Oscar  J.,  twins,  the 
former  a  resident  of  Roanoke,  the  latter  of 
Greene  township;  and  Calvin,  deputy  slieriff 
of  the  county  and  a  resident  of  Roanoke. 

The  boyhood  and  vouth  of  Charles  H. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


559 


Gisli  were  passed  in  liis  native  townsiiip,  and 
at  the  as>e  ot  twenty  years  lie  commenced 
work  at  tlie  carpenter's  trade,  at  wliich  lie 
worked  uninterruptedly  for  nine  years,  and 
then  entered  the  employ  of  the  Roanoke  Coal 
&  Mining;'  Company  in  that  capacity.  On 
the  1st  of  December.  1898,  he  was  appointed 
toj)  foreman  and  is  now  tilling  that  responsi- 
lije  position  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  tlie 
entire  satisfaction  of  the  company.  He  was 
married  August  4,  1896,  to  Miss  Maggie 
Wilson,  of  Roanoke,  a  daughter  of  the  late 
John  G.  Wilson,  and  to  them  has  been  born 
one  child,  George  W.  Politically  Mr.  Gish 
is  an  ardent  Democrat,  and  since  attaining 
liis  niajiirily  has  taken  a  very  acti\c  and 
prominent  part  in  public  affairs.  He  has 
served  as  village  clerk  two  terms,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1900  was  elected  mayor,  which 
oftice  he  is  now  filling  in  a  most  accejJtable 
n;aiuier.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  board 
of  schi.Mil  directors. 


R.  E.VRL  GORDON,  .M.  D. 

One  of  the  most  e.xacting  of  all  the  higher 
lines  of  occupation  to  which  a  man  may  lend 
his  energies  is  that  of  the  physician.  A  most 
scrupulous  preliminary  training  is  de- 
manded, a  nicety  of  judgment  but  little  un- 
derstood by  the  laity.  Dr.  Gordon,  of  EI 
Paso,  is  well  fitted  for  the  profession  which 
he  has  cho.sen  as  a  life  work,  and  his  skill 
and  ability  have  won  him  a  large  and  lucra- 
ti\e  practice. 

A  native  of  Illinois,  he  was  born  in  Car- 
lyle,  Clinton  county,  September  5,  1872,  and 
lielongs  to  a  family  which  has  had  many 
prominent  representatives  in  the  medical  pro- 
fession. His  paternal  great-grandfather 
was  a  native  of  Edinburg,  Scotland,  and  the 
founder  of  the   family   in   America.      The 


grandfather.  James  Gordon,  was  a  i)hysician 
and  had  two  brothers,  one  of  whom  was  a 
prominent  attorney,  the  t)ther  a  physician  iif 
Texas.  He  had  seven  sons  who  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  medicine,  and  two  daughters 
who  married  physicians.  At  one  time  mcni- 
l)ers  of  the  family  to  the  numljcr  of  fifteen 
formed  a  medical  society  of  their  own.  The 
grandfather  was  engaged  in  practice  for  si.x- 
ty-five  years,  a  part  of  this  time  being  spent 
at  Little  Rock,  Arkansas.  In  1865  he  re- 
moved to  Bond  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
made  his  home  until  his  death  in  1896. 

Dr.  J.  T.  Gordon,  our  subject's  father, 
was  born  in  Jackson,  Mississippi,  Septem- 
ber 5,  1848.  and  was  the  sixth  son  in  his 
father's  family.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the 
Missouri  Medical  College  at  St.  Louis,  and 
also  of  the  St.  Louis  Medical  College.  .Vs 
a  general  practitioner  and  surgeon,  he  was 
engaged  in  j^ractice  at  Carlyle,  Illinois,  for 
eighteen  years  prior  to  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred June  19,  1887,  when  he  was  thirty- 
eight  years  of  age.  Both  he  and  his  father 
were  prominent  Masons,  and  he  was  a  sup- 
porter of  the  Republican  party.  While  living 
in  the  South  during  the  Civil  war  three  of 
his  brothers  were  forced  to  serve  in  the  Con- 
federate army,  though  their  .sympathies  were 
with  the  North.  Through  the  assistance  of 
his  mother  he  managed  to  escape  and  come 
north.  In  their  church  relations  the  family 
have  been  prominent  Methodists.  Dr.  J.  T. 
Gordon  first  married  Miss  M.  A.  Ellegood, 
who  was  born  in  Pocahontas,  Illinois,  and 
was  of  Scotch  and  English  descent.  She 
tiied  in  1876,  and  of  the  three  children  born 
of  this  union  two  died  in  early  childhood, 
leaving  our  subject  the  only  survivor.  In 
1878  the  father  married  Miss  S.  F.  Challis, 
also  of  Pocahontas,  by  whom  he  had  four 
children,  who  grew  to  maturity :    Lula,  Ed- 


56o 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


win,  William  and  Harry,  who  are  living 
Nvith  their  mother  in  Carlyle. 

In  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city 
Dr.  R.  E.  Gordon  acquired  his  early  educa- 
tion, and  took  the  teacher's  examination  for 
first  and  second  g^rade  certificates,  receiving 
ninety-eight  per  cent  in  both.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen  he  entered  the  McKendree  Universi- 
ty at  Lebanon,  Illinois,  which  was  founded 
by  Bishop  McKendree  in  1826,  and  there 
lie  took  a  preparatory  course  for  the  study  of 
medicine.  He  was  next  a  student  at  the  Mis- 
souri Medical  College  in  St.  Louis,  where  he 
pursued  a  three-years  course  and  was  grad- 
uated in  1893.  He  also  spent  two  and  a 
half  years  in  hospital  and  clinical  work  in 
that  city,  and  was  thus  well  fitted  for  his 
profession  before  he  entered  upon  private 
practice.  He  spent  one  year  in  Benson,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1894  came  to  El  Paso,  where 
he  has  built  up  an  excellent  practice,  amount- 
ing to  about  six  thousand  dollars  per  year. 
He  is  a  general  practitioner,  but  makes  a 
specialty  of  surgery  and  the  diseases  of  the 
eye.  The  Doctor  has  purchased  property  in 
El  Paso,  and  in  1898  erected  a  beautiful  resi- 
dence with  all  modern  improvements,  cost- 
ing 'about  four  thousand  dollars.  It  is  one 
of  the  finest  homes  in  the  place. 

On  the  8th  of  July,  1894,  Dr.  Gordon 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Delia  C. 
Chappelle,  who  was  born  in  Rollo,  Missouri, 
in  1872,  and  they  have  become  the  parents 
of  one  son,  Virgil  C,  born  January  27,  1890. 
In  his  political  views  the  Doctor  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  in  religious  belief  a  Methodist, 
though  he  gives  to  the  support  of  all 
churches.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Royal  Arch 
Mason,  and  a  member  of  the  Uniform 
Rank,  Knights  of  Pythias.  For  five  years 
he  has  held  the  office  of  consul  in  the  Modern 
^Voodmen    Camp,    No.  168,  and    has    also 


served  as  examining  physician  and  a  delegate 
to  the  head  camp.  He  is  a  member  and  ex- 
amining physician  for  the  Royal  Neighbors 
and  the  Court  of  Honor,  and  is  also  examin- 
ing physician  for  several  old  line  insurance 
companies.  He  is  ever  ready  to  do  his  part 
in  everything  that  will  tend  to  the  advance- 
ment of  his  city  and  county,  and  therefore 
lias  many  friends  who  esteem  him  for  his 
worth  as  a  man  as  well  as  a  physician. 
Among  his  professional  brethren  he  has 
gained  an  enviable  reputation. 


JUDGE  A.  M.  CAVAN. 

Judge  A.  M.  Cavan,  ex-county  judge  of 
Woodford  county,  and  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent attorneys  of  this  section  of  the  state, 
was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania, 
May  13,  1838,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  B.  and 
Mary  E.  (Wertz)  Cavan,  also  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  former  of  Irish,  the 
latter  of  German  descent.  Our  subject's  pa- 
ternal grandfather  was  a  native  of  Ireland, 
his  ancestors  being  the  founders  of  County 
Cavan  and  large  land  owners  there.  At  an 
early  day  he  came  to  America  and  settled  in 
Pennsylvania.  The  Judge's  father  was  born 
there  in  1801,  and  in  early  life  learned  the 
spinner's  trade  in  woolen  mills  of  his  native 
state,  where  he  continued  to  work  until  1845, 
when  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Madi- 
son, Indiana,  residing  there  until  the  fall  of 
185 1.  The  following  two  years  were  passed 
in  Springfield,  Illinois,  and  from  there  he 
went  to  Canton,  this  state,  to  take  charge  of 
the  woolen  mills  of  John  G.  Piper,  remain- 
ing there  until  i860.  For  three  years  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  upon  rented  land  in  Ful- 
ton county,  and  then  came  to  Woodford 
county    and    purchased    a  farm    in  Greene 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


561 


townsliip,  upon  whicli  he  niaile  liis  lionie  uii- 
ti]  called  from  this  life  February  16,  1886, 
at  the  age  of  eiglity-five  years.  His  wife 
died  February  9,  1876,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
eight  years.  In  politics  he  was  a  Rejuibli- 
can,  and  in  religious  belief  a  Dunkard,  tak- 
ing an  active  part  in  church  affairs.  Of  his 
thirteen  children,  only  si.x  reached  maturity, 
namely:  Maria,  wife  of  A.  J.  Waugh,  of 
Chatsworth,  Illinois;  Barbara,  wife  of  Philip 
R.  Wertz,  of  Florida;  Allinson  j\I.,  our  sub- 
ject; William  H..  a  successful  grocer  of  Ell- 
wood,  Indiana;  Oliver  A.,  general  agent  for 
the  Hall  Safe  Company,  who  died  in  March, 
1891,  in  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  where  he 
made  his  home;  and  Nelvin,  R.,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business  with  his  broth- 
er in  Ellwood,  Indiana. 

During  his  boyhood  and  youth  Judge 
Cavan  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  vari- 
ous removals,  and  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Mercersburg,  Pennsylvania,  in 
Paris,  Jefferson  county,  Indiana,  and  of  this 
state.  He  assisted  his  father  on  the  home 
farm  until  he  attained  his  majority,  when  he 
entered  Lombard  College,  at  Galesburg,  and 
pursued  the  law  course  one  year.  He  was 
then  a  student  in  the  law  office  of  Harper, 
Cassell  &  Ingersoll  at  El  Paso,  Colonel  In- 
gersoll  being  actively  engaged  in  practice 
there  at  that  time.  Our  subject  was  reading 
law  when  the  firm  when  the  Colonel  lost  the 
nomination  for  governor  in  1868,  and  took 
the  stump  for  Palmer  who  received  the  nom- 
ination. In  1867  Judge  Cavan  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  at  Metamora,  and  immediately 
opened  an  office  at  El  Paso.  He  was  ap- 
pointed deputy  revenue  assessor  for  the  sixth 
division  of  the  eighth  district,  in  1869,  and 
filled  that  position  until  the  fall  of  1870, 
when  he  was  elected  to  the  twenty-seventh 
general  assembly  from    the    district,    then 


comprising  Alarshall.  Putnam.  15nre;iu  and 
\\'oodford  counties.  After  serving  one  term 
he  was  tendered  the  nomination  for  state 
senator,  but  refused  to  accept  the  nomina- 
tion. While  a  member  of  the  house  he  was 
(Ml  the  committee  on  the  Illinois  river  and 
canal  and  took  an  active  part  in  legislation 
pertaining  to  the  canal.  He  was  also  on  the 
committees  on  federal  relations  and  state  li- 
brary and  it  was  during  this  time  that  a  re- 
vision of  all  the  state  laws  was  made.  The 
Judge  was  the  man  who  proposed  to  change 
the  state  capitol  and  put  the  resolution  before 
the  house.  This  brought  on  one  of  the  great- 
est fights  in  that  body. 

After  serving  one  term  Judge  Cavan  re- 
turned to  El  Paso  and  resumed  practice.  In 
the  fall  of  1883  he  was  elected  city  attorney 
and  held  that  office  until  April,  1887,  when 
he  resigned,  having  been  appoined  postmas- 
ter by  President  Cleveland.  He  served  as 
such  until  the  fall  of  1890,  when  he  resigned 
to  accept  the  more  important  position  of 
county  judge,  and  after  filling  the  latter  of- 
fice most  acceptably  for  four  years,  he  was 
re-elected  by  an  increased  majority,  his  last 
term  expiring  in  December,  1898.  In  1898 
he  declined  the  offer  of  nomination  of  both 
the  Republican  and  Democratic  parties.  Only 
one  of  the  many  cases  tried  by  him  was  ap- 
pealed and  his  decision  in  this  was  aftirmed 
in  the  appellate  court,  the  case  involving  the 
power  of  foreign  corporations  in  the  state 
of  Illinois.  He  is  thoroughly  versed  in  the 
law,  and  never  at  a  loss  for  a  precedent.  He 
is  eminently  gifted  with  the  capabilities  of 
mind  which  are  indispensable  at  the  bar,  and 
is  a  man  of  deep  research  and  careful  investi- 
gation, whose  skill  and  ability  has  won  him 
a  liberal  patronage. 

On  the  17th  of  March,  1863,  Judge  Cav- 
an was  united  in  marriage  with  ]\Iiss  Anna 


562 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Rule,  also  a  native  of  Pennsj'lvania,  ami  the 
young'est  in  a  family  of  seven  children.  Her 
father,  \\'illiani  Rule,  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, ami  at  an  early  clay  nidved  to  Ogle 
county,  Illinois.  The  Judge  and  his  wife 
have  six  children,  namely:  ^lay.  wife  of  Lee 
Lambert,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  near 
Earlville,  Illinois;  Josephine,  a  professional 
nurse  residing  at  home;  William  T.,  who  is 
engaged  in  the  loan  and  real  estate  business 
in  ^linneapolis;  John  A.,  at  home;  Hattie, 
wife  of  Lewis  Robeson,  of  El  Paso;  and 
Ida,  who  is  cashier  in  a  ladies'  emporium  in 
Minneapolis,  and  makes  her  home  with  her 
brother.  ]Mrs.  Cavan  and  the  children  are 
members  of  the  Christian  church. 

Fraternally  the  Judge  is  a  member  of 
the  Odd  Fellows  Lodge,  No.  819,  and  the 
Modern  AVoodmen  Camp,  Xo.  168,  both  of 
El  Paso;  and  was  on  the  committee  of  laws 
and  ritual  of  the  head  camp  of  the  latter  or- 
der for  a  number  of  years.  He  is  also  con- 
nected ^  ,-ith  Hugh  De  Payne  Lodge,  No. 
241,  K.  P.,  of  which  he  is  past  chancellor, 
and  which  he  has  represented  in  the  grand 
lodge.  He  has  served  a  number  of  times  as 
a  delegate  to  the  various  conventions  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  is  regarded  as  one 
of  the  most  prominent  and  influential  citizens 
of  his  community. 


BENJAMIN  GROVE. 

Benjamin  Grove,  a  well-known  retired 
farmer  residing  on  section  25,  Worth  town- 
ship, has  been  a  resident  of  Woodford  coun- 
ty for  over  sixty-five  years,  and  is  therefore 
numbered  among  its  honored  pioneers.  The 
difference  between  the  past  and  the  present 
can  scarcely  be  realized,  even  by  those  who 


have  been  active  participants  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  county.  The  present  generation 
can  have  no  conception  of  what  was  re- 
quired bv  the  early  settlers  in  transforming 
the  wilderness  into  a  well  settled  and  highly 
cultivated  county. 

]\Ir.  Grove  was  born  in  Augusta  county, 
\'irginia,  March  28,  181 6,  a  son  of  Simon 
and  Elizabeth  (Rinehart)  Grove,  both  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania,  the  former  born  in 
Lancaster  county.  In  18 16,  during  the  in- 
fancy of  our  subject  they  removed  to  Har- 
rison county,  Indiana,  where  the  father 
cleared  and  improved  a  good  farm.  He  be- 
came quite  prosperous,  but  by  going  security 
for  others,  he  lost  everything  and  was  forced 
to  begin  life  anew.  In  1835  he  came  to 
Woodford  county,  Illinois,  making  the  trip 
with  an  ox  team.  Industrious,  persevering 
and  enterprising,  he  succeeded  in  accumulat- 
ing a  nice  property  here,  and  was  accounted 
a  successful  farmer,  as  well  as  one  of  the 
highly  esteemed  men  of  the  community.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  died  in  W'oodford  county, 
though  the  latter  survived  him  several 
years. 

Benjamin  Grove  was  a  young  man  of 
nineteen  years  when  he  came  to  Woodford 
county  with  his  parents  in  1835,  and  he  en- 
tered a  forty-acre  tract  of  government  land, 
to  which  he  later  added  forty  acres  pur- 
chased from  his  father,  and  still  later  tracts 
of  eighty  and  twenty  acres  adjoining,  mak- 
ing the  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  which  he  now  owns.  For  a  half  cen- 
tury he  actively  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of 
his  farm,  but  is  now  living  a  retired  life, 
enjoying  the  fruits  of  former  toil. 

On  the  5th  of  October,  1843,  "^  Wood- 
ford county,  was  celebrated  the  marriage 
of  Mr.  Grove  and  Miss  Hannah  Rinehart, 
who  was  also  born  in  Augusta  county.  Vir- 


BENJAMIN  GROVE. 


MRS.  HANNAH  GROVE. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


567 


ginia,  of  German  ancestry,  and  was  reared 
there.  She  died  May  5,  1886.  Of  the  six 
children  born  of  this  nnion,  four  are  still  liv- 
ing, namely :  Washington  is  now  a  resident 
of  Rice  county,  Kansas,  and  is  married  and 
has  five  children :  Ella,  Lizzie,  William, 
Jacob  and  Nellie.  Ella  and  Lizzie  are  both 
married  and  have  children.  Bertha  and  Nera, 
respectively,  making  Mr.  Grove  a  great- 
grandfather. \\'illiam  H.,  who  operates  a 
part  of  the  home  farm,  married  Ann  Lind- 
enfelser,  and  to  them  were  h.irn  four  chil- 
dren, Anna,  Benjamin  and  Bessie,  all  living, 
and  Dessie,  who  died  in  infancy.  Sarah  Eliz- 
beth  is  now  her  father's  housekeeper.  Elias 
A.,  living  on  the  home  farm,  was  married 
December  15,  1887,  to  Magdaline  Linden- 
felser.  a  nati\e  of  Tazewell  county,  Illinois, 
and  a  daughter  of  Francis  Lindenfelser,  who 
was  born  in  Germany.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, Philip  and  Orville,  both  in  school. 
Nancy  Jane,  daughter  of  our  subject,  mar- 
ried John  Woodcock,  and  is  now  deceased. 
Politically  Mr.  Grove  was  first  a  Whig 
and  cast  his  first  vote  for  "Tippecanoe  and 
Tyler,  too,"  in  1840.  Since  the  dissolution 
of  that  party  he  has  been  identified  with  the 
Republicans,  but  has  never  cared  for  politi- 
cal preferment.  In  early  life  he  united  with 
the  Christian  church  at  Washington,  Illinois, 
and  later  transferred  his  membership  to  the 
church  at  Matamora.  The  children  were 
reared  in  that  church,  but  since  it  was  aban- 
doned the  family  have  attended  the  union 
services  at  IMetamora.  Mr.  Grove  has  wit- 
nessed almost  the  entire  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  Woodford  county.  When  he  lo- 
cated here  wolves,  wild  deer,  wild  geese  and 
turkeys  were  plentiful,  but  all  have  now  dis- 
appeared ;  the  swamps  have  been  drained  and 
converted  into  well  cultivated  fields ;  and  the 

countv  has  become  one  of  the  richest  agri- 
30 


cultural  districts  in  the  state.  In  the  work 
of  progress  and  advancement  Mr.  Grove  has 
borne  his  part,  and  is  justly  entitled  to  prom- 
inent mention  among  the  honored  pioneers 
and  representative  citizens  of  the  commu- 
nitv. 


FRANCIS  F.  BRIGGS. 

This  well  known  undertaker  has  lor  al- 
most half  a  century  been  identified  with  the 
business  interests  of  Metamora,  Illinois,  and 
is  numbered  among  its  leading  and  repre- 
sentative citizens.  He  is  a  native  of  the  old 
Bay  state,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Berk- 
shire county,  Massachusetts,  February  21, 
1825.  His  father,  Francis  Briggs,  was  also 
born  in  Massachusetts,  in  1794,  and  there 
married  Betsy  Hakes,  a  daughter  of  James 
Hakes,  who  belonged  to  one  of  the  oldest 
families  of  that  state.  For  many  years  the 
father  of  our  subject  followed  farming  in 
Berkshire  county,  and  then  removed  to 
New  York.  After  spending  seven  years  in 
Cayuga  county,  that  state,  he  moved  to 
Chautauqua  county,  New  York,  where' he 
made  his  home  upon  a  farm  throughout  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  though  he  died  while 
on  a  visit  in  Ohio  in  1844.  His  wife  sur- 
\ived  him  nearly  thirty  years,  dying  on  the 
old  homestead  in  Chautauqua  county,  in 
1874. 

Frank  Briggs,  as  our  subject  is  famil- 
iarly known,  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home 
farm  in  New  York,  and  received  but  limited 
school  advantages  during  his  youth.  When 
a  young  man  lie  went  to  Georgetown,  Brown 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  served  a  four-years 
apprenticeship  to  the  cabinetmaker's  trade, 
and  also  gained  an  excellent  knowledge  of 
the  undertking  business,  to  which  he  devotetl 


568 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


his  time  of  evenings  and  Sundays.  Later  he 
worked  as  a  journeyman  for  three  years,  and 
then  conducted  a  shop  of  his  own  at  George- 
town for  two  years.  Selhng  out  in  185 1  he 
came  to  Metamora,  Ilhnois,  and  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  furniture,  opening  a  shop 
of  liis  own  in  1854. 

During  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Briggs  laid 
aside  all  personal  interests  to  enter  the  ser- 
vice of  his  country.  In  August,  1862,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and 
Eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  which 
was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee. 
He  entered  the  service  as  a  private,  but  at 
the  second  election  on  the  organization  of 
the  regiment  at  Peoria,  was  elected  first  lieu- 
tenant and  served  in  that  capacity  until  taken 
ill,  when  on  the  advice  of  the  army  surgeon 
he  resigned  early  in  the  year  1863.  His  first 
engagement  was  at  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Mis- 
sissippi, and  he  also  took  part  in  the  battle 
of  Arkansas  Post.  On  receiving  his  dis- 
charge Mr.  Briggs  returned  home  and  re- 
sumed the  furniture  and  undertaking  busi- 
ness, which  he  carried  on  until  1875.  He 
has  since  given  his  exclusive  attention  to 
undertaking  and  embalming,  being  a  prac- 
tical embalmer,  and  he  receives  a  liberal 
share  of  the  public  patronage.  On  first  com- 
ing to  Metamora  he  bought  a  lot  and  erected 
a  residence  and  shop,  where  he  has  now  car- 
ried on  business  for  over  forty  years. 

In  December,  1847,  "^  Brown  county, 
Ohio,  Mr.  Briggs  married  Miss  Clarissa 
Stitt,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  George- 
town, a  daughter  of  Joseph  K.  Stitt,  a  na- 
tive of  Kentucky.  She  died  of  smallpox 
April  13,  1872,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  Oak- 
^vood  cemetery.  Mr.  Briggs  was  again  mar- 
ried, July  30,  1874,  his  second  union  being 
with  Elizabeth  A.  Compton,  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  w-ho  came  to  Woodford  county, 


Illinois,  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  and  was 
reaerd  near  Eureka.  This  wife  died  in  1898. 
By  the  first  union  Mr.  Briggs  had  five  chil- 
dren:  Hattie  E.,  wife  of  William  Alitchell, 
of  Ashville,  North  Carolina;  Alicj  E.,  who 
is  now  her  father's  housekeeper;  J.  F.,  a 
farmer  of  Ford  county,  Illinois;  William  K., 
a  carpenter  and  joiner,  who  is  now  assisting 
his  father  in  the  undertaking  business;  and 
Ed  C,  also  a  carpenter  and  joiner  of  Wood- 
ford county.  By  the  last  marriage  there  is 
one  daughter,  Nellie  A.,  who  is  successfully 
engaged  in  teaching  music  and  resides  at 
home. 

From  youth  up  j\lr.  Briggs  has  been  a 
strong  temperance  man,  never  using  intoxi- 
cants in  any  form,  and  for  years  he  has  been 
a  stanch  suporter  of  the  Prohibition  party. 
He  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  John 
C.  Fremont  in  1856,  and  was  identified  with 
the  Republican  party  some  3'ears.  He  effi- 
ciently served  as  village  trustee  several  years, 
being  always  elected  on  the  temperance  tick- 
et. He  has  been  a  life-long  INIethodist  and 
now  supports  the  union  service  at  Metamora, 
while  both  daughters  are  active  workers  in 
the  Christian  Endeavor  Society  and  Sunday 
school.  A  man  of  most  exemplary  habits 
and  strict  integrity,  he  has  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  all,  and  is  well  worthy  of  repre- 
sentation in  a  work  of  this  kind. 


JOHN  A.  IVINS. 

This  well  known  retired  farmer  of  Caze- 
novia,  Illinois,  and  honored  veteran  of  the 
Civil  war,  was  born  in  Tyler  county,  Ohio, 
in  April,  1837,  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Phoebe 
Ivins.  The  father,  who  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  a  pioneer  of  Ohio,  moved  to 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


569 


Indiana  in  1844,  and  tliere  sjient  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  dvins:  in  tliat  state  in 
1865.  'I'lie  motlier  died  in  Indiana  hefore 
the  family  left  that  state.  They  had  seven 
children,  namely:  Margaret,  deceased;  De- 
lilah, of  Arkansas;  David,  of  Low  Point, 
Woodford  county,  Illinois;  John  A.,  our 
subject;  Henry,  of  .\rkansas;  George,  who 
served  through  the  war  in  the  same  company 
and  regiment  as  our  subject  and  is  now  a 
resident  of  Wabash,  Indiana ;  and  Abbie,  also 
of  Indiana. 

John  A.  Ivins  accompanied  the  family 
on  their  removal  to  Intliana,  where  he  was 
reared  and  educated.  When  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion  broke  out  he  offered  his  services 
to  his  country,  enlisting  at  Indianapolis, 
July  13,  1861,  for  three  years,  in  Company 
D.  Eighteenth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry, 
which  was  mustered  into  the  United  States 
service  at  that  place  and  assigned  to  the 
Western  army.  He  participated  in  the  bat- 
tles of  Pea  Ridge,  Arkansas,  and  Springfield, 
Missouri,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  the 
engagement  at  Jackson,  Mississippi.  He  was 
also  on  a  scouting  expedition  in  Texas,  and 
took  part  in  the  Red  river  campaign.  Dur- 
ing the  siege  of  Vicksburg  he  was  wounded 
three  times,  being  shot  through  the  shoulder 
and  wrist,  and  receiving  another  gunshot 
wound  in  the  back.  He  was  confined  in  the 
hospital  at  Jefferson  City,  Missouri,  for  some 
time.  In  1864  he  re-enlisted  for  three  years 
or  during  the  war,  in  the  same  company  and 
regiment,  which  this  time  was  assigned  to 
the  Eastern  army,  and  he  took  part  in  the 
battle  of  Petersburg  and  the  mine  explosion, 
and  then  joined  Genera!  Sherman  in  time 
for  the  Carolina  campaign.  Hostilities  hav- 
ing ceased,  he  was  honorably  discharged  at 
Savannah,  Georgia,  on  the  -'8th  of  August, 


1865,  and  was  paid  oft'  at  Indianapolis,  In- 
diana. 

In  Jennings  county,  Indiana,  Mr.  Ivins 
was  married,  in  1867,  to  Miss  Xancy  Anna 
Ball,  a  native  of  that  county,  and  a  daughter 
of  Samuel  and  Minerva  (McFarland)  Ball, 
who  came  to  Woodford  county,  Illinois,  in 
1878,  and  settled  in  Cazenovia  township. 
They  died  in  the  township  of  Cazenovia.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ivins  have  six  children,  namely: 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Barnes,  a  resident  of  Part- 
ridge township,  Woodford  county;  Mrs. 
Martha  McFarland,  of  Iroquois  county,  Il- 
linois ;  George,  who  is  married  and  lives  at 
Low  Point,  Woodford  county;  Mrs.  Emma 
Ivins,  of  Cazenovia;  and  Robert  and  Ora, 
both  at  home. 

In  1874  Mr.  Ivins  left  his  old  home  in  In- 
diana and  came  to  Woodford  county,  Illinois. 
He  was  successfully  engaged  in  farming  in 
Cazenovia  township  until  his  retirement 
from  active  labor.  He  now  owns  a  fine  resi- 
dence and  sixteen  lots  in  the  village  of  Caze- 
novia, where  he  makes  his  home.  He  is  a 
supporter  of  the  men  and  measures  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  takes  an  active  inter- 
est in  promoting  the  welfare  of  his  town  and 
county,  encouraging  and  aiding  all  enter- 
prises tending  to  benefit  the  public.  He  en- 
joys in  a  high  degree  the  confidence  and  es- 
teem of  his  fellow  citizens,  and  well  merits 
their  respect. 


EDWIX  A.  CHILDS. 

Since  1856  Edwin  A.  Chikls  has  been 
prominently  identifietl  with  the  interests  of 
Woodford  county,  and  is  now  efficiently 
serving  as  supervisor  of  El  Paso  township. 
He  was  born  in  Jennings  county,  Indiana, 


570 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


May  6,  1840.  a  son  of  Henry  and  Polly 
(Howard)  Childs,  natives  of  Massachusetts 
and  New  York  respectively.  On  the  pater- 
nal side  he  is  of  English  and  rench  descent, 
and  on  the  maternal  of  English  and  Scotch 
extraction.  His  parents  were  married  in 
New  York,  and  in  1838  moved  to  Indiana 
among  its  pioneers,  but  four  years  later  re- 
turned to  New  York.  In  1856  they  came 
to  Illinois  and  took  up  their  residence  in 
Woodford  county,  where  the  mother  died  in 
1884.  The  father  then  returned  to  his  old 
home  in  the  Empire  state,  where  he  died  in 
1888,  but  his  remains  were  brought  back  to 
Illinois  and  buried  by  the  side  of  his  wife. 
He  was  a  very  well  educated  man,  and  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  school  teaching  and 
farming.  In  politics  he  was  a  stanch  Re- 
publican. His  children  were  Edwin  A.,  our 
subject;  Albert,  who  died  in  1871 ;  Oscar,  an 
attorney  of  Boston,  Massachusetts;  and 
Mary,  wife  of  Edwin  Stowell,  a  farmer  of 
New  York  state.  Our  subject's  paternal 
grandfather  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution- 
ary war,  and  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Bunker  Hill  and  Lexington. 

Edwin  A.  Childs  was  principally  reared 
and  educated  in  New  York,  being  sixteen 
years  of  age  when  the  family  came  to  Wood- 
ford county,  Illinois,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood and  early  acquired  an  excellent  knowl- 
edge of  farm  work.  He  continued  to  assist 
his  father  in  the  operation  of  the  home  farm 
until  he  started  in  life  for  himself.  At  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  he  was  en- 
gaged in  teaching,  but  in  1862  he  laid  aside 
all  personal  interests  and  joined  the  boys  in 
blue,  becoming  a  member  of  Company  A, 
Eighty-sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  He 
took  part  in  the  battles  of  Perryville,  Chick- 
amauga,  Missionary  Ridge,   Resaca,   Rome 


and  Kenesaw  Mountain,  besides  many 
skirmishes  and  other  battles.  He  was  in  act- 
ive service  with  his  regiment  until  captured 
at  Kenesaw  Mountain,  June  27,  1864.  He 
was  held  a  prisoner  at  Andersonville,  Flor- 
ence and  Charleston  until  the  war  ended,  and 
was  then  paroled  and  taken  to  Wilmington, 
■where  he  was  released.  Returning  to  his 
home,  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  in  1870 
made  his  first  purchase  of  land,  consisting  of 
eighty  acres  in  El  Paso  township,  which  he 
converted  into  one  of  the  model  farms  of 
that  locality.  In  connection  with  general 
farming  he  gave  considerable  attention  to 
slock,  shipping  principally  hogs  and  cattle, 
and  meeting  with  good  success  in  that  branch 
of  his  business.  In  November,  1899,  he  sold 
his  farm  and  purchased  his  present  home  in 
El  Paso. 

In  1868  Air.  Childs  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Mary  A.  Mann,  who  was 
born  in  Massachusetts,  December  11,  1847, 
and  when  quite  young  came  west  with  her 
parents.  They  first  located  in  Wisconsin, 
and  came  to  Illinois  in  1858.  Mrs.  Childs 
died  on  the  farm  February -22,  1899,  leaving 
one  daughter,  Lillian  E.,  who  is  with  her 
f  other. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Childs  is  an  honored 
member  of  S.  T.  Rogers  Post,  No.  531,  G. 
A.  R.,  of  El  Paso,  and  has  filled  all  the  of- 
fices in  the  same.  As  a  Republican  he  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  local  politics,  and  is 
now  a  member  of  the  county  central  commit- 
tee. He  has  served  his  fellow  citizens  faith- 
fully and  well  as  supervisor  since  1897,  and 
is  now  chairman  of  the  fees  and  salary  com- 
mittee and  a  member  of  the  finance  commit- 
tee, with  which  he  has  been  connected  since 
first  elected  to  the  office.  He  has  been  presi- 
dent of  the  El    Paso    district    agricultural 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


571 


board  for  five  years,  and  lias  ever  taken  an 
active  and  commendable  interest  in  those 
enterprises  calculated  to  advance  the  inter- 
ests of  his  town  and  county  or  promote  the 
general  welfare.  He  is  pre-eminently  pub- 
lic-spirited and  progressive,  and  has  most 
<nbly  discharged  his  ofiicial  duties. 


JOSEPH  THEEXA. 

This  gentleman,  who  is  one  of  Meta- 
niora's  substantial  business  men,  was  born  in 
Prussia,  Germany,  January  17,  1840,  and 
at  the  age  of  six  years  came  to  the  new 
world  with  his  parents.  Mathias  and  Anna 
Margaretta  (Peffenhontz)  Theena,  also  na- 
tives of  Prussia.  For  two  years  the  family 
made  their  home  in  Chicago,  which  was  then 
a  small  place,  and  in  1848  moved  to  Peoria, 
where  the  father  worked  at  his  trade  as  a 
mason,  and  where  the  children  were  reared. 
In  his  native  land  Mathias  Theena  Had  servcrl 
in  the  German  army,  and  when  the  Civil  war 
broke  out  in  his  country  he  enlisted  in  the 
One  Hundred  and  Eighth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry.  He  died  in  Peoria,  in  1863,  when 
home  on  a  furlough.  His  wife  survived  him 
a  number  of  years,  and  passed  away  in  1885. 
Of  their  four  children  Joseph  is  the  oldest; 
Anna  is  the  wife  of  Robert  Cretter,  of  Pe- 
oria: Margaret  is  the  wife  of  John  Goddard, 
of  Kansas;  and  Michael  is  a  resident  of 
Chillicothe,  Illinois. 

During  his  boyhood  and  youth  Joseph 
Theena  attended  school  in  Peoria  and  at  the 
age  of  eleven  years  commenced  learning  the 
butcher's  trade  with  John  C.  Calhoun,  with 
whom  he  remained  four  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  period  in  1869,  he  came  to  Metamora 
and  opened  a  shop  of  his  own,  having  since 


been  successfully  engaged  in  the  Ijutcher 
business  at  this  place,  with  the  exception  of 
two  years  along  in  the  '70s.  Besides  his 
business  property  he  owns  about  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  in  and  near  the  city, 
which  he  operates  in  connection  with  his 
butchering  business.  He  also  deals  in  live 
stock.  On  starting  out  in  life  for  himself 
he  had  no  capital,  and  his  success  in  life  is 
due  entirely  to  his  industry,  perseverance 
and  good  management. 

On  the  19th  of  April,  1869,  Mr.  Theena 
was  married,  at  Peoria,  to  Miss  Catherine 
Kallister,  who  was  born  in  Bohemia,  but  was 
reared  in  Peoria.  Ten  children  were  born 
to  them,  five  sons  and  five  daughters,  name- 
ly:  Joseph  W.,  a  business  man  of  Peoria; 
Michael  P.,  Cecelia,  Carrie,  Lillian  and  Ella 
(twins),  Leo,  Emma,  George  and  Edwanl, 
all  at  home.  The  family  are  all  communi- 
cants of  the  Catholic  church  and  Mr.  Theena 
has  been  one  of  the  official  members  for 
some  years.  In  his  political  views  he  is  an 
ardent  Democrat,  but  at  local  elections, 
where  no  issue  is  involved,  he  supports  the 
men  whom  he  believes  best  qualified  for  the 
office  regardless  of  party  lines.  He  has  al- 
ways taken  an  active  and  commendable  in- 
terest in  public  affairs,  and  has  served  as 
one  of  the  trustees  on  the  village  board  for 
some  time.  He  is  widely  and  favorably 
known  throughout  his  adopted  county,  and 
has  many  warm  friends  in  the  city  where  he 
makes  his  home. 


H.  COXRARD. 


In  America  lalmr  is  king  anil  the 
sovereignty  that  her  liberty-loving  peo- 
ple    acknowledge     is     that     of     business. 


572 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


The  men  of  most  influence  in  a  large  com- 
munity in  this  enlightened  age  are  its 
enterprising,  progressive  representatiA-es  of 
commercial  interests,  and  to  this  class  be  - 
longs  Mr.  Conrard,  a  prominent  merchant  of 
Metamora,  Illinois.  He  was  born  in  the 
province  of  Alsace  Lorraine,  France,  Sep- 
tember 19,  1835,  ^'■^d  is  a  son  of  Louis  and 
Mar}'  (Rousselle)  Conrard,  also  natives  of 
France,  and  representatives  of  old  French 
families.  The  father  spent  his  entire  life 
as  a  business  man  in  Alsace  Lorraine.  Our 
subject  is  the  third  in  order  of  birth  in  the 
family  of  five  children,  the  others  being  Mrs. 
Mary  Ann  Gomien,  a  widow  residing  in 
Hamilton  county,  Ohio;  Mrs.  Mary  Gasper, 
a  widow  of  Alsace  Lorraine;  and  Louis  and 
Emil,  both  business  men  of  that  place. 

In  his  native  province  Mr.  Conrard  grew 
to  manhood  and  for  eight  years  attended  the 
common  schools,  acquiring  a  good  practical 
education  in  the  French  language.  He 
served  an  apprenticeship  of  two  years  to 
the  shoemaker's  trade,  and  then  worked  at 
his  trade  for  the  same  parties  until  his  emi- 
gration to  the  L^nited  States  in  1853.  He 
took  passage  on  a  sailing  vessel  at  Havre, 
and  after  a  voyage  of  thirty-five  days,  dui- 
ing  which  they  experienced  some  se\ere 
weather,  he  landed  in  this  country.  He  pro- 
ceeded at  once  to  Cincinnati,  where  he 
worked  at  his  trade  two  years,  and  later 
was  similarly  employed  at  St.  Louis.  We 
next  find  him  among  the  Indians  on  the 
plains  in  the  employ  of  fur  trading  com- 
panies in  what  is  now  North  Dakota,  where 
he  spent  one  year,  and  then  returned  to  St. 
Louis  for  a  short  time. 

In  1857  Mr.  Conrard  came  to  Illinois, 
and  after  working  for  about  a  year  at  his 
trade  in  Tremont,  Tazewell  county,  went  to 
Eureka,   where  he  had  his  first  experience 


at  farming,  being  thus  employed  two  years. 
He  came  to  Metamora  in  1861  and  opened 
a  shoe  shop.  At  first  he  engaged  in  business 
only  in  a  small  way  but  as  his  trade  increased 
hf  put  in  a  stock  of  ready-made  boots  and 
shoes,  and  later  added  a  stock  of  general 
merchandise.  He  erected  a  store  building 
and  successfully  engaged  in  business  until 
1866,  when  his  store  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
He  then  built  a  good  brick  block,  but  in 
1889  this  was  also  burned.  \\'ith  character- 
istic energy,  however,  he  at  once  rebuilt  a 
double  store,  and  now  carries  a  large  and 
well-selected  stock  of  dry  goods,  clothing, 
shoes  and  groceries,  in  fact  everything  found 
in  a  first-class  establishment  of  the  kind. 
He  has  gained  an  enviable  reputation  for 
good  goods  and  fair  dealing,  and  has  ac- 
cordingly built  up  an  excellent  trade.  Be- 
sides his  pleasant  residence  and  store,  he  no\\r 
owns  two  farms  in  Jasper  county,  Indi:ina. 

In  \\'ashington,  Illinois,  May  5,  1858, 
Mr.  Conrard  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Mary  This,  also  a  native  of  France, 
who  came  to  America  when  a  young  lady. 
They  have  a  family  of  six  children,  namely : 
Charles  and  Joseph  D.,  who  are  both  in  the 
store  with  their  father;  Mary,  wife  of  J.  L. 
Finch,  of  Chicago;  Eulalie,  \^ictoria  and 
Blanche,  all  at  home.  Two  others  died  in 
infancy. 

Since  casting  his  first  presidential  vote 
for  General  U.  S.  Grant  in  1868,  Mr.  Con- 
raril  has  been  unswerving  in  his  allegiance 
to  the  Republican  party,  but  has  never  sought 
nor  desired  public  office,  preferring  to  devote 
his  undivided  attention  to  his  extensive  busi- 
ness interests.  However  he  has  been  elected 
and  served  several  terms  as  a  memlier  of  the 
village  board.  Mr.  Conrard  has  made  two 
trips  to  his  natiN'C  land  to  \-isit  the  friends 
and  scenes  of  his  \'outh,  but  has  ne\'er  vet 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


573 


liad  occasion  to  regret  his  emigration  to 
America  for  here  he  has  steadily  prospered, 
and  is  to-day  one  of  the  substantial  citizens 
of  Metaniora,  as  well  as  one  of  its  most 
prominent  men. 


JOHN  B.  MICHELS. 

Among  the  leading  and  successful  busi- 
ness men  of  El  Paso  is  the  popular  druggist, 
John  B.  Michels,  who  has  been  prominently 
identified  with  the  interests  of  the  city  since 
1890.  He  was  born  in  Hermann,  Missouri, 
January  8,  1865,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and 
Mary  (Straub)  Michels,  both  natives  of 
Germany,  the  former  born  in  Prussia,  the 
latter  in  Baden.  They  came  to  the  United 
States  in  early  life  and  were  married  in  Her- 
mann, Missouri,  where  they  still  continue 
to  make  their  home.  The  father  has  fol- 
lowed various  occupations,  and  though  he 
came  to  this  country  empty-handed  is  now 
in  comfortable  circumstances.  He  owns  a 
pleasant  home  in  Hermann,  and  receives  a 
pension  in  recognition  of  his  services  in  the 
Civil  war.  He  is  now  seventy-three  years 
of  age,  his  wife  sixty-seven.  In  religious 
belief  they  are  Catholics,  and  in  politics  the 
father  is  a  Democrat.  Of  the  nine  children 
born  to  them  two  died  in  early  childhood. 
Those. living  are  Arnold  B.,  a  merchant  of 
Germantown,  Illinois;  Katrina,  wife  of 
Thomas  Behrens,  a  wine  grower  of  Her- 
mann, Missouri;  John  B.,  our  subject;  Lena, 
wife  of  John  Epple,  a  farmer  of  Morrison, 
Missouri;  Mary,  wife  of  Joseph  Haas,  a 
farmer  of  El  Paso  township,  Woodford 
county,  Illinois;  Annie,  wife  of  Leo  Stein, 
of  St.  Louis,  Missouri ;  and  Eliza,  at  home 
^vith  her  parents. 


In  the  public  schools  of  his  native  place 
John  B.  Michels  acquired  his  education. 
At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he  left  home 
and  started  out  in  life  for  himself,  working 
first  in  a  general  store  at  Morrison,  Missouri. 
Subsequently  he  was  employed  as  clerk  in 
a  drug  store  at  Carlyle,  Illinois,  and  for  three 
years  was  with  a  Mr.  Winheim,  a  clieniist 
from  Germany.  While  with  him  he  became 
a  licensed  pharmacist,  passing  the  recjuired 
examination  at  Springfield,  and  being  one 
of  six  who  passed  in  a  class  of  thirty-eight. 
He  was  then  nineteen  years  of  age.  Later 
he  was  employed  as  prescription  clerk  by 
Charles  A.  Strathman.  a  druggist  nf  El 
Paso  for  four  years,  and  in  1889  entered  into 
partnership  with  that  gentleman.  A  year 
later  this  partnership  was  dissolved,  and  Mr. 
Michels  emljarked  in  business  for  himself 
with  a  capital  of  only  nine  hundred  dollars. 
He  purchased  a  stock  valued  at  about  fifteen 
hundred,  but  it  has  since  been  increased  from 
time  to  time  to  meet  the  growing  demands 
of  his  trade,  and  n<  )w  amounts  to  eight  thou- 
sand dollars.  In  the  meantime  Mr.  Michels 
inirchased  his  i)resent  store  building  and  the 
one  adjoining  for  fourteen  thousand  dollars, 
and  has  bought  other  property  in  the  town. 
For  his  own  home  he  has  erected  a  modern 
Oueen  .Ann  cottage  at  a  cost  of  four  thou- 
sand dollars.  All  of  this  property  has  been 
acquired  through  the  industry,  perseverance 
and  good  management  of  the  owner,  who  is 
to-day  numbered  among  El  Paso's  most  pro- 
gressive, energetic  and  successful  business 
men,  and  the  prosperity  that  has  come  to  him 
is  certainly  well  deserved. 

June  26,  1889,  Mr.  Michels  married  Miss 
Sophia  Wetzel,  who  was  born  in  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  in  1867,  a  daughter  of  Frederick 
and  Rosina  (Seitz)  Wetzel,  who  are  still 
living  in  that  city.     There  she  was  reared 


574 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


and  educated  and  was  employed  as  a  teacher 
in  the  city  schocjls  for  a  time.  Three  chil- 
dren were  born  to  our  subject  and  his  wife, 
but  one  died  in  infancy.  Those  living  are 
Arnold,  aged  ten  years,  and  Josephine,  aged 
four  years.  The  family  are  communicants 
of  the  Catholic  church,  and  Mr.  Michels  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America.  He  affiliates  with  the  Democratic 
party :  served  as  alderman  of  the  second  ward 
one  term,  and  was  town  clerk  in  1890. 


GEORGE  ANDREWS. 

Among  the  representative  citizens  of  El 
Paso  there  are  none  whose  success  has  been 
more  worthily  achieved  than  that  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  Through  his  own  well- 
directed  efforts  and  good  management  he 
has  gained  a  comfortable  competence  and  is 
now  able  to  lay  aside  all  business  cares  and 
\We  a  retired  life. 

Mr.  Andrews  was  born  on  the  31st  of 
May,  1848,  in  Stamford,  Lincolnshire,  Eng- 
land, of  which  place  his  parents,  James  and 
Elizabeth  (Plowright)  Andrew^s,  were  also 
natives,  the  former  born  April  5.  1821,  the 
latter  February  jj.  1826.  The  father  was 
a  natural  mechanic,  being  able  to  turn  his 
hand  to  almost  anything  in  the  mechanical 
line,  and  for  years  was  overseer  of  a  stone 
quarry  in  his  nati\-e  land,  but  after  coming 
to  this  country  turned  his  attention  to  farm- 
ing. It  was  in  1855  that  he  brought  his 
family  to  America,  and  he  first  settled  near 
Tonica,  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  for  three  years.  Sub- 
secjuently  he  made  his  home  in  Knox  countv 
for  a  time  and  then  returned  to  La   Salle 


county,  but  afterward  went  to  Putnam  coun- 
ty, and  in  1862  took  up  his  home  in  Living- 
ston county,  looking  in  each  county  for  a 
home  giving  the  best  advantages.  He  made 
his  first  purchase  in  Livingston  county  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  wild  prairie 
land,  which  he  improved  with  the  aid  of 
his  sons,  and  to  which  he  added  from  time 
to  time  until  he  had  a  half  section  of  land  in 
Waldo  township.  Coming  to  this  country 
with  no  capital  and  a  large  family  to  sup- 
port, he  met  with  success  in  his  undertak- 
ings and  continued  to  actively  engage  in 
farm  work  until  his  death,  August  5,  1883. 
His  farm  is  one  of  the  best  improved  places 
in  Waldo  township,  Livingston  county.  As 
a  Republican  he  took  an  active  interest  in 
political  affairs,  and  was  a  patriotic  and  loyal 
citizen  during  the  Civil  war,  giving  his  sup- 
port to  the  assistance  of  soldiers  and  their 
families  at  home.  He  served  as  road  com- 
missioner and  in  other  minor  offices,  and  took 
a  commendable  interest  in  educational  affairs 
aiul  the  maintaining  of  good  schools.  He 
h.elped  to  organize  the  schools  in  his  town- 
ship, having  them  located  every  two  miles. 
In  all  enterprises  for  the  advancement  of 
the  county,  he  took  an  active  part.  He  was 
an  active  worker  and  supporter  of  the  Con- 
gregational church,  and  was  highly  respected 
by  all  wliL)  knew  him.  Shortly  after  his 
death  his  widow  mo\'ed  to  Gridley,  McLean 
county,  where  she  made  her  home  until  called 
trom  this  life,  October  30,  1899. 

To  this  worthy  couple  were  born  four- 
teen children,  four  of  whom  died  in  infancy, 
and  nine  reached  years  of  maturity,  namely : 
Thomas,  of  Pontiac,  who  is  represented  on 
another  page  of  this  volume;  James,  a  re- 
tired citizen  of  Minonk;  George,  our  subject; 
Mary  A.,  wife  of  James  Greenhalgh,  a  farm- 
er of  Oregon ;  Robert,  who  is  connected  with 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


575 


the  custom  house  at  Portland,  Oregon ; 
Betsy,  wife  of  George  Murray,  of  Waldo 
townsiiip,  Livingston  county;  Henry  G.,  who 
lives  on  the  old  home  farm  in  that  township ; 
Rebecca  J.,  wife  of  C.  L.  Wilcox,  of  the  same 
township;  and  Everett  E.,  also  a  resident  of 
Waldo  township,   I.i\ingston  county. 

George  Andrews  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  near  his  boyhood 
home  and  assisted  his  father  in  the  opera- 
tion of  the  farm  until  he  attained  his  ma- 
jority, after  which  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand 
for  one  year.  He  then  rented  land  and  com- 
menced farming  on  his  nwn  acomnt,  and  as 
soon  as  he  had  actpiircil  enough  capital  in- 
vested it  in  land,  his  first  purchase  consist- 
ing I  if  eighty  acres  of  partially  improved 
laud  in  Waldo  township,  Livingston  county, 
to  which  he  subsequently  added.  He  now 
owns  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land 
in  that  township;  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  Iroquois  county,  and  eighty  acres 
in  McLean  county,  besides  his  home  prop- 
erty in  El  Paso.  He  successfully  engaged 
in  general  farming  until  1888,  when  he  and 
his  family  spent  six  months  in  Oregon  and 
California,  sight  seeing,  and  has  since  made 
his  home  in  El  Paso.  In  i8g8  he  erected 
his  present  beautiful  residence,  costing  when 
comi)lete  about  thirty-five  hundred  dollars. 
During  his  residence  here  he  has  engaged 
in  buying  and  shipping  stock  to  some  extent, 
and  has  also  dealt  in  real  estate,  meeting 
with  good  success  in  both  undertakings. 

December  14,  1876,  Mr.  Andrews  wed- 
ded Miss  Mary  J.  Kingdon,  who  was  born  in 
Peoria  county,  Illinois,  August  20,  1856. 
Her  parents,  Henry  and  Mary  A.  Kingdon, 
are  both  natives  of  England  and  when 
young  came  to  this  country,  being  married 
in  Illinois.     Thev  are  among  the  oldest  set- 


tlers of  Woodford  county,  and  are  now  liv- 
ing in  El  Paso.  They  have  seven  children, 
namely:  Mar)-  J.,  William,  Annie,  Louis, 
Percy,  Fanny  and  George,  all  of  whom  live 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  old  home  in  Wood- 
ford county.  Of  the  four  children  Iiorn  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aiulrews  two  died  in  early 
childhood.  Those  living  are  Lillie  Mable, 
and  Percy  H.,  aged  thirteen. 

Politically  Mr.  Andrews  is  a  stanch 
Democrat,  and  has  always  taken  an  active 
part  in  local  politics.  He  has  held  many 
township  offices,  including  that  of  sui^ervisor 
lit  EI  Paso  township,  for  two  years,  during 
which  time  the  county  was  changed  from 
Metamora  to  Eureka  and  the  court  house 
was  built,  he  letting  the  contract  for  its  erec- 
tion. Twice  he  served  on  the  board  of  equal- 
ization, and  has  most  efficiently  discharged 
every  duty  devolving  upon  him.  whether  pub- 
lic or  private.  In  Waldo  township  he  served 
as  collector  three  successive  years,  and  was 
road  commissioner  two  terms.  Pie  is  now 
serving  as  trustee  of  the  cemetery. 

Mr.  Andrews  is  a  liberal  supporter  and 
earnest  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  in  which  he  has  served  as  steward 
for  twenty-four  years,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  building  committee  when  the  new 
brick  church  was  erected  in  El  Paso.  He 
has  filled  all  the  chairs  and  is  now  noble 
grand  in  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge  at  that 
l)lace,  and  for  six  years  has  been  a  member 
ui  the  lioanl  nf  managers  of  the  Modern 
\\  (Kidmen  C  ami),  '^"-  ''''^■ 

Mr.  .Andrews  can  relate  many  interest- 
ing incidents  of  pioneer  life  in  this  state. 
Many  times  while  herding  cattle  on  the  piai- 
ries  deer  would  come  up  and  graze  with  them, 
while  wolves,  badgers  and  other  wild  animals 
were  numerous.     The  \ear  he  was  thirteen 


576 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


years  of  age  he  killed  about  two  hundred 
rattle  snakes,  and  saved  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  rattles.  He  was  once  bitten  by 
one  of  these  reptiles. 


DAVID  BRADLE. 

Among  the  most  prominent  and  influen- 
tial citizens  of  Olio  township,  Woodford 
county,  Illinois,  is  the  gentleman  whose 
name  introduces  this  biography.  He  was  born 
in  Stark  county,  Ohio,  in  1850,  a  son  of 
Leonard  and  Catharine  (Heximer)  Bradle, 
who  were  born,  reared  and  married  in  Ger- 
many, and  came  to  the  new  world  in  1849 
on  a  sailing  vessel,  which  made  the  voyage 
in  sixty-three  days  and  landed  them  safely 
in  New  York.  In  his  native  land  the  father 
had  followed  veterinary  surgery  and  black- 
smithing  for  eight  years,  and  he  continued 
to  work  at  his  trade  during  his  residence  in 
Ohio,  where  the  family  first  located.  In 
1853  they  came  to  Illinois  and  took  up  their 
residence  in  Palestine  township,  Woodford 
county,  but  later  moA-ed  to  Cruger  township, 
where  he  operated  rented  land  and  worked 
for  Mr.  Meeks  twenty-two  years.  He  died 
in  that  township  in  1875,  while  his  wife  died 
in  Olio  township,  Woodford  county,  in  1886. 
They  were  among  the  honored  and  highly 
resj^ected  citizens  of  their  community.  In 
their  family  were  six  children,  namely : 
Phcebe,  who  married  Michael  Fry,  of  Olio 
township;  Mrs.  Kate  Shuler,  of  Montgomery 
township,  Woodford  county;  Frederick,  of 
Palestine  township :  Mrs.  Lizzie  Baker,  of 
the  same  township ;  John,  of  Cruger  town- 
ship; David,  our  subject. 

David  Bradle  was  only  three  years  old 


when  brought  by  his  parents  to  Woodford 
county,  and  he  was  principally  reared  and 
educated  in  Cruger  township.  Throughout 
his  active  business  life  he  has  engaged  in 
farming  and  the  horse  business,  handling 
imported  English  draft  horses  for  the  past 
fourteen  years.  In  1881  he  first  came  to 
Olio  township  and  purchased  a  farm  in  the 
eastern  part  of  it.  but  soon  sold  that  place 
and  returned  to  Cruger  township,  where  he 
remained  fourteen  years.  Since  then  he  has 
made  his  home  in  Olio  township  and  has  im- 
proved a  fine  farm. 

In  Cruger  township  Air.  Bradle  was  mar- 
ried, in  1874,  to  Miss  Eliza  Jane  Wright,  a 
native  of  Olio  township  and  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Sarah  (Grove)  Wright,  who 
were  natives  of  Ohio  and  Virginia,  re- 
spectively, and  came  to  Woodford  county  in 
early  life,  their  marriage  being  celebrated  in 
Olio  township,  where  they  continue  to  re- 
side. Our  subject  and  his  wife  have  four 
children,  namely :  Frank,  who  is  married 
and  lives  in  Olio  township ;  James.  Eliza  and 
Maggie. 

As  an  ardent  Democrat  Mr.  Bradle  has 
taken  an  active  interest  in  political  affairs, 
and  has  been  called  upon  to  fill  several  of- 
ficial positions  of  honor  and  trust,  the  duties 
of  which  he  most  capably  discharged.  In 
1895  he  was  elected  commissioner  of  Olio 
township  and  filled  that  office  for  three  years. 
Here  he  has  served  on  the  school  board  three 
years,  and  while  a  resident  of  Cruger  town- 
ship was  president  of  the  board  nine  years, 
constable  four  years  and  pathmaster  seven 
years.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Lu- 
theran church  and  never  withholds  his  sup- 
port from  any  enterprise  calculated  to  prove 
of  public  benefit,  taking  a  deep  interest  in  all 
that  pertains  to  the  welfare  of  his  township 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


577 


and  county.  His  genial,  pleasant  manner 
has  made  him  finite  popnlar  hoth  in  hnsiness 
and  social  circles,  and  his  circle  i>t  friends 
and  acqnaintances  is  extensive. 


SYLV-AXUS  S.  ROBIXSOX. 

Among  the  inflnential  memhers  of  the 
farming  community  of  Woodford  county 
and  one  of  its  most  prosperous  and  wealthy 
citizens  is  the  gentleman  wliose  name  heads 
this  sketch.  He  has  heen  a  resident  of  the 
county  since  1853  and  makes  his  home  on 
section  1 1 ,  Metamora  township,  where  lie 
owns  and  ojjerates  a  valuahle  farm  of  six 
hundred  and  forty  acres. 

Mr.  Rohinson  was  horn  in  Champaign 
county,  Ohio,  Novemher  i.  1846,  and  traces 
his  ancestry  back  to  Rev.  John  Robinson,  one 
of  the  Puritan  fathers,  who  went  from  Eng- 
land to  Holland  about  1608,  and  was  pastor 
of  one  of  the  early  churches  of  that  country. 
His  great-great-grandfather  was  Experience 
Robinson,  whose  son.  Elias  Robinson,  Sr., 
was  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  a  soldier  of 
the  Revolutionary  war.  In  the  family  of  the 
latter  was  Elias  Robinson,  Jr.,  the  grand- 
father of  our  subject.  He  was  also  born  in 
Connecticut  and  was  one  of  the  defenders 
of  his  country  in  the  war  of  1812.  As  early 
as  1817  he  moved  to  Union  county.  Ohio, 
becoming  one  of  its  pioneers.  There  our 
.subject's  father,  George  Robinson,  was  horn 
in  1818,  and  on  reaching  manhood  married 
Lorana  E.  Smith,  a  native  of  Chami)aign 
county,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Sylvanus 
Smith,  also  an  early  settler  of  Union  county, 
having  located  there  in  18 16.  George  Roh- 
inson followed  farming  in  Union  and  Cham- 
paign counties,  Ohio,   for  some  years,  and 


there  all  of  his  children  were  horn.  Tn  1853 
lit  came  west  to  Illinois  and  located  in  Met- 
amora  townshiji.  Woodford  county,  where 
he  owned  and  operated  a  farm  of  eighty 
acres.  He  was  a  successful  agriculturist 
and  had  other  lands  besides  the  home  farm, 
including  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  on 
which  our  subject  now  resides.  He  died 
March  11.  1883,  honored  and  respected  by 
all  who  knew  him.  His  first  wife  and  the 
mother  of  our  subject  departed  this  life 
March  11,  1850,  but  his  last  wife  is  still  liv- 
ing and  continues  to  reside  on  the  home 
place. 

Sylvanus  S.  Robinson  was  only  seven 
years  of  age  when  the  family  came  to  Wood- 
ford county,  and  on  the  old  homestead  his 
boyhood  and  youth  were  passed,  his  edu- 
cation being  acquired  in  the  local  schools 
and  the  high  school  at  Woodstock.  Ohio. 
On  attaining  his  majoritv  he  commenced 
farming  for  himself  upon  a  ])art  of  his  fa- 
ther's land,  and  at  the  hitter's  death  pur- 
chased his  stepmother's  interest  in  the  two- 
hundred-and-forty-acre  tract  on  which  he 
makes  his  home.  From  time  to  time  he  has 
bought  more  land,  and  now  has  si.x  hundred 
and  forty  acres  in  his  farm.  This  place  he 
has  improved  by  the  erection  of  a  com- 
modious and  pleasant  residence,  good  and 
substantial  barns  and  outbuildings.  He  has 
set  out  an  evergreen  hedge  around  his  lawn 
and  has  jilanted  fruit  and  forest  trees,  mak- 
ing his  place  one  of  the  most  attractive  as 
well  as  one  of  the  best  improved  and  most 
valuable  farms  in  the  township.  Besides  this 
property  Mr.  Robinson  owns  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Panola 
township  and  a  well  improved  place  of  two 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  Franklin  county, 
Iowa.  He  raises,  feeds  and  ships  stock  quite 
extensively,  and  since  1885  has  made  a  spe- 


578. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


cialty  of  the  breeding  of  pure  blooded  Gallo- 
way cattle,  of  which  he  has  a  fine  herd  of 
about  one  hundred  head. 

On  the  1 2th  of  February,  1878.  in  Meta- 
mora  township,  Mr.  Robinson  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Emma  E.  Wilson,  a 
native  of  Woodford  county,  and  a  daughter 
of  M.  W.  Wilson,  whose  sketch  appears  on 
another  page  of  this  volume.  They  have 
eight  children  living,  five  sons  and  three 
daughters,  namely:  George  W.,  Francis 
M..  Lewis  S.,  Robert  E.,  Arthur  L..  Agie 
L.,  Elsie  P.  and  Emily  May.  One  son, 
Harry,  died  August  5,  1895,  at  the  age  of 
four  and  a  half  years. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Robinson 
is  a  stalwart  Republican,  having  always  sup- 
ported that  party  since  casting  his  first  pres- 
idential ballot  for  General  U.  S.  Grant  in 
1868.  He  has  never  cared  for  political  pre- 
ferment, however,  desiring  rather  to  devote 
his  entire  time  and  attention  to  his  extensive 
business  interests.  A  man  of  keen  perception 
and  unljounded  enterprise  his  success  has 
been  worthily  achieved,  and  he  deserves 
prominent  mention  among  the  leading  and 
representative  business  men  of  the  county. 
His  genial,  pleasant  manner  has  made  him 
quite  popular  in  both  business  and  social 
circles,  and  as  a  public  spirited  and  enter- 
prising man  he  is  recognized  as  a  \'alued 
citizen  of  the  communitv. 


REV.  NATHANIEL  S.  HAYNES 

One  of  the  best  known  ministers  of  the 
Christian  church  in  Illinois  is  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  who  is  now  serving  as  pastor  of 
the  Christian  church  in  Eureka,  Illinois.  He 
was   born   in   Washington,    IMason   county, 


Kentucky,  March  7,  1844,  and  is  the  son  of 
James  and  Amanda  (Hampton)  Haynes, 
the  former  a  native  of  England,  born  in 
Sussex,  near  Surry,  Fel^ruary  i,  1810, 
where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  in  his 
youth  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade.  He 
came  to  this  country  in  1832.  locating  in 
Washington,  Kentucky,  and  there  continuixl 
working  at  his  trade  in  connection  with  mer- 
chandising. He  became  a  well  known  and 
highly  respected  citizen  of  that  place,  au'l 
there  married  Miss  Amanda  Hampton,  one 
of  the  well  known  family  of  that  name, 
which  has  been  very  prominent  in  southern 
history.  She  was  a  daughter  of  James 
Hampton. 

In  1852  James  Haynes  came  with  his 
family  to  \\'oodford  county,  Illinois,  and 
purchased  a  farm  adjoining  the  corporate 
limits  of  Eureka,  where  he  made  a  home  and 
operated  an  extensive  farm.  When  he  left 
Kentucky  he  bought  a  herd  of  shiirt-horn 
cattle  to  bring  with  him  to  his  new  home, 
but  sold  the  greater  part  of  them  before  he 
arrived.  He  was  an  industrious  and  con- 
servative man,  of  the  highest  type  of  integ- 
rity and  honor.  For  many  years  he  "was  a 
member  of  the  Christian  church,  and  like 
many  others  residing  in  or  near  Eureka,  he 
contributed  liberally  in  support  of  the  col- 
lege. His  death  occurred  December  12,  1894"'. 
His  widow  yet  lives  on  the  farm  which  was 
so  long  their  home  and  yet  gives  personal 
attention  to  its  management.  They  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  all  of  whom  are  l\v- 
ing,  save  one. 

Nathaniel  S.  Haynes  grew  to  manhood 
in  Woodford  county,  and  was  but  eight  years 
old  when  the  family  settled  here.  In  the 
public  schools  of  Eureka  he  received  his  pri- 
mary education,  after  which  he  entered 
Eureka  College,  with  a  view  of  taking  the 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


579 


regular  course.  While  a  student  there  the 
Civil  war  commenced,  and  in  common  with 
thousands  of  other  young  men  he  put  aside 
his  text  books  and  enlisted  in  Company  A, 
Eighty-sixth  Illinois  \'olunteer  Infantry,  and 
with  his  regiment  went  south,  arriving  in 
time  to  participate  in  the  battle  of  Perry- 
ville,  Kentucky.  After  that  battle  he  par- 
ticipated in  several  skirmishes  with  the  ene- 
my until  early  in  i86.^,  when  he  was  taken 
sick  with  typhoid  fever.  His  recovery  was 
very  slow,  and  he  was  discharged  from 
the  service  and  sent  home.  Recovering  his 
health,  in  the  spring  of  1864  he  again  enlist- 
ed, becoming  a  member  of  Company  A,  One 
Hundred  and  Thirty-ninth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  continued  to  serve  until  his 
regiment  was  mustered  out  of  service,  the 
greater  i)art  of  the  time  being  on  detached 
service  in  the  United  States  government 
telegraph  office  in  Cairo,  Illinois. 

After  receiving  his  discharge  Mr.  Haynes 
returned  home  and  resumed  his  studies  in 
the  college,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1867,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  He  then 
went  to  Kansas,  Illinois,  and  was  there  prin- 
cipal of  the  public  schools  for  one  year.  In 
June,  1868,  he  received  the  degree  of  A.  M., 
and  at  the  same  time  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry,  having  for  a  time  previous  been 
engaged  in  preaching  the  gospel.  His  first 
pastorate  was  for  the  Christian  church  at 
Kansas,  Illinois,  where  he  had  been  engaged 
in  teaching.  While  in  that  place  he  did 
much  evangelistic  work  in  the  surrounding 
country  and  was  instrumental  in  bringing 
many  into  the  church  of  Christ. 

Wishing  to  further  qualify  himself  for  his 
life  work  he  entered  Kentucky  University 
and  spent  the  school  year  of  1869-70. 
In  1872,  the  year  of  the  Peace  Jubilee,  he 
went  to  Prince  Edwards  Island  and  spent 


three  months  and  a  half  in  evangelistic  work. 
In  August,  1873,  he  received  a  call  from  the 
Christian  church  at  Decatur,  Illinois,  to  be- 
come its  pastor,  and  at  once  entered  upon  the 
work.  The  Decatur  church  was  small  at 
that  time,  but  while  he  remained  there  it 
grew  in  numbers  and  in  spiritual  strength, 
and  a  new  house  of  worship  was  built  and 
paid  for.  He  remained  with  the  church  as 
pastor  until  1880,  leaving  it  in  a  prosperous 
condition.  He  resigned  that  he  might  accept 
the  position  of  corresponding  secretary  of 
the  Illinois  Christian  Missionary  Society,  and 
served  in  that  office  in  a  most  acceptable 
manner  until  1886,  in  the  meantime  making 
his  home  in  Decatur.  While  serving  in  that 
oftice  he  traveled  in  all  parts  of  the  state  and 
ga\e  his  undivided  time  to  the  subject  of 
missions  and  preaching  of  the  gospel  of 
Christ.  Those  acquainted  with  his  work 
give  him  the  credit  of  putting  more  enthu- 
siasm into  the  missionary  work  of  the  state 
than  had  heretofore  been  accomplished  by 
any  other  man.  In  that  work  he  showed  re- 
markable executive  ability  and  accomplished 
nnich  for  the  cause  of  the  Master.  On  the 
1st  of  September,  1886,  he  resigned  the  of- 
fice that  he  might  accept  the  call  to  the  pas- 
torate of  the  Christian  church  of  Peoria,  Il- 
linois, where  he  labored  until  March  i,  1892. 
That  was  a  time  for  development  for  the 
ch.urch  at  that  place,  and  under  the  pastorate 
of  Mr.  Haynes  the  congregation  grew  in 
numbers  and  in  grace,  bought  a  lot,  built  and 
paid  for  a  missionary  chapel  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  city,  organized  a  mission  Sun- 
day school,  and  raised  several  thousand  dol- 
hirs  for  a  building  fund. 

In  March,  1892,  Mr.  Haynes  removed  to 
Englewood  and  became  pastor  of  the  church 
at  that  place,  the  house  of  worship  being 
near  the  corner  of  Sixty-fourth  street  and 


S8o 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Eggleston  avenue.  He  remained  witli  that 
church  until  October  i,  1898,  during  whicli 
time  an  addition  to  tlie  church  was  built  and 
the  congregation  grew  in  numbers,  becom- 
ing one  of  the  best  Christian  churches  in 
Chicago.  The  field  in  which  he  labored  was 
a  hard  one  to  cultivate,  but  he  toiled  on  with 
faith  in  the  general  outcome,  and  left  the 
church  in  a  flourishing  condition.  Novem- 
ber I,  i8g8,  he  came  to  Eureka  as  pastor 
of  his  old  home  church,  in  which  he  entered 
upon  the  Christian  race.  He  has  now  been 
with  it  for  about  two  years,  and  it  can 
truthfully  be  said  that  notwithstanding  the 
church  has  been  ministered  unto  by  some  of 
the  ablest  men  in  the  brotherhood,  none  have 
been  more  acceptable  to  the  members  and 
friends  than  N.  S.  Haynes. 

On  the  20th  of  November,  1874,  Mr. 
Haynes  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Rose  Frazier,  of  Paris,  Illinois,  daughter  of 
John  Frazier,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
Edgar  county,  Illinois.  By  this  union  have 
been  born  two  daughters,  Rose  and  Ethel. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Haynes  is  a  member  of 
Dan  Miles  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Eureka.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  Bryner  Post,  No.  67, 
of  Peoria,  and  served  as  its  commander  for 
one  year  and  chaplain  for  four  years. 
AMiile  in  Chicago  he  was  a  member  of 
the  George  G.  Meade  Post,  No.  444,  and 
served  as  chaplain  for  three  years.  For 
thirty  years  he  has  served  as  one  of  the 
trustees  of  Eureka  College,  and  in  that  time 
has  done  much  to  advance  its  interests.  He 
has  been  a  frequent  contributor  to  the 
periodical  literature  of  the  Christian  church 
for  many  years,  and  his  contributions  are 
read  with  interest  and  profit  by  all.  He  is 
logical  and  clear  cut  in  all  his  utterances 
and  no  hearer  or  reader  but  understands 
what  he  is  aiming  at  in  his  speech.     Few 


men  have  a  more  terse  way  of  stating  a 
proposition.  Strong  in  the  faith,  he  labors 
for  the  good  of  humanity  and  the  upbuilding 
of  the  cause  of  Christ. 


SNYDER  BROTHERS. 

The  firm  of  Snyder  Brothers,  grain,  coal 
and  lumber  dealers  of  Metamora,  is  but  a 
recent  accpiisition  to  the  goodly  array  of 
progressive  business  men  in  that  thriving 
town,  but  their  ability,  enterprise  and  up- 
right methods  have  already  established  for 
them  an  enviable  reputation.  Although  the 
brothers  are  still  young  men,  their  popularity 
is  established  on  a  firm  basis — that  of  their 
own  well-tested  merit. 

John  Snyder,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Germany  in  October,  1819,  and  was 
a  son  of  Nicholas  Snyder,  also  a  native  of 
Germany  and  of  German  ancestry.  The 
latter  followed  the  miller's  trade  in  his  na- 
tive land  until  1828,  when  he  emigrated  to 
America  with  his  wife  and  children,  and 
first  located  in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  re- 
sided for  some  years.  In  1855  he  came  west 
to  Illinois  and  took  up  a  claim  in  Woodford 
county  near  the  present  village  of  Spring 
Bay.  Later  he  purchased  more  land  and 
became  one  of  the  prosperous  farmers  of  the 
county. 

John  Snyder  was  only  six  years  of  age 
when  he  came  with  the  family  to  the  United 
States  and  in  Pennsjdvania  he  grew  to  man- 
hood. At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  commenced 
earning  his  own  livelihood,  and,  saving  his 
money,  he  was  at  length  able  to  purchase  a 
tract  of  land  in  Partridge  township,  Wood- 
ford county,  upon  which  he  erected  a  log 
house,  making  it  his  home  while  he  broke 
and  improved  his  land.    After  residing  there 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


581 


for  a  number  of  years  he  bought  a  well  im- 
proved farm  in  Metaniora  township  in  1874, 
and  continued  to  successfully  engage  in  agri- 
cultural jnirsuits  throughout  life,  becoming 
one  of  the  substantial  farmers  of  his  com- 
munity. He  died  September  4.  1894,  hon- 
ored and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 
He  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being 
Susan  Caldwell,  a  native  of  Ohio,  by  whom 
he  had  one  daughter,  Ellen.  His  second 
wife  was  Lovina  Baker,  a  native  of  Luzerne 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  a  daughter  of 
Chauncey  Baker,  who  was  also  born  in  that 
state  and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
\\'oodford  county,  Illinois.  By  this  union 
were  born  three  children:  Susan,  wife  of 
Orrin  Kern,  a  business  man  of  Washington, 
Illinois;  and  John  C.  and  Simeon,  who  con- 
stitute the  firm  of  Snyder  Brothers.  The 
mother  is  still  living  and  now  makes  Iier 
home  with  Simeon  in  Metamora. 

John  C.  Snyder,  the  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Snyder  Brothers,  was  born  in  Part- 
ridge township,  Woodford  county,  August 
-3'  18/3'  ^"(i  received  his  education  in  the 
home  schools.  He  assisted  his  father  in  the 
labors  of  the  farm  until  the  latter's  death, 
when  he  and  his  brother  took  charge  of  that 
place  and  carried  it  on  until  coming  to  Meta- 
mora in  April,  1899.  Here  they  embarked 
in  the  grain,  lumber  and  coal  business  under 
the  firm  name  of  Snyder  Brothers,  and  have 
already  built  up  an  excellent  trade.  They 
own  a  good  elevator  for  the  storage  of  their 
grain  and  carry  a  good  stock  of  lumber  and 
all  kinds  of  building  material.  They  are 
enterprising,  wide-awake  young  business 
men  and  by  fair  and  honorable  dealing  have 
gained  a  liberal  share  of  the  public  patron- 
age. On  the  1st  of  March,  1898,  John  C. 
Snyder  was  married,  in  Metamora,  to  Miss 
Myrtle  Owen,  who  was  born,  reared  and  ed- 


ucated in  Cazenovia  township,  Woodford 
county,  successfully  engaged  in  teaching 
for  a  time  and  served  as  postmistress  of 
Metamora  for  four  years,  being  appointed 
to  that  office  during  President  Cleveland's 
second  term.  Her  father,  D.  M.  Owen,  was 
a  substantial  farmer  and  business  man  of 
Woodford  county  and  served  one  term  as 
sheriff  and  later  as  deputy  sheriff.  His 
last  days  were  spent  in  Metamora,  where  he 
died  July  23,  1900.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snyder 
have  a  jjleasant  home  in  IMetamora,  which 
he  erected. 

Simeon  Snyder,  the  junior  member  of 
the  firm,  was  born  on  the  old  homestead  in 
Metamora  townshi])  June  27,  1877,  ^"^  be- 
gan his  education  in  the  district  schools  of 
that  locality,  later  attending  the  Metamora 
high  sc1k)o1  and  the  State  University  at 
Champaign,  where  he  finished  his  studies 
in  the  spring  of  1898.  For  a  year  he  de- 
voted his  attention  to  farming  and  then  em- 
barked in  his  present  business  at  Metamora. 
In  that  city  he  was  married,  June  27,  1900, 
to  Miss  Bertha  Isch,  a  daughter  of  John  A. 
Isch,  of  Metamora.  She  is  a  native  of 
Switzerland,  but  was  principally  reared  and 
educated  in  this  country.  The  home  of  the 
young  couple  is  a  modern  structure  and  one 
of  the  best  in  the  town.  Politically  the 
brothers  are  identified  with  the  Democratic 
party,  but  have  never  taken  an  active  part  in 
public  affairs. 


E.  K.  DAVIDSON. 

This  prominent  and  well-known  citizen 
of  Cruger  township,  whose  home  is  on  sec- 
tion 14,  was  born  in  that  township,  January 
5,  1858,  and  belongs  to  one  of  Woodford 
county's  most  honored  pioneers,  being  a  son 
of  Calvin  G.  and  Eliza  (Kinnear)  Davidson. 


582 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


The  father  was  1iorn  in  Kentucky,  OctolDer 
13,  1826,  and  in  183 1  came  to  Woodford 
county,  Illinois,  with  his  parents,  Caleb  and 
Martha  (Glazebrook)  Davidson,  natives  of 
South  Carolina,  who  removed  to  Kentucky 
at  an  early  day.  The  family  settled  in  what 
is  now  Cruger  township  before  the  county 
was  organized  and  took  up  government  land, 
at  the  same  time  buying  other  tracts,  which 
the  grandfather  of  our  suliject  improved. 
He  died  in  that  township  in  1870,  and  his 
wife  died  in  Eureka  in  1882.  Their  children 
were  Mrs.  Letitia  Oatman,  of  Kansas  City: 
Marshall  E.,  of  Nevada,  Missouri;  Mrs. 
Susan  Eckles,  of  Washington,  Illiois;  Cal- 
vin G.,  father  of  our  subject;  Mrs.  Martha 
Lindsay,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York;  Mrs.  Eliza 
Jones,  of  Missouri;  William  A.,  of  Eureka, 
who  is  represented  on  another  page  of  this 
volume;  Frank,  of  Hannibal,  Missouri; 
Sarah,  wife  of  Dr.  Crawford,  of  Eureka; 
and  Mrs.  Mary  Reynolds,  of  Peoria. 

Calvin  G.  Davidson,  our  subject's  father, 
grew  to  manhood  on  the  old  homestead  in 
Cruger  township,  and  there  he  was  married, 
March  8,  1855,  to  Eliza  Kinnear,  who  was 
born  near  Kingston,  Ohio,  September  i, 
1833,  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Ellen 
(Ritchey)  Kinnear,  also  pioneer  settlers  of 
Woodford  county.  On  first  coming  to  this 
state  they  located  in  Bloomington,  and  then 
removed  to  Cruger  township,  Woodford 
county,  where  Mr.  Kinnear  opened  up  a 
farm  on  section  14,  making  it  his  home 
throughout  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
died  in  1892,  his  wife  in  1884.  They  had 
five  children:  Eliza,  mother  of  our  subject; 
George,  a  resident  of  Seattle,  Washington; 
Rachel,  wife  of  E.  F.  Earl,  of  Paxton,  Illi- 
nois; John  R.  and  Lockwood  A.,  both  of 
Seattle.  After  his  marriage  the  father  of 
our    subject    settled    near    the    village    of 


Cruger,  ])ut  later  moved  to  the  Kinnear 
liomestead,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  several  years.  He  took  an  active 
part  in  organizing  the  county  and  served  as 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  and  his  wife 
are  now  living  in  Watseka,  IlHnois.  They 
liave  a  family  of  five  children :  W.  O.,  now 
serving  as  supervisor  of  Cruger  township; 
E.  K.,  our  subject;  and  I\Irs.  Capitola  Hirshi, 
Mrs.  Caddie  Kern  and  Mrs.  Anna  Martin, 
all  residents  of  Watseka. 

Our  subject  was  reared  on  the  old  Kin- 
near homestead,  where  he  now  resides,  and 
was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of 
Cruger  townsliip.  Throughout  his  active 
business  life  he  has  followed  the  occupation 
of  farming  with  marked  success,  and  is  just- 
ly numbered  among  the  most  thorough  and 
skillful  agriculturists  of  his  township.  He 
was  married  in  Vernon  county,  Missouri,  in 
1894,  to  Miss  Cornelia  A.  McDaniel,  a  native 
of  Alabama  and  a  daughter  of  Lowry  and 
.Anna  Amanda  (Coats)  McDaniel,  who  died 
in  Alabama.  By  this  union  has  been  born 
one  child,  Calvin  Lowry. 

As  a  Democrat  Mr.  Davidson  has  taken 
a  leading  and  influential  part  in  local  politics,^ 
and  served  as  supervisor  of  his  township  in 
1894  and  1895.  Socially  he  is  a  member 
ct  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  of  Eureka; 
AVilliam  C.  Hobbs  Lodge,  No.  306,  F.  & 
A.  M. ;  Tazewell  Chapter,  No.  199,  R.  A. 
M. ;  Couer  de  Leon  Commandery,  No.  49,  of 
El  Paso,  and  Mohamet  Temple  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine,  of  Peoria.  He  is  eminently  public 
spirited  and  progressive  and  identifies  him- 
self with  those  interests  whose  object  it  is  to 
advance  the  welfare  of  the  township  and 
cciunty.  Mr.  Davidson  is  widely  and  fa- 
vorably known,  and  those  who  know  him 
best  are  numbered  among  his  warmest 
friends. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


583 


CHRISTIAN  SCHAFEK. 

Tliis  well-known  resident  of  Ml  Paso  is 
one  of  our  leading  Cerman-l)orn  citizens  and 
in  his  snccessfnl  business  career  he  has  siiown 
the  characteristic  thrift  and  enterprise  of 
his  race.  Beginning  with  no  capital  except 
that  ac(|uired  hy  his  own  industry,  he  has 
steadily  prospered  in  his  business  \entures 
and  is  to-day  one  of  the  wealthiest  citizens 
of  his  adopted  county. 

Mr.  Schafer  was  born  in  Bavaria.  Cier- 
many.  September  21,  1834.  and  is  a  son  of 
Frederick  and  Elizabeth  (Wagner)  Schafer. 
who  spent  their  entire  lives  in  that  country. 
The  father  was  extensively  engaged  in  the 
grain  business,  having  fourteen  teams  on 
the  road  all  of  the  time,  and  was  a  large  land 
owner.  He  was  manager  of  the  King's  salt 
magazine  for  thirty-two  years,  and  also 
served  as  mayor  of  Waltmur  for  twenty- 
seven  years,  being  one  of  the  most  influential 
citizens  as  well  as  one  of  the  wealthiest  men 
of  his  locality.  His  father  had  held  those 
offices  before  him  and  in  Germany  belonged 
to  what  corres])onds  to  the  English  nobility. 

Our  subject  is  the  seventh  in  order  of 
birth  in  a  family  of  eight  children,  all  of 
whom  grew  to  maturity  and  four  are  now 
living,  namely:  Charlotte,  now  seventy- 
eight  years  of  age,  is  the  widow  of  Nicholas 
Freese  and  a  resident  of  Washington,  Illi- 
nois :  Henry,  aged  seventy-six,  is  living  re- 
tired in  Wheeling,  West  Virginia;  Margaret 
is  the  wife  of  Frederick  Bashar,  of  Bcllaire. 
Ohio;  our  subject  completes  the  family.  By 
a  former  marriage  the  father  had  five  chil- 
dren, all  now  deceased. 

C.  Schafer  attended  school  in  his  native 
land  until  thirteen  years  of  age  and  then 
learned  the  shoemaker's  trade,  serving  a  one- 
year  apprenticeship,  after  which  he  traveled 


twi>  \ears  through  Bavaria  and  Prussia, 
working  at  liis  trade  in  the  large  towns.  .\t 
the  age  of  sixteen  he  determined  to  come  to 
.\merica  and  finally  succeeded  in  getting 
enough  money  from  the  administrators  of 
his  father's  estate  to  pay  his  passage.  He 
sailed  from  Havre  on  the  Christian  Henry 
and  after  a  voyage  of  twenty-two  days 
landed  in  New  York.  There  he  found  that 
he  only  had  twelve  and  a  half  cents  in  his 
pockets  and  this  he  spent  for  a  meal.  He 
finally  found  work  at  his  trade  in  a  basement 
shoe  shop  and  also  found  a  friend  who  had 
known  his  father  in  the  old  country,  .\fter 
working  eight  days  he  had  enough  money  to 
pay  his  fare  to  Wheeling,  West  Virginia, 
where  a  brother  had  made  his  home  for 
about  twenty-five  years,  .\fter  visiting  his 
lirother  and  sister  for  a  time  he  commenced 
work  at  his  trade  in  that  city,  where  he  was 
employed  for  three  years,  and  then  deter- 
mined to  try  his  fortune  in  the  west.  He 
took  passage  on  the  first  stem-wheel  steamer 
ever  in  America  and  by  w'ay  of  the  Ohio, 
Mississip])i  and  Illinois  river  proceeded  to 
Peoria,  where  he  arrived  January  26.  1854. 
There  he  was  married,  on  the  i8th  of  July, 
the  same  year,  to  Miss  Phebe  Bashar,  also 
a  native  of  Bavaria,  Germany,  who,  when 
a  child  of  seven  years,  came  to  America  with 
her  parents  and  located  in  Bellaire,  Ohio. 
Her  father  was  Nicholas  Bashar,  of  Ba- 
\aria. 

In  October.  1854,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schafer 
removed  to  Kappa,  Woodford  county,  where 
he  successfully  engaged  in  the  shoe  business 
for  several  years,  and  also  bought  and  sold 
iiogs,  cattle  and  sheep.  In  1861  he  became 
a  resident  of  El  Paso,  where  he  erected  a 
store  building  and  opened  a  stock  of  shoes, 
carrying  on  business  as  a  dealer  in  connec- 
tion with  his  manufacturing  department.   .\t 


584 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


the  end  of  eleven  months  he  added  groceries 
to  liis  stock  and  a  Httle  later  put  in  dry 
goods,  and  subsequently  hats,  caps,  clothing 
and  gents'  furnishing  goods,  carrying  every- 
thing needed  by  the  farmers.  From  time  to 
time  he  increased  his  stock  until  he  had  a 
first-class  general  store.  As  his  financial 
resources  increased  he  invested  in  land  and 
now  has  about  fifteen  hundred  acres  around 
El  Paso  and  also  six  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  fine  cotton  land  in  Clay  county,  Mis- 
sissippi. Mr.  Schafer  is  a  stockholder  in 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Port  Arthur, 
Texas,  and  also  owns  five  store  buildings, 
four  dwelling  houses  and  a  number  of  vacant 
lots  in  that  city.  On  the  14th  of  July,  1884, 
he  assisted  in  organizing  the  First  National 
Bank  of  El  Paso,  in  connection  with  A.  S. 
McKinney,  Al  Johnson,  J.  Quincy  Adams 
and  S.  T.  Rogers,  and  is  serving  as  vice 
president  and  director  of  the  same.  The 
tank  has  a  capital  stock  of  over  eighty  thou- 
sand dollars  and  is  in  a  prosperous  and  thriv- 
ing condition.  In  1892  Mr.  Schafer  made  a 
present  of  his  store  to  his  son-in-law,  H.  J. 
Tegmver,  who  has  since  carried  on  the 
business,  while  our  subject  practically  lives 
retired,  looking  after  his  investments.  Be- 
sides the  property  already  mentioned  he  owns 
two  residences  and  three  store  buildings  in 
El  Paso. 

Of  the  eleven  children  born  to  Air.  and' 
Mrs.  Schafer,  Jennie,  the  eldest,  married 
Robert  Harseim  and  died  in  Indianapolis, 
Indiana,  April  10,  1892,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
six  years,  leaving  three  children,  Edna, 
Jeanette  and  Roberta.  Fred  W.  died  at  the 
age  of  two  years  and  Charles  at  the  age  of 
one  year.  Ida  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Tegt- 
myer.  of  El  Paso,  and  they  have  one  daugh- 
ter. Ethel.  Nellie  died  at  the  age  of  nine 
months.    Harr}'  C,  who  is  with  the  Empor- 


ium Company,  of  Chicago,  married  Emma 
Evans  and  thev  have  one  child,  Laurine. 
Clara  died  at  the  age  of  seven  months.  Ed- 
ward George  is  a  graduate  of  Eureka  College 
and  the  Northwestern  University  and  is  now 
in  El  Paso.  Millie  is  at  home.  Walter 
Robert  was  a  law  student  at  the  Chicago  Uni- 
versity at  the  time  of  his  death.  May  20, 
1899.  Frank  B.  is  attendmg  the  law  school 
of  the  Chicago  University. 

Each  year  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schafer  spend 
some  time  in  traveling  and  have  been  over 
the  greater  part  of  the  United  States.  They 
are  prominent  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  El  Paso,  in  which  he  has  serx'ed 
twenty-three  years  as  trustee  and  treasurer 
in  this  and  other  churches.  For  three  years 
he  most  efficiently  served  as  president  of  the 
school  board,  having  eleven  districts  under 
his  supervision,  and  he  has  also  served  as 
alderman  of  the  city,  although  he  has  never 
cared  for  official  honors.  Since  casting  his 
first  presidential  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln 
he  has  affiliated  with  the  Republican  party, 
and  has  attended  many  county  and  state 
conventions  of  his  party.  He  was  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  El  Paso  Fair  Asso- 
ciation and  has  always  given  his  support  to 
those  enterprises  which  he  believed  calculated 
to  prove  of  public  benefit.  He  is  widely 
and  favorably  known  and  justly  merits  the 
high  regard  in  which  he  is  held. 


BENJAMIN  K.  ORE. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  is  now 
living  a  retired  life  in  El  Paso,  Illinois,  was 
born  in  Swedesboro,  Gloucester  county,  New 
Jersey,  December  29,  1826,  and  is  a  son  of 
Isaac  and  Mila  (Wodes)  Ore.  The  father 
was  a  native  of  England  and  was  only  three 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


585 


years  old  wlien,  with  his  parents,  lie  came  to 
the  United  States  and  settled  in  Gloncester 
conntv.  Xew  Jersey,  where  he  ^i)ent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  He  was  a  hrick  and 
stone  mason  hy  trade  and  followed  contract- 
ing and  building.  He  died  in  October,  1828, 
when  our  subject  was  only  two  years  old. 
His  wife  was  born  and  reared  in  Swedes- 
boro,  New  Jersey,  and  was  a  descendant  of 
some  of  the  very  earliest  settlers  of  that 
state.  She  lived  to  the  ripe  old  age  of 
eightv-eight  years  and  departed  this  life  in 
1X88.  In  their  family  were  seven  children, 
namely:  Elizabeth,  wife  of  George  Black, 
of  Swedesboro,  both  now  deceased ;  John  and 
Charles,  also  deceased;  Mila,  wife  of  Will- 
iam Zanes,  living  near  Swedesboro;  Ran- 
som, a  resident  of  Sea  View,  New  Jersey; 
Lydia,  deceased;  Benjamin  K.,  our  subject; 
and  Isaac  J.,  a  resident  of  Swedesboro. 

In  his  native  town  Benjamin  K.  Ore  was 
reader  and  educated  and  in  early  life  fol- 
lowed farming.  In  1849  he  found  employ- 
ment in  a  hotel  in  Swedesboro,  where  he  re- 
mained for  six  years,  and  in  1855  came  west, 
locating  at  Farmington,  Fulton  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  made  his  home  until  coming 
to  Woodford  county  in  1858.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Palestine  township  until 
after  the  Civil  war  broke  out,  when  he  en- 
listed, August  7,  1862,  in  CcMnpany  A, 
Eighty-sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  He 
participated  in  the  battle  of  Perryville  and  in 
a  skirmish  near  Stone  river,  where  he  re- 
ceived injuries  which  inca])acitated  him  for 
service  at  the  front.  He  was  then  assigned 
to  detached  duty  in  the  Invalid  Corps  and 
thus  served  out  his  term  of  enlistment,  being 
stationed  at  various  times  in  Syracuse, 
Rochester  and  Elmira.  New  York,  and  Chi- 
cago, Illinois.  In  the  last  named  city  he  was 
honorably  discharged  July  2,  1865,  and  then 


returned  to  his  home  in  Woodford  county. 
Mr.  Ore  followed  farming  near  Kappa,  El 
Paso  township,  until  1889,  when  he  moved 
to  Springfield,  Illinois,  and  spent  two  years 
in  that  city,  after  which  he  returned  to  .\in- 
boy,  remaining  there  until  1899,  when  he 
came  to  El  Paso,  where  he  is  now  living  a 
retired  life. 

On  the  4th  of  September,  1851,  Mr.  Ore 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Esther 
Cline,  a  native  of  Morristown,  Burlington 
county.  New  Jersey,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  as  follows :  Henry 
P.,  born  August  17,  1852,  was  killed  by  the 
Indians  at  Camp  Robinson,  Nebraska.  Jan- 
uary 12,  1879,  while  serving  in  Company 
A,  Third  Regiment  United  States  Army; 
John,  born  June  9,  1855,  died  in  infancy; 
Mila,  born  August  27,  1856,  is  also  deceased ; 
Joseph,  born  October  15,  1861,  resides  in 
Milwaukee,  Wisconsin;  Thomas,  born  May 
I,  1866,  is  living  in  Tacoma,  Washington; 
Eva,  born  May  11,  1869,  is  the  wife  of  Jacob 
J.  Dole,  of  Olathe,  Kansas ;  and  Blanch,  born 
March  31,  187 1,  is  the  wife  of  Frederick 
Wohnke,  of  El  Paso.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and 
are  people  of  prominence  in  the  communities 
where  they  reside.  Mr.  Ore  has  always  sup- 
ported the  Republican  party  and  is  a  charter 
member  of  the  Grand  ^Vrmy  [Xist  at  El  Paso. 
By  all  who  know  him  he  is  held  in  high  re- 
gard and  he  has  many  friends  throughout 
Woodford  countv. 


W.  O.  DAVIDSON. 

The  natural  advantages  of  this  section 
attracted  at  an  early  day  a  superior  class  of 
settlers,  thrifty,  industrious,  progressive  and 
law-abiding,  whose  influence  gave  permanent 


586 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


direction  to  the  development  of  the  locaHty. 
Among  the  worthy  pioneers  of  Woodford 
county  the  Davidson  family  hold  prominent 
place.  They  always  bore  their  part  in  the 
work  of  advancement  and  progress  and  gave 
their  support  to  all  enterprises  for  the  pub- 
lic good. 

The  present  supervisor  of  Cruger  town- 
ship is  a  worthy  representative  of  this  fam- 
ily. There  he  was  born  March  8,  1856,  a  son 
of  Calvin  G.  and  Eliza  (Kinnear)  Davidson. 
The  father  was  born  in  Kentucky  October 
13,  1826,  and  in  1832  came  to  Woodford 
county,  Illinois,  with  his  parents,  Caleb  and 
Martha  (Glazebrook)  Davidson,  natives  of 
South  Carolina,  who  had  removed  to  Ken- 
tucky at  an  early  day.  The  family  settled 
in  what  is  now  Cruger  township  before  the 
county  was  organized  and  took  up  govern- 
ment land,  at  the  same  time  buying  other 
tracts,  which  the  grandfather  of  our  subject 
improved.  He  died  in  that  township  in  1870 
and  his  wife  died  in  Eureka  in  1882.  Their 
children  were  Mrs.  Letitia  Oatman,  of  Kan- 
sas City;  Marshall  E.,  of  Nevada,  Missouri; 
Mrs.  Susan  Eckles,  of  Washington,  Illinois ; 
Calvin  G.,  father  of  our  subject;  Mrs. 
Martha  Lindsay,  of  Brooklyn.  New  York; 
Mrs.  Eliza  Jones,  of  Missouri ;  William  A., 
of  Eureka,  who  is  represented  on  another 
page  of  this  volume;  Frank,  of  Hannibal, 
Missouri;  Sarah,  wife  of  Dr.  Crawford,  of 
Eureka;  and  Mrs.  Mary  Reynolds,  of  Peoria. 

Calvin  G.  Davidson,  our  subject's  father, 
grew  to  manhood  on  the  old  homestead  in 
Cruger  township  and  there  he  was  married, 
March  8,  1855,  to  Eliza  Kinnear,  who  was 
born  near  Kingston,  Ohio.  September  i, 
1833.  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Ellen 
(Ritchey)  Kinnear,  also  pioneer  settlers  of 
Woodford  county.  On  first  coming  to  this 
state  they  settled  at  Bloomington.  and  then 


removed  to  Cruger  township,  Woodford 
county,  where  Mr.  Kinnear  opened  up  a  farm 
on  section  14,  making  it  his  home  through- 
out the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  De- 
cember 16,  1892,  his  wife  in  December, 
1884.  They  had  five  children:  Eliza, 
mother  of  our  subject ;  George,  a  resident  of 
Seattle.  Washington ;  Rachel,  wife  of  E.  F. 
Earl,  of  Paxton.  Illinois;  John  R.  and  Lock- 
wood  A.,  both  of  Seattle.  After  his  mar- 
riage the  father  of  our  subject  settled  near 
the  village  of  Cruger.  but  later  moved  to 
the  Kinnear  homestead,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  several  years.  He 
took  an  active  part  in  organizing  the  county 
and  served  as  commissioner  of  highways  for 
a  time.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He 
and  his  wife  are  now  living  in  Watseka, 
Illinois.  Of  their  five  children  W.  O.  is  the 
oldest.  E.  K.  lives  on  the  old  homestead, 
and  Mrs.  Capitola  Hirshi.  Mrs.  Caddie  Kern 
and  Mrs.  Anna  Martin  are  all  residents  of 
Watseka. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  of  W.  O.  David- 
son was  passed  amid  rural  scenes  and  he 
was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  Cruger 
township  and  later  attended  Knox  College, 
of  Galesburg,  where  he  took  a  scientific 
course.  In  1881  he  purchased  his  present 
farm  in  that  township  and  the  following 
year  took  up  his  residence  thereon,  his  time 
and  energies  being  since  devoted  to  its 
further  improvement  and  cultivation.  He 
carries  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising 
and  is  meeting  with  well  deserved  success 
in  his  labors.  In  1883,  October  18,  he  was 
married,  in  Cruger  township,  to  Miss  Eliza 
Ellis,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  where  her 
parents,  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Fleming) 
Ellis,  were  also  born.  (See  sketch  of  Thomas 
Ellis  elsewhere  in  this  volume.)  To  our 
subject  and  his  wife  have  been  born  six  chil- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


587 


dren :       Cliarles.     Bessie.     Xora,     Thomas, 
Geiieveive  and  W'ildon  Crawford. 

Socially  Mr.  Davidson  is  a  nieml)er  of 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  .\merica  and  Will- 
iam C.  Hobbs  Lodge,  Xo.  306.  F.  &  A.  M., 
of  Eureka,  and  Tazewell  Chapter.  Xo.  199, 
R.  .-\.  M..  of  Wasliington.  In  his  political 
afifiliations  he  is  a  Democrat  and  as  one  of 
the  leading  citizens  of  his  township  he  has 
taken  a  very  prominent  and  influential  part 
in  public  affairs.  In  the  spring  of  1899  he 
was  elected  sujiervisor  of  Cruger  township 
and  is  now  filling  that  office  with  credit  to 
himself  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  con- 
stituents. 


PETER  F.\GOT. 

Since  1847  this  gentleman  has  made  iiis 
home  in  Woodford  county  and  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  its  growth  and 
(ievelopment.  Like  many  of  our  best  and 
nnist  enterprising  citizens,  he  comes  from 
across  the  sea,  his  birth  having  occurred 
January  16,  1839,  in  Alsace  Lorraine, 
Prance,  now  a  province  of  Germany.  His 
parents,  Joseph  and  Barbara  ( Tunna )  Fagot, 
were  natives  of  the  same  province,  where 
tliey  continued  to  make  their  home  until 
1847.  when,  with  their  family,  they  emi- 
grated to  America.  They  came  at  once  to 
Woodfortl  county,  Illinois,  locating  here 
when  the  country  was  but  sparsely  settled 
and  much  of  the  land  was  still  in  its  primi- 
tive condition.  During  his  youth  the  father 
learned  the  trade  of  a  weaver,  which  he  con- 
tinued to  follow  until  old  age  compelled  liis 
retirement  from  active  labor.  He  died  in 
1880,  his  wife  in  1887.  In  the  family  of 
these  worthy  pioneers  were  six  children,  all 
Ijorn  in   France,  with  the  exception  of  the 


youngest  daughter.  They  were  as  follows : 
Pn)sper  G..  born  December  20,  1S36,  died 
at  his  home  in  Linn  township,  in  1898: 
Peter,  our  subject,  is  the  next  in  order  of 
liirth :  Mary  is  the  widow  of  Frank  Lozier 
and  a  resident  of  Minonk  township,  Wood- 
ford county ;  Frank  died  on  his  farm  in 
Spring  Bay  township,  in  .\ugnst,  1900; 
Christina  married  .Andrew  Conkle,  of  Mar- 
shall county.  Illinois,  where  she  died ;  and 
Felicity,  born  in  Partridge  township.  Wood- 
ford county,  married  Martin  Voltz  and  died 
in  Worth  township. 

During  his  boyhood  Peter  Fagot  re- 
ceived but  a  very  limited  education.  Until 
the  age  of  twenty-three  he  assisted  his  fa- 
ther in  tlie  improvement  and  cultivation  of 
the  home  farm,  it  being  all  wild  prairie  and 
timber  land  when  they  located  there.  They 
commenced  farming  on  a  small  scale,  but 
were  able  to  carry  on  business  more  ex- 
tensively as  years  passed  and  they  prospered 
in  their  undertakings.  .After  his  marriage, 
in  1863.  our  subject  lived  in  Worth  town- 
ship. Woodford  county,  for  two  years,  and 
then  spent  a  short  time  in  Spring  Bay  town- 
ship, after  which  he  returned  to  the  former 
township,  making  his  home  there  for  twenty 
years.  He  bought  one  hundred  and  eight- 
een acres,  which  he  cleared,  tiled  and  im- 
proved, and  he  continued  to  successfully  en- 
gage in  farming  and  stock  raising  there  until 
1892,  when  he  sold  the  place  and  bought 
his  ])resent  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  on  section  17,  Linn  township.  This 
he  now  oi)erates  with  the  assistance  of  his 
son. 

In  1863  Mr.  Fagot  married  Miss  Ma- 
likla  X'oltz.  a  native  of  Worth  township, 
and  to  them  were  born  five  children,  of 
whom  one  died  in  infancy.  The  others  are 
a3  follows:  (  I  )  Frank,  born  in  1864.  is  now 


588 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


engaged  in  farming  on  rented  land  in  Linn 
township.  He  is  married  and  has  three  chil- 
dren. Pearl,  Ray  and  Stella.  (2)  Felicity 
J.,  born  in  1867,  is  the  wife  of  Peter  Zeiger, 
of  Palestine  township,  Woodford  county, 
and  they  have  five  children,  Viola,  Le  Roy, 
Randolph,  Otmor  and  Matilda.  (3)  Mary, 
born  in  1869,  first  married  Alexander  Spitz- 
nagel,  who  died  leaving  one  child.  Elmer, 
and  she  then  married  his  brother,  Edwin  C. 
Spitznagel,  by  whom  she  has  one  daughter, 
Henrietta  E.  (4)  Lena,  born  in  1872,  is 
the  wife  of  L.  H.  Stephenson,  of  Cazenovia 
township,  Woodford  county.  The  wife  and 
mother  died  in  Worth  township,  in  1874, 
and  the  following  year  Mr.  Fagot  married 
Mary  A.  Kerker,  who  was  born  in  1838,  and 
was  then  the  widow  of  M.  Schwenk.  She 
had  seven  children  In'  her  first  marriage, 
those  living  being  Leo,  Alary,  William, 
Mathias,  Carrie  and  George.  John  died  at 
the  age  of  nineteen  years.  Mr.  Fagot  has 
three  children  by  his  second  wife:  Matilda, 
born  in  1876,  is  now  the  wife  of  A.  Lapp, 
a  dairyman  of  Peoria,  and  they  have  one 
daughter,  Anna;  Peter,  born  in  1878,  and 
Pauleana,  born  in  1882,  are  both  at  home. 
All  of  the  children  have  received  gnod  com- 
mon school  educations. 

AMiile  a  resident  of  Worth  township  Mr. 
Fagot  served  as  supervisor  two  years  and 
held  school  offices  for  ten  years.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Democrat  and  in  religious  belief  is  a 
Catholic.  He  has  always  taken  an  active 
interest  in  church  work,  and  has  given  his 
support  to  all  enterprises  tending  to  advance 
the  interests  of  his  community.  As  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  the  county  he  has  witnessed 
almost  its  entire  development.  At  the  age 
of  eighteen,  while  crossing  the  prairie  in 
Linn  township,  he  stopped  at  a  point  about 
cue  mile  east  of  his  present  home,  and  from 


there  could  be  seen  but  three  houses  in  any 
direction.  At  that  time  only  about  a  third 
of  the  land  was  under  cultivation.  He  bore 
his  part  in  the  pioneer  work,  and  is  justly 
deserving  of  promijient  mention  among  the 
early  settlers  and  honored  citizens  of  his 
adopted  county. 


A.  SMITH  IMcKIXXEY. 

More  than  thirty  vears  have  passed  since 
this  gentleman  arrived  in  El  Paso,  and  he  is 
justly  numbered  among  her  leading  and  in- 
fluential citizens.  He  has  been  prominent- 
ly identified  with  her  business  interests  as  a 
lumber  dealer  and  president  of  the  First 
National  Bank. 

Mr.  McKinney  was  born  in  Cumberland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  October  12,  1834,  and 
is  a  son  of  A.  Smith  and  Margaret  (Rey- 
nolds) McKinne}',  also  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  His  an- 
cestors came  to  America  at  a  very  early  day 
and  were  pioneers  of  the  Keystone  state.  The 
lather  was  for  some  time  a  soldier  of  the 
war  of  1812  and  was  present  at  the  battle  of 
01  Baltimore.  In  the  spring  of  1834  he  rode 
from  his  home  in  Cumberland  countv,  Penn- 
syhania.  to  Peoria,  Illinois,  and  ])urchased 
land  at  Fort  Clark,  a  part  of  which  is  still 
in  possession  of  the  family,  but  he  did  not 
li'cate  there  until  the  spring  of  1856.  In 
connection  with  farming  he  ran  a  large  tan- 
yard  for  a  number  of  years,  but  was  living 
a  retired  life  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
dccurred  in  Peoria,  in  1872.  He  t<i(ik  a 
prominent  jiart  in  public  aft'airs  and  for  five 
vears  represented  his  district  in  the  state 
legislature.  His  wife  departed  this  life  in 
1886.      To  them  were  born  nine  children,  all 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


589 


ol  whom  readied  years  of  maturity,  except 
one,  and  six  are  still  living. 

Of  this  family  our  subject  is  fourth  in 
order  of  birth.  His  early  education  was  re- 
ceived in  the  schools  of  his  native  county, 
but  later  he  attended  the  Milnwood  Academy 
rt  Shade  Gap,  Hunting^ton  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, for  three  years,  and  then  entered  Jef- 
ferson College,  where  he  jnu'sued  a  classical 
course,  and  was  graduated  in  1855,  with 
the  degree  of  A.  B.  After  his  graduation 
he  taught  school  at  Lake  Providence,  Louisi- 
ana, in  the  winter  of  1855-1856.  He  was 
then  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  at 
Elmwood,  Peoria  county.  Illinois,  for  eight 
years,  in  partnership  with  a  brother  and 
Mr.  Bushnell,  under  the  firm  name  of  Bush- 
nell,  McKinney  &  Company,  and  in  1866 
moved  to  Yazoo  county,  Mississippi,  locating 
near  Yazoo  Cit}-.  where  he  conducted  a  cot- 
ton plantation  for  two  years.  Selling  out, 
he  came  north  in  the  spring  of  1868  and 
took  up  his  residence  in  El  Paso.  Illinois, 
where  he  purchased  the  lumber  yard  of  Gib- 
son Brothers,  and  has  since  carried  on  the 
same.  At  different  times  he  has  bought  out 
half  a  dozen  lumber  yards.  His  first  partner 
in  this  business  was  James  M.  Hotchkiss,  of 
Peoria,  and  second  Jose])h  Elder,  both  now 
deceased.  The  last  partnership  terminated 
about  eight  years  ago  and  since  that  time 
he  has  conducted  business  alone  under  tlie 
firm  name  of  McKinney  &  Company. 

In  1883  S.  T.  Rogers,  C.  Shafer,  Dr.  F. 
Cole,  Dr.  J.  Q.  Adams.  A.  Smith  McKinney 
and  others  organized  the  First  National  Bank 
of  El  Paso,  with  a  capital  stock  of  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  Mr.  McKinney  was  elected 
president,  which  office  he  has  held  continu- 
ously since.  S.  T.  Rogers  was  the  first 
cashier  and  Dr.  J.  Q.  Adams,  vice-president, 
but  at  the  present  time  C.  Shafer  is  vice- 


president  and  F.  B.  Stitt,  who  was  formerly 
a  bookkeeper,  is  cashier,  while  Louis  K. 
Evans  is  assistant  cashier.  The  bank  now 
has  a  surplus  of  twenty-five  thousand  dol- 
lars; its  deposits  amount  to  over  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  it  is 
numbered  among  the  most  reliable  financial 
institutions  of  centra]  Illinois.  Mr.  McKin- 
ney is  a  man  of  keen  sagacity  and  sound 
judgment  and  his  executive  aliility  and  ex- 
cellent management  have  brought  to  the  bank 
a  high  degree  of  success.  The  safe,  con- 
servative policy  which  he  inaugurated  com- 
mends itself  to  the  judgtnent  of  all.  and  has 
secured  a  patronage  which  makes  the  \olume 
of  business  transacted  over  its  counters  of 
great  importance  and  magnitude.  The  suc- 
cess of  the  bank  is  certainly  due  in  a  large 
measure  to  him,  and  through  it  and  his 
other  business  he  has  largely  promoted  the 
welfare  of  El  Paso. 

On  the  i8th  of  Jinie.  1861.  Mr.  McKin- 
ney was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ade- 
laide F.  Abbott,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and 
a  daughter  of  Bela  Abbott,  who  was  also  born 
in  that  state  and  on  coming  west  settled  in 
Elmwood,  Peoria  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
conducted  a  general  mercantile  establishment 
for  many  years.  Mrs.  McKinney  is  the 
only  child  of  her  parents.  To  our  subject 
and  his  wife  have  been  born  eight  children, 
namely:  Anna  F.,  who  is  the  widow  of 
Robert  A.  Kirjspatrick,  of  Braddock,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  is  now  living  with  her  father 
in  El  Paso;  Margaret  R..  wife  of  Charles 
F.  Husted,  of  Peoria :  Abbott,  who  is  chief 
estimator  for  the  True  &  True  Company, 
manufacturers  of  sash  and  doors  in  Chicago; 
William  Smith,  who  was  graduated  at 
Princeton  College  in  1894,  and  is  now  con- 
nected with  the  Missouri  Lumber  &  Mining 
Comjjany   at   Grandin,    Missouri ;    .Adelaide 


590 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


A.,  at  home;  Jolm  Reynolds,  wlio  is  engaged 
i:i  the  lumber  business  with  his  father; 
Jeanette  Elizabeth,  at  home;  and  Gertrude 
Hunt,  who  is  attending  Lake  Forrest  Sem- 
inary. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McKinney  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  which 
he  has  served  as  elder  for  about  thirty  years. 
He  has  twice  been  a  delegate  to  the  general 
assembly  from  the  Bloomington  presbytery; 
has  taught  in  the  Sunday  school  since  at- 
taining his  majority,  and  was  superintend- 
ent of  the  same  for  about  fifteen  years.  He 
has  always  taken  a  very  active  and  promi- 
nent part  in  all  church  work.  He  cast  his 
first  presidential  \t)te  for  Stephen  A.  Doug- 
las, and  was  present  at  the  Charleston  con- 
vention in  i860,  but  since  then  has  supported 
the  Republican  party.  For  two  years  he 
served  as  alderman  of  El  Paso,  and  as  school 
director  for  about  sixteen  years,  being  re- 
elected in  the  spring  of  1900  for  another 
three-years  term.  Whether  in  public  or  pri- 
vate his  integrity  is  above  question,  his  honor 
abo\e  reproach,  and  El  Paso  may  well  num- 
ber him  among  her  valued  citizens. 


MARCELLUS  W.  WILSOX. 

This  well-known  citizen  and  honored  pio- 
neer of  Woodford  county,  dates  his  residence 
here  from  May,  1844.  For  many  years  he 
was  actively  identified  with  the  agricultural 
interests  of  this  county,  but  is  now  living  a 
retired  life  on  his  fine  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  si.xty  acres,  which  is  pleasantly  situated 
on  section  10,  Metamora  township,  within 
four  miles  of  the  city  of  Metamora. 

A  native  of  New  Hampshire.  Mr.  Wilson 


was  born  in  what  is  now  Gilmanton,  Belknap 
county,  but  at  that  time  Stafford  county, 
January  12,  1830,  and  is  a  son  of  Samuel 
T.  and  Lorana  (Robinson)  Wilson,  also  na- 
tives of  that  state,  and  the  latter  a  daughter 
of  Joseph  Robinson,  who  was  a  soldier  in 
the  war  of  181 2  and  probably  in  some  of  the 
Indian  wars.  Our  subject's  paternal  grand- 
father, Nathaniel  Wilson,  was  also  born  in 
New  Hampshire,  and  belonged  to  an  old 
colonial  family  of  English  origin,  which 
first  settled  in  Massachusetts  and  at  an  early 
day  moved  to  New  Hampshire.  In  1844 
Samuel  T.  Wilson,  in  company  with  his  wife 
and  children,  came  to  Woodford  county, 
Illinois,  and  located  on  section  16,  Metamora 
township,  adjoining  the  village,  where  he 
opened  up  and  improved  a  good  farm.  There 
he  died  about  1877.  His  wife  survived  him 
a  number  of  years  and  spent  her  last  days 
with  our  subject,  dying  at  his  home  in  1892. 
Marcellus  W.  Wilson  was  a  lad  of  four- 
teen years  when  the  family  came  to  Wood- 
ford county,  and  he  assisted  in  the  arduous 
task  of  breaking  the  land  and  improving  the 
old  homestead.  His  educational  advantages 
were  therefore  limited.  On  leaving  the  par- 
ental roof  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  com- 
nienced  learning  th  ecarpenter's  and  joiner's 
trade,  which  he  followed  for  eight  years, 
and  then  bought  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  of 
land  where  he  now  resides  and  turned  his 
attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  pur- 
chased an  old  school  house  which  he  moved 
to  his  land,  and  in  that  liveil  while  opening 
up  his  farm.  Meeting  with  success  in  his 
farming  operations  he  was  at  length  able  to 
purchase  an  adjoining  eighty-acre  tract,  and 
has  converted  the  whole  into  a  fine  farm, 
which  he  has  tiled,  fenced  and  improved  by 
the  planting  of  an  orchard  and  the  erection 
of  a  pleasant  residence,  good  barns  and  other 


M.  W.  WILSON. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


593 


t>iitl)iiil(lings.  In  connection  with  general 
farming  lie  lias  engaged  in  stock  raising, 
making  a  specialty  of  fattening  hogs  for 
market.  His  well  directed  lal)ors  have  been 
crowned  with  success,  for  he  is  an  indus- 
trious man,  enterprising  and  persevering. 

In  Metamora  township.  January  6.  1854, 
was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Wilson 
and  Miss  Patience  H.  FairchiUl.  who  was 
reared  and  educated  in  Champaign  county, 
Ohio,  and  when  a  young  lady  came  to  Wood- 
ford county,  where  she  successfully  engaged 
in  teaching  school  prior  to  their  marriage. 
They  have  one  daugiiter.  Emma,  wife  of 
S.  S.  Robinson,  a  sul)stantial  farmer  residing 
on  a  place  adjoining  Mr.  Wilson's  farm.  In 
the  Robinson  family  are  seven  children. 

Mr.  Wilson  cast  his  hrst  presidential 
vote  for  Franklin  Pierce,  and  in  1856  sup- 
ixjrted  JoJin  C.  Fremont,  since  which  time 
he  has  been  an  ardent  Republican.  He  takes 
an  active  interest  in  local  politics,  has  served 
as  a  delegate  to  county  and  state  conven- 
tions, and  as  chairman  of  the  delegation  from 
his  county  to  the  state  convention  in  1900. 
In  1896  he  was  one  of  the  presidential  elect- 
ors and  cast  his  ballot  for  William  McKin- 
ley.  For  years  he  has  efficiently  served  as 
a  member  of  the  school  board  and  has  done 
all  in  his  power  to  secure  better  schools  and 
competent  teachers.  He  has  witnessed  the 
worthy  growth  and  development  of  the  coun- 
ty in  the  last  fifty-si.x  years,  has  seen  the 
swamps  drained  and  the  wild  land  converted 
into  productive  farms,  has  seen  towns  and 
villages  spring  up.  and  the  railroads,  tele- 
graph and  telephones  introduced.  In  the 
work  of  progress  he  has  ever  borne  his  part, 
and  is  justly  entitled  to  honorable  mention 
among  the  prominent  pioneers  and  repre- 
sentative    citizens    of    his    adopted    county. 


.\t  the  September  meeting  of  the  Old  Set- 
tlers' Association  of  Woodford  County,  Mr. 
Wilson  was  elected  president. 


C.  G.  SCHROEDER. 

C.  (i.  Scliroeder.  a  prominent  lawyer  of 
El  Paso  and  one  of  the  leading  members  of 
the  Woodford  county  bar.  is  a  native  of 
Canada,  born  in  Huron  county,  Ontario, 
January  13,  1862.  His  parents,  Jacob  and 
Catherine  (Tousainte)  Schroeder,  were  na- 
tives of  Alsace  Lorraine,  (jermany,  the 
former  born  December  18.  1812,  the  latter 
January  15,  i8j_'.  They  emigrated  to 
.\merica,  the  father  in  1854,  the  mother  two 
years  later,  and  settled  in  Huron  county, 
Ontaricj.  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives,  the  father  dying  in  1887,  the 
mother  in  1880.  In  their  family  were  five 
children,  namelv:  Christiana:  Jacob  D., 
who  resides  on  the  old  homestead  in  Huron 
county.  Ontario;  C.  G.,  the  subject  of  this 
biography:  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Louis  Pock- 
rantl,  of  Nebraska;  and  Mary. 

The  carlv  education  of  C.  G.  Schroeder 
was  ac(|uire(l  in  the  public  schools  near  his 
boyhood  home  in  Canada,  and  he  later  at- 
tended the  gymnasium  at  Fort  Wayne,  In- 
diana, and  the  theological  seminary  of  the 
Lutheran  church  at  Springfield.  Illinois, 
graduating  at  the  latter  institution  October 
17,  1883,  with  a  select  class.  For  some 
tune  he  was  engaged  in  ministerial  work  in 
western  Nebraska,  and  from  1890  to  1898 
was  pastor  of  the  German  Lutheran  church 
at  El  Paso,  with  which  he  still  holds  mem- 
l)ership.  Having  only  a  small  charge  dur- 
ing his  residence  here,   Mr.   Schroeder  de- 


594 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


^•ote(l  his  spare  time  to  tlie  study  of  philoso- 
phy and  law.  the  latter  under  the  direction 
of  Judge  A.  M.  Cavan.  He  received  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Law  from  a  Chicago 
law  school  in  1896  and  was  licensed  to  prac- 
tice in  June,  1897.  The  following  3-ear  he 
entered  into  partnership  with  his  preceptor, 
judge  Cavan,  but  this  connection  was  vlis- 
solved  in  1899  and  he  has  since  been  alone 
in  practice.  He  has  one  of  the  best  ec|uipped 
law  offices  in  the  county  and  is  meeting  with 
excellent  success  in  his  chosen  profession. 

On  the  25th  day  of  :SIay,  1884,  .Mr. 
Schroeder  was  united  in  marriage  with  Aliss 
M.  K.  Whitehouse,  of  Litchfield,  Illinois, 
and  to  them  have  been  born  four  children, 
namely:  Justina  K.,  Theodore  William  S., 
I.ydia  Emma  and  Alma  Almeda.  The  fam- 
ily have  a  pleasant  home  in  El  Paso,  south 
of  the  east  side  park.  At  the  Republican 
county  convention  held  at  Roanoke,  June  27, 
1900,  Mr.  Schroeder  was  nominated  for 
state's  attorney  for  Woodford  county  and  is 
making  a  strong  canvass  through  the  county 
and  meeting  with  much  encouragement. 


ERNEST  FREDERICK. 

Much  of  the  civilization  of  the  world 
has  come  from  the  Teutonic  race.  Contin- 
ually moving  westward  they  have  taken  with 
them  the  enterprise  and  advancement  of  their 
eastern  homes  and  have  become  valued  and 
useful  citizens  of  ^■arious  localities.  In  this 
country,  especially,  they  have  demonstrated 
their  power  to  adapt  themselves  to  new  cir- 
cumstances, retaining  at  the  same  time  their 
progressiveness  and  energy,  and  have  be- 
come loyal  and  devoted  citizens,  true  to  the 
interests  of  their  adopted  country.     Am.ong 


this  class  is  Ernest  Frederick,  one  of  Wood- 
ford count\-'s  most  successful  agriculturists. 

He  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  Sep- 
tember 28.  1834.  and  for  eight  years  attend- 
eii  the  public  schools  of  his  native  land,  after 
which  he  learned  the  millwright's  trade. 
In  1853,  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  he  re- 
solved to  try  his  fortune  in  America,  and 
accordingly  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  took 
up  his  residence  in  Sheboygan,  Wisconsin, 
where  he  worked  at  the  carpenter's  and 
joiner's  trade.  He  also  spent  some  time  in 
the  Lake  Superior  region  of  northern  Michi- 
gan. In  1858  he  removed  to  Peoria,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  engaged  in  business  as  a 
contractor  and  builder  until  1867,  when  he 
came  to  Spring  Bay,  W'oodford  county,  and 
purchased  a  mill,  being  successfully  engaged 
in  the  manufacturing  of  flour  until  1896. 
In  the  meantime  he  also  bought  land  and 
devoted  a  portion  of  his  time  to  agricultural 
pursuits,  and  now  has  a  large  and  well  im- 
proved farm  just  above  Spring  Bay. 

In  November,  1856,  in  Sheboygan,  Wis- 
consin, Mr.  Frederick  married  Miss  Louisa 
Lingel.  also  a  native  of  Germany,  who  came 
to  the  new  world  wdien  sixteen  years  of  age. 
By  this  union  four  children  were  born,  name- 
ly :  Frances,  at  home ;  William  H.,  men- 
tioned below :  Emma,  wife  of  A\'illiam 
Greiner,  of  McDowell,  Illinois ;  and  Louisa, 
wife  of  Alfred  Hoshor,  a  substantial  farmer 
of  Spring  Bay  township. 

Since  casting  his  first  presidential  vote 
for  James  Buchanan,  in  1856,  Mr.  Frederick 
lias  been  identified  with  the  Democratic 
party,  and  has  taken  an  active  and  promi- 
nent part  in  local  politics,  being  a  delegate 
to  numerous  conventions.  He  has  been 
called  upon  to  fill  a  number  of  political  po- 
sitions of  honor  and  trust,  having  served 
as  supervisor  two  years ;  a  memlier  1  if  the 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


595 


boaril  of  highway  commissioners  fifteen 
years  and  as  treasurer  of  the  hoard:  town- 
sliip  clerk;  town  clerk;  assessor;  collector; 
village  treasurer  and  a  member  of  the  vil- 
lage bi)ard.  1  le  is  ni>w  serving  iiis  sixth 
year  as  townshii)  treasurer,  and  has  alwavs 
discharged  his  official  duties  in  ;i  most 
capable  and  satisfactory  manner.  liotli 
he  and  liis  wife  were  reared  in  the  Lu- 
theran faith,  and  are  widely  and  faxur- 
ably  known,  having  made  many  warm 
friends  during  their  residence  in  Wood- 
ford county.  On  coming  to  this  coun- 
stances.  but  being  industrious,  ambitious  and 
enterprising  he  has  steadily  worked  his  way 
upward  tn  a  position  of  aflluence,  and  is 
to-dav  one  of  the  most  substantial  men  uf  liis 
communitv. 


HERMAN  G.  EICHHORX.  M.  I). 

Among  the  younger  members  of  the  pro- 
fession in  Woodford  county  is  Dr.  Eichhorn, 
a  prominent  and  successful  physician  and 
surgeon  of  Spring  Bay.  He  was  bi>rn  in 
that  village,  April  20.  1872,  a  son  of  Peter 
and  Catherine  (Wenckler)  Eichhorn.  The 
father  was  born  in  Germany,  in  1820,  and 
there  was  reared  and  educated.  Coming  to 
America,  in  1844,  he  first  located  in  Peoria, 
Illinois,  but  later  moved  to  Spring  Bay, 
where  he  successfully  engaged  in  the  brewery 
business  until  his  death,  which  occurred  Au- 
gust 25,  1885.  At  one  time  he  owned  the 
property  now  occupied  by  the  "Peoria  Trans- 
cript," and  became  quite  well-to-do.  The 
Doctor's  mother  was  reared  and  educated 
in  \\'oodford  county,  her  father.  Christian 
Wenckler,  being  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the 
county,  locating  here  about  1830  or  1832. 


She  is  now  the  wife  of  Christian  Guenther, 
of  Spring  Bay.  whose  sketch  appears  in  this 
volume.  By  her  first  marriage  she  had  four 
sons,  namely:  Herman  G..  our  subject;  Will- 
iam, who  is  married  and  engaged  in  farming; 
Charles,  who  is  also  doing  for  himself;  and 
Algernon,  at  home  with  his  mother. 

The  primary  education  of  Dr.  l-jchhorn 
was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  Spring 
Bay,  and  later  he  entered  the  Xorthwestern 
L'niversity  at  Evanston,  where  he  pursued 
a  four  years'  course.  He  then  took  up  the 
study  of  medicine,  attending  lectures  at  the 
Xorthwestern  Medical  College,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  1896.  For  a  short  time  he 
engaged  in  ])ractice  in  Peoria,  but  in  the 
spring  of  1897  he  returned  to  .Spring  liay 
and  opened  an  oftice.  His  skill  and  ability 
in  his  chosen  calling  were  soon  recognized 
and  he  has  already  built  up  an  excellent 
l^ractice,  which  is  constantly  increasing,  and 
in  fact  he  now  has  more  practice  than  one 
man  can  well  attend  to,  in  justice  to  himself. 

Dr.  Eichhorn  has  been  twice  married, 
first  in  Chicago,  in  the  spring  of  1896,  to 
Miss  Olga  Horwitz,  of  that  city,  who  was 
reared  and  educated  in  Milwaukee,  Wiscon- 
sin, and  died  Decemlier  28,  1898.  At  Lacon, 
Illinois,  he  was  again  married  June  28,  1900, 
his  second  union  being  with  Miss  Louise 
Ehringer,  one  of  the  belles  of  that  ])lace,  and 
the  only  daughter  of  Albert  Ehringer,  one 
of  its  l)usiness  men.  She  was  bf)rn  in  W'ash- 
bm-n,  Woodford  county,  but  was  reared  in 
Lacon.  She  is  a  most  estimal>le  young  lady, 
highly  accomplished  and  a  splendid  house- 
keeper, a  general  favorite,  and  has  a  host  of 
friends.  The  Doctor  is  independent  in  poli- 
tics, voting  for  the  men  whom  he  believes 
best  qualified  to  fill  the  ofifices  regardless 
of  party  affiliations.  He  is  a  prominent  citi- 
zen of  Spring  Bay  and  surrounding  country 


596 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


and  is  popular  botli  in  social  and  professional 
circles,  and  is  a  cultured  and  agreeal)le  gen- 
tleman in  every  way. 


JOHN  H.  WATSON. 

Numbered  among  the  honored  veterans 
of  the  Civil  war  residing  in  Woodford 
county  is  John  H.  Watson,  a  well-known 
fruit  grower  of  Cruger  township,  who  for 
three  years  was  one  of  the  gallant  defenders 
of  the  Union.  He  was  born  near  Winches- 
ter. Frederick  county,  Virginia,  in  1834,  but 
was  only  three  years  old  when  he  moved  to 
Fairfield  county,  Ohio,  with  bis  parents, 
Thomas  B.  and  Nancy  (Franklin)  Watson. 
The  father  was  also  a  native  of  Virginia, 
but  the  mother  was  born  in  England  and 
reared  at  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania.  By  occu- 
pation Thomas  B.  Watson  was  a  farmer  and 
shoemaker.  In  1854  he  removed  to  Clark 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  died  in  1873,  and 
where  his  wife  departed  this  time  some  years 
later.  She  was  a  distant  relative  of  Ben- 
jamin Franklin.  To  them  were  born  the  fol- 
lowing children :  William  is  still  a  resident 
of  Fairfield  county,  Ohio.  Benjamin  makes 
his  home  in  Clark  county,  Illinois.  John  H., 
our  subject,  is  next  in  order  of  birth.  James 
is  also  a  resident  of  Clark  county.  Aaron, 
a  resident  of  Douglas  county,  Illinois,  en- 
listed in  Coles  county,  in  April,  1861.  at  the 
first  call  for  three-months  troops,  and  later 
re-enlisting  at  expiration  of  his  term  as  a 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  he 
served  throughout  the  remainder  of  the  war 
re-enlisting  at  expiration  of  his  term  as  a 
veteran  volunteer.  Samuel  enhsted  at 
Siiringfield  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
si.xth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantrv,  and  is  now 


li\-ing  in  Cloud  county.  Kansas.  Wesleyan 
is  also  li\ing  in  that  county.  George  makes 
bis  home  in  Oklahoma.  Scott  is  a  resident 
of  Parsons,  Kansas.  Isaac  was  accidentally 
killed  in  Clark  county,  Illinois.  In  the  fani- 
il}-  were  also  four  daughters  :  Mary,  wife  of 
George  Lamb,  of  Kansas,  w^ho  was  a  member 
of  the  Old  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Illi- 
nois Regiment  during  the  war;  Lucinda  and 
Eliza,  both  deceased;  and  Nellie,  wife  of 
Scott  Reed,  of  Douglas  county.  Illinois. 

In  September.  1855,  John  H.  Watson 
came  to  Woodford  coimt\'.  and  has  since 
made  his  home  in  Cruger  townshii).  I*"or 
a  time  be  engaged  in  general  farming,  but 
now  gives  his  entire  time  and  attention  to 
fruit  growing.  On  the  7th  of  August, 
1862,  he  joined  the  boys  in  blue  of  Com- 
jiany  A,  Eighty-sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  was  mustered  into  the  United 
States  service  at  Peoria,  the  regiment  being 
assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland. 
They  participated  in  the  battle  of  Perryville. 
Kentucky,  October  8,  1862;  the  engagement 
at  Chickamauga,  Missionary  Ridge,  Resaca, 
Tunnel  Hill,  Buzzard's  Roost  and  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  and  were  under  constant  fire  at 
Dalton,  Georgia,  from  May  7  to  June  27, 
1864.  At  Kenesaw  Mountain  Mr.  Watson 
was  shot  through  the  right  leg  and  also  in 
the  back,  and  was  confined  in  the  hospital  at 
Chattanooga  for  a  time,  then  sent  to  Nash- 
\ille,  from  there  to  Louisville,  and  later  to 
Chicago.  He  was  honorably  discharged  at 
Camp  Douglas,  in  the  last  named  city,  June 
9,  1865,  and  then  returned  to  his  home  in 
Woodford    county. 

Prior  to  entering  the  service,  Mr.  Wat- 
son was  married  in  Metamora  township,  in 
February,  1862,  to  Miss  Sarah  Ann  Thomp- 
son, a  native  of  Mercer  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  a  daughter  of  fohn  A.  and  Ruth 


I 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


597 


(Peterson)  Tliompsdii,  wiio  were  also  born 
in  that  state  and  at  an  early  day  moved  to 
Ohio.  The  mother  died  in  Schuyler  county, 
Illinois  in  1840.  the  father  in  Kentucky,  in 
1880.  I'liey  had  nine  children,  namely: 
Mrs.  Mary  Dunlap,  who  died  in  Cruger 
township.  Woodford  county,  Illinois;  J.  A., 
who  died  in  Kentucky ;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Groes- 
beck,  who  <lied  in  Salt  Lake  City.  Utah; 
Sarah  Ann.  wife  of  our  subject;  William, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  Seventeenth  Indi- 
ana Regiment  during  the  Civil  war  and  died 
from  injuries  received  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh  ; 
Amos,  a  well-known  farmer  who  died  near 
Piper  City.  Illinois;  James,  a  resident  of 
Ohio;  and  Ralph,  who  died  in  Schuyler 
county.  Illinois;  and  Mrs.  Ruth  Fritz,  of 
Ripley,  Ohio. 

Mr.  Watson  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
Republican  party  and  its  principles,  and  is  an 
honored  member  of  the  Grand  Army  Post, 
No.  270,  at  Eureka.  He  is  highly  respected 
and  esteemed  by  all  who  know  him.  and  well 
merits  the  high  regard  in  which  he  is  held. 


On  the  6th  of  January.  1896,  in  Wood- 
f(;rd  county,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Cordelia  Hoshor.  a  native  of  the  coun- 
ty and  a  daughter  of  Perry  W.  Hoshor.  who 
was  also  born  here,  but  is  now  deceased. 
To  them  have  been  bcjrn  three  children : 
Florence.  Edna  and  Ernest.  In  his  political 
affiliations  Mr.  Frederick  is  a  stanch  Demo- 
crat and  cast  his  first  presidential  ballot  for 
Grover  Cleveland.  Being  one  of  the  lead- 
ing and  mfluential  citizens  of  his  comnnmity, 
he  has  become  prominently  identified  with 
public  affairs,  and  has  filled  a  number  of  local 
offices  such  as  township  clerk,  collector  and 
trustee,  and  in  1892  he  was  elected  super- 
\  isor.  which  position  he  filled  so  acceptably 
that  he  has  been  continuously  re-elected  and 
i>  now  serving  his  eighth  year.  He  was  a 
member  of  a  number  of  important  commit- 
tees, including  the  building  committee  when 
the  court  house  was  erected  at  Eureka. 
While  a  resident  of  the  village  of  Spring 
Bay  he  served  as  clerk  and  a  member  of  the 
village  board  a  number  of  years,  being  presi- 
dent of  the  board  one  term.  Fraternally  he 
i?  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Chili- 
cothe. 


WILLIAM   H.   I'REDERICK. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch,  a  son  of  Ernest 
Frederick,  is  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and 
I>rogressive  farmers  of  Spring  Bay  township. 
He  has  made  his  present  field  of  industry  an 
eminent  success  and  is  now  operating  eight 
hundred  acres  of  land.  .V  native  of  Illi- 
nois, he  was  born  in  the  city  of  Peoria.  July 
J, I,  1 86 1,  and  was  educated  in  Spring  Bay. 
He  worked  for  his  father  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  associated  in  opening  up  and  de- 
veloping the  farm.  In  1896  he  located  upon 
I-.is  present  place,  and  has  since  successfully 
engaged  in  its  management. 


OSCAR  J.  LEMON. 

For  over  a  third  of  a  century  this  gentle- 
man has  made  his  home  in  El  Paso,  and  since 
reaching  manhood  had  been  actively  identi- 
fied with  its  business  interests.  He  is  a 
native  oi  Illinois,  his  birth  having  occurred 
near  Farmer  City,  Piatt  county,  May  12, 
1853.  His  father.  John  I.  Lemon,  was  born 
in  Kentucky  of  Irish  ancestry,  and  was  there 
reared  and  educated.  Alx)ut  1835  he  came 
to  Illinois,  and  the  following  year  was  mar- 
ried in  Berlin  to  Miss  Ann  M.  White,  also 


598 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  a  representative 
of  one  of  its  pioneer  families.  They  began 
their  domestic  hfe  on  a  farm  in  Piatt  coun- 
ty, the  father  having  purchased  a  tract  of 
government  land  for  one  dollar  and  a  quarter 
per  acre.  He  added  to  the  original  pur- 
chase from  time  to  time  until  he  owned  about 
a  section  of  land,  which  he  improved  and 
placed  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  On 
leaving  the  farm  in  1866  he  came  to  El 
Paso,  where  he  lived  a  retired  life  until 
called  to  his  final  rest  in  1882,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-five  years.  His  wife  died  in  1884, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-eight.  He  came  to 
El  Paso  for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  which 
improved.  While  following  farming  he  de- 
voted considerable  attention  to  the  raising 
of  stock,  and  in  that  industry  met  with  fair 
success.  In  politics  he  was  a  strong  Re- 
publican and  gave  three  of  his  sons  to  the 
service  of  his  country.  He  was  an  active 
and  influential  member  of  the  Christian 
church,  and  assisted  in  building  the  church 
in  his  neighborhood,  always  taking  con- 
siderable pride  in  his  work  along  that  line. 
He  was  charitable  and  benevolent,  and  the 
poor  and  needy  always  found  in  him  a  friend. 
While  living  on  the  farm  he  entertained  the 
widows  of  soldiers  for  weeks  at  a  time,  and 
the  ministers  of  the  church  made  his  home 
their  stopping  place. 

To  John  I.  and  Ann  M.  (White)  Lemon 
were  born  the  following  children :  James 
D.  served  four  years  in  the  Civil  war  and 
was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Deep  Run,  in 
1865;  William  died  while  in  the  army  of 
disease  contracted  from  exposure ;  Enos  also 
died  from  disease  while  in  the  army;  Har- 
vey G.  died  at  his  home  in  Colorado  in  1882 ; 
Richard  A.  is  an  attorney  of  Clinton,  Illi- 
nois; Lloyd  died  in  1864,  at  the  age  of 
twehe  years;  Oscar  J.,  our  subject,  is  next 


in  order  of  birth ;  and  Albert  is  a  traveling 
salesman  for  a  wholesale  drug  house,  and  a 
resident  of  Peoria. 

The  early  education  of  Oscar  J.  Lemon 
was  obtained  in  the  common  schools  of 
Piatt  county,  and  after  coming  to  El  Paso 
with  his  parents  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years, 
he  attended  the  public  schools  for  a  time. 
When  nineteen  he  learned  the  blacksmith's 
trade  and  later  purchased  a  shop,  success- 
fully conducting  business  along  that  line  for 
twenty-five  years,  and  disposing  of  the  shop 
in  1898.  He  gave  his  attention  to  general 
blacksmithing  and  horseshoeing,  and  also 
built  many  wagons  in  early  days.  He  is  at 
the  head  of  the  El  Paso  Ice  Company,  whose 
sales  now  amount  to  twelve  hundred  tons  of 
ice  annually  and  are  constantly  increasing. 
In  this  venture  he  has  met  with  decided  suc- 
cess, and  is  now  running  two  wagons  all  the 
time  in  the  distribution  of  ice. 

In  1874  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of 
Air.  Lemon  and  Miss  Dora  Spencer,  who 
was  born  in  Portage  county,  Ohio,  in  1856, 
but  was  living  with  a  sister  in  El  Paso  at  the 
time  of  their  marriage.  She  has  two  sisters 
who  are  still  residing  near  the  old  home 
in  Ohio.  IMr.  and  Mrs.  Lemon  have  no 
children  of  their  own  but  have  given  a  home 
to  his  nephew,  Burt  Lemon,  now  twenty- 
five  years  of  age,  who  is  a  painter  of  El 
Paso. 

Politically  Mr.  Lemon  is  an  ardent  Re- 
publican, and  has  taken  an  active  part  in 
citv  affairs,  serving  as  alderman  in  1880 
and  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  police  magis- 
trate at  the  present  time,  this  being  his  sec- 
ond term.  He  is  a  member  of  the  blue 
lodge  of  the  Masonic  order,  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  Lodge,  Xo.  42,  and  the  IModern 
^^'oodmen  Camp,  all  of  El  Paso,  and  also 
holds  membership  in  the  Christian  church. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


599 


His  honorable,  upriglit  life  commends  him 
to  the  confidence  of  all,  and  he  is  held  in  the 
best  respect  and  esteem. 


CHRISTIAN  CUEXTHER. 

This  honored  and  highly  rcsj>ected  citi- 
zen of  Spring-  Bay  is  now  living  a  retired 
life.  He  was  born  in  W'urtemburg,  Ger- 
many, September  23,  1S44,  secured  a  good 
practical  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
that  country,  which  he  attended  until  twelve 
years  of  age.  Later  he  was  a  student  in 
high  institutions  of  learning,  and  became 
familiar  with  the  German  and  French  lan- 
guages, but  his  knowledge  of  English  has 
been  self-acquired.  His  father,  Godfrey 
Guenther,  operated  a  woolen  mill  and  oil 
mill  in  Wurtemburg,  in  which  our  subject 
worked  until  1863,  when  he  emigrated  to 
America,  and  worked  at  his  trade  for  sev- 
eral years  at  Rockwell,  near  Hartford,  Con- 
necticut. Subsequently  he  was  employed 
in  a  woolen  mill  at  Maumee,  Ohio,  for  nearly 
three  years,  and  in  1868  moved  to  Peoria, 
Illinois,  where  he  conducted  a  dyeing  estab- 
lishment until  1873.  During  the  following 
thirteen  years  he  was  engaged  in  business 
in  Toledo,  Ohio,  and  then  returned  to  Ger- 
many, spending  about  a  year  in  visiting  his 
old  home  and  some  of  the  prominent  cities 
of  the  old  world.  In  1887  he  returned  to 
Peoria,  and  the  following  year  accepted  the 
general  agency  of  the  German  Fire  Insurance 
Company  at  that  place,  and  devoted  four 
years  to  that  business,  retiring  at  the  end 
of  that  time  on  account  of  ill  health. 

In  1893  ^Ii"-  Guenther  came  to  Spring 
Bay,  and  on  the  7th  of  August,  that  year, 
married  Mrs.  Catherine  Eichhorn,  a  daugh- 


ter of  Christian  W'enckler,  one  of  Wood- 
ford county's  earliest  settlers,  having  lo- 
cated here  about  1830  or  1832.  Mrs.  Guen- 
ther was  reared  and  educated  in  this  county, 
and  in  1870  married  Peter  Eichhorn,  a  prom- 
inent brewer  of  Spring  Bay,  who  died  Au- 
gust 25,  1885,  leaving  four  children:  Her- 
man G.,  a  successful  physician  of  Spring 
Bay:  William,  a  farmer;  Charles,  a  farmer 
of  Spring  Bay;  and  Algernon,  at  home 
with  his  mother.  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  Guenther 
were  both  reared  in  the  Lutheran  faith,  and 
are  people  of  the  highest  respectability.  Po- 
litically he  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  is  now  a  member  and 
clerk  of  the  school  board  of  Spring  Bay, 
but  he  has  never  cared  for  political  honors. 


MOSES  BELSLEY. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of  the 
representative  farmers  of  Roanoke  township, 
Woodford  county,  Illinois,  where  he  owns 
and  operates  a  good  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  on  section  16.  Here  he  has 
made  his  home  since  1897  and  has  placed 
the  land  under  excellent  cultivation.  He 
raises  principally  corn  and  oats  and  is  meet- 
ing with  well  deserved  success  in  his  chosen 
calling. 

A  native  of  Woodford  county,  Mr.  Bels- 
ley  was  born  in  Worth  township  July  27, 
1 871,  and  is  a  son  of  Christian  and  Mary 
(Sweitzer)  Belsley,  both  natives  of  Alsace 
Lorraine,  France,  v.hich  now  forms  a  part  of 
Germany.  The  father  came  to  the  United 
States  with  his  parents  when  eight  years  of 
age  and  first  settled  in  Spring  Bay  township, 
Woodford  county.  Since  1882  he  has  made 
his  home  in  Roanoke  and  is  now  about  sev- 


6oo 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


enty  years  of  age.  His  children  are :  Mag- 
delene,  wife  of  Christian  Foerter.  who  hves 
near  Roanoke;  Kate,  wife  of  John  Sander, 
of  that  place;  Samuel,  who  also  lives  near 
Roanoke;  Mary,  wife  of  Joseph  Hodel,  of 
Roanoke;  Fanny,  wife  of  John  Moser,  of 
Roanoke  township;  Christian,  a  resident  of 
the  village  of  Roanoke;  Moses,  oiir  subject: 
Annie  and  Benjamin,  liotli  at  home  with 
their  parents. 

The  boyhood  and  youth  of  Moses  Belsiey 
were  passed  in  Worth  and  Roanoke  town- 
ships and  his  education  was  obtained  in  tlieir 
public  schools.  He  has  made  farming  his 
life  work  and  in  1895  took  charge  of  his 
father's  farm,  which  he  operated  until  lo- 
cating upon  his  present  place  in  1897.  On 
the  1 2th  of  October,  that  year,  he  married 
Miss  Priscilla  Salathe,  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Annie  (Weynett)  Salatiie.  both  natives 
of  Roanoke.  Politically  Mr.  Belsiey  is 
identified  witii  tiie  Republican  party,  and 
socially  affiliates  with  Roanoke  Camp,  No. 
1206,  M.  W.  A. 


ELIJAH  R.  MARSHALL. 

Among  Woodford  county's  honored 
pioneers  and  highly  esteemed  citizens  none 
are  more  deserving  of  mention  in  this  vol- 
ume than  Elijah  R.  Marshall,  a  prosperous 
farmer  living  on  section  7,  Roanoke  town- 
ship. He  was  born  in  Mendon,  Rutland 
county,  Vermont,  November  15.  1826,  and 
comes  of  good  old  New  England  stock.  His 
father,  Thomas  Marshall,  was  also  a  resident 
of  the  Green  Mountain  state,  his  birth  oc- 
curring in  Chester,  Windsor  county,  March 
13,  1801.  Our  subject's  paternal  grandpar- 
ents were  Elijah  and  Mary  (  Pierce)   Mar- 


shall. The  former,  who  was  a  soldier  of  the 
war  of  181 2,  was  born  in  England,  Novem- 
ber 6,  1766,  and  died  in  Chester,  Vermont, 
September  24,  1835,  while  the  latter  was 
born  near  Boston,  Massachusetts,  Septem- 
ber 5,  1768,  and  died  in  Chester,  Vermont, 
May  4,  1833. 

Thomas  Marshall  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  his  native  state,  and  throughout  his 
active  business  life  followed  the  occupation 
of  farming.  On  the  8th  of  November,  1821, 
he  married  Miss  Martha  Brooks,  who  was 
also  born  in  Vermont,  June  10,  1800,  and 
belonged  to  an  old  New  England  family. 
By  this  union  were  seven  children,  namely : 
Lestina,  married  Abner  Bailey,  and  in  1850 
they  came  to  Woodford  county,  Illinois, 
where  they  made  their  home  for  several 
years,  but  are  now  living  in  Kansas.  Elijah 
R.,  our  subject,  and  Mary,  were  twins.  She 
married  Samuel  Butterfield,  a  resident  of 
Cazenovia  township,  Woodford  county,  but 
is  now  deceased.  Amelia  married  Emerald 
Fisher,  of  Cazenovia  township,  and  they 
are  now  living  in  Cherryvale,  Kansas.  Sol- 
omon is  deceased.  Cyrus,  the  youngest  of 
the  family,  makes  his  home  in  Butler  county, 
Kansas.  In  1850  tiie  father  came  to  Wood- 
ford county,  Illinois,  and  after  spending  one 
\ear  in  Metamora  township,  settled  in  Roan- 
oke township,  where  he  li\ed  until  three 
years  prior  to  his  death.  His  last  days  were 
spent  with  a  daughter  in  Cazenovia  town- 
ship, where  he  died  September  4,  1879. 
His  wife  departed  this  life  June  10,  1892. 

Elijah  R.  Marshall  remained  at  home 
with  his  parents  until  he  attained  his  major- 
ity and  is  indebted  to  the  public  schools  of 
Vermont  for  his  educational  advantages.  In 
1847  he  came  west  by  way  of  the  lakes,  canal 
and  river  to  Peoria,  Illinois,  in  company  with 
an  old  schoolmate,  Leverett  Dean,   who  is 


ELUAH  R.  MARSHALL. 


MRS.  MARTHA  MARSHALL. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


605 


now  living  near  Springfield.  From  Peoria 
connty  they  came  to  Cazenovia  township. 
Woodford  connty.  where  .Mr.  Marsliall's  sis- 
ter, ]\Irs.  Bntteriield,  was  living.  .\ftcr 
spending  three  weeks  here  they  bought  si.K 
horses  and  drove  back  to  \'ermont,  making 
tlie  trij)  in  a  little  less  than  three  weeks.  The 
following  March  the  men  again  started  for 
Illinois.  They  crossed  the  Green  Mount- 
ains in  a  sleigh,  and  by  stage  proceeded  to 
Buffalo.  Xew  York.  They  continuetl  their 
journey  in  that  way  through  Canada  luitil 
within  twenty  miles  of  Detroit,  when  the 
ice  on  the  lakes  broke  up  and  the  steamboats 
began  to  run.  By  boat  they  went  to  Detroit. 
.As  there  were  no  regular  stage  lines  or  water 
courses  at  that  time,  they  proceeded  on  foot 
to  Ottawa.  Illinois,  covering  on  an  average 
of  fifty  miles  per  day.  On  reaching  Ottawa 
they  found  the  Illinois  river  was  open  for 
navigation  and  higher  than  it  has  ever  been 
since.  There  they  took  a  lx)at  for  Peoria. 
Going  to  Brimfield.  Peoria  county,  Mr. 
Marshall  and  Mr.  Dean  rented  a  farm  and 
in  partnership  embarked  in  the  sheep  busi- 
ness, buying  eight  hundred  head.  Before 
the  end  of  that  first  season,  however,  our 
subject  .Sold  his  interest  U)  his  partner  and 
llien  worked  in  the  hay  and  harvest  fields, 
mowing  grass  with  a  .scythe  for  fifty  cents 
l)er  acre.  In  the  fall  he  operated  a  threshing 
machine. 

Mr.  Marshall  became  a  resident  of 
Woodford  cciunty  in  the  fall  of  1849,  and  in 
I'ebruary  of  the  following  year  went  to 
Si)ringfield  on  horseback  to  get  the  deed  for 
land  which  he  had  located  on  two  land  war- 
rants. In  jmie.  1 850,  he  returned  to  \'er- 
mont  and  brought  his  parents  and  the  re- 
mainder Ml  the  family  to  this  state.  That 
year  he  i)nrchased  the  farm  on  .section  7, 
Roanoko  township,  where  he  now  lives.    He 

32 


built  the  first  frame-house  and  barn  in  the 
township,  the  former  on  section  (>.  the  lat- 
ter on  section  7,  and  also  built  the  second 
frame  hou.se,  which  now  constitutes  a  part  of 
his  i)resent  residence.  The  barn  is  still  stand- 
ing, but  the  first  house  has  been  destroyed. 
Throughout  life  Mr.  Marshall  has  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  meeting  with 
marked  success  he  has  become  the  owner  of 
live  hundretl  and  forty-five  acres  of  valuable 
and  productive  land,  which  he  has  placed 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  lie  aided 
in  the  construction  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Kailrnad  through  this  .section  of  the  state, 
and  lias  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
growth  and  upbuilding  of  W'oodford  county. 
He  fenced  the  first  roads  laid  out  in  his  town- 
ship, and  assisted  in  organizing  the  school 
district,  it  being  through  his  efforts  that 
they  were  made  two  miles  square  insteatl  of 
two  by  three  miles. 

On  the  17th  of  February,  1853.  .Mr.  Mar- 
shall was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mar- 
tha Fisher,  also  a  native  of  Mendon,  Rutland 
county,  X'ermont.  Her  parents,  .Amos  and 
Lydia  (Stoddard)  Fisher,  natives  of  the 
same  state,  came  to  Illinois  in  1840,  and  set- 
tled in  Cazenovia  township,  W'oodford 
County,  where  the  father  died  March  10, 
1850,  the  mother  May  20,  1879.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  ^Marshall  were  born  four  children: 
Amos  F.,  the  eldest,  is  a  resident  of  Roan- 
oke. Ira  had  successfully  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  medicine  at  Chicago  for  about 
seven  years  when  he  died  in  that  city  of 
pneumonia,  March  18,  1895,  ^t  the  age  of 
thirty-nine  years  and  eighteen  days.  Rolla 
makes  his  home  in  Roanoke  township,  Orpha 
is  the  wife  of  James  Lightfoot.  of  Cazennia 
ttnvnship. 

Mr.  Marshall  and  his  family  are  all  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  church,  and  are  people 


6o6 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


or  prominence  in  the  community  where  tliey 
reside.  Politically  he  always  affiliates  with 
tlie  Republican  party,  and  takes  an  active  and 
commendable  interest  in  public  affairs.  He 
has  served  as  commissioner  of  highways,  and 
for  the  long  period  of  twenty  years  was  a 
member  of  the  school  board.  He  has  al- 
\\ays  been  found  true  to  every  trust  reposed 
in  him  wliether  pul.)lic  or  private,  and  well 
merits  the  high  regard  in  which  he  is  uni- 
versally held. 

Mrs.  j\Iarshall  passed  to  her  final  reward, 
September  i8,  1900,  and  was  interred  Sep- 
tember 20,  in  the  cemetery  in  Metamora 
township  one  mile  west  of  the  Roanoke  Bap- 
tist church.  She  was  a  woman  held  in  the 
highest  regard  by  all  and  her  death  is  sin- 
cerely mourned  by  a  large  circle  of  friends 
and  acquaintances. 


THE  ROANOKE  CALL. 

The  history  of  Roanoke  would  be  in- 
complete without  a  sketch  of  its  flourish- 
ing local  paper,  "The  Call,"  now  in  its  tenth 
volume,  and  a  typical  home  paper,  whose 
calling  and  mission  is  to  "Give  the  home 
news  first,  last  and  all  the  time."  While  not 
an  old  publication,  only  one  other  paper  pub- 
lished in  the  county  is  now  conducted  by 
the  same  parties  who  were  at  the  helm  at 
the  time  of  its  advent,  in  August,  1891.  It 
is  with  pride  that  its  editor,  P.  B.  Hobbs, 
can  point  to  its  record  for  almost  a  decade 
and  say  that  not  an  issue  has  gone  forth 
that  could  not  be  taken  into  the  homes  and 
read  at  the  firesides  by  every  member  of  the 
household.  Non-partisan  in  politics,  it 
finds  plenty  of  matter  each  week  to  make 
a  readable  sheet  without  dabbling  in  politics 
or  i)eddling  scandal,  but  strives  always  to 


advance  the  best  interests  and  increase  the 
happiness  of  all  within  its  circle  of  influenc. 

Its  editor  is  a  native  Illinoisan,  having 
lived  in  the  state  all  his  life,  with  the  excej)- 
tion  of  about  six  years,  and  came  first  to 
Woodford  county  in  1881.  He  is  descended 
from  early  pioneers  of  the  state,  as  his  grand- 
father, David  Hobbs.  emigrated  from  Ken- 
tucky, with  his  Ijride,  in  September,  1830, 
and  settled  in  Adams  county,  when  Ouincy 
was  but  a  struggling  village  on  the  bluff's 
of  the  Father  of  Waters,  and  Chicago  was 
known  only  as  Fort  Deai-born.  Here  he 
felled  the  giants  of  the  primeval  forest  and 
built  his  log  cabin  and  with  his  own  hand 
held  the  plow  that  broke  the  stubborn  glebe 
converting  the  rolling  prairies  into  fertile 
fields.  He  also  served  his  generation  as  an 
acceptable  minister  of  the  gospel,  preparing 
his  sermons  during  the  week  while  he  tilled 
his  crops  and  riding  far  to  officiate  at  wed- 
dings and  funerals.  His  last  resting  place 
is  within  two  miles  of  the  spot  on  which  he 
built  his  first  cabin. 

His  oldest  child  was  a  son  Jephthah 
Hobbs,  born  within  six  months  after  his  par- 
ents came  to  the  state.  He  grew  to  manhood 
in  Adams  county,  serving  his  anprenticeship 
driving  oxen,  following  the  plow  and  maul- 
ing rails  in  a  forest  hard  by,  inheriting  the 
love  of  Nature,  so  predominant  in  those  who 
lived  so  close  to  her  in  her  own  realm,  laying 
broad  and  deep  the  foundations  of  a  great 
state. 

An  education  was  the  boon  which  fired 
his  ambition  and  he  got  it  in  spite  of  the  J 
disadvantages  of  frontier  life.  At  twenty-  ^ 
one  years  of  age  he  was  recognized  as  a 
promising  school  teacher.  Opening  his  first 
term  of  school  in  October,  1851,  he  made 
it  his  life  work,  closing  his  last  term  in  May, 
1892.        He  followed  his  chosen  profession 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


607 


CDiitinuinisly  except  for  tour  years  spent  in 
l.ethany  Colleja^e,  Betliany.  West  \'irginia, 
nntler  the  instruction  of  Alexander  Campbell, 
where  he  graduated  in  July,  1858,  and  dur- 
ing most  of  this  time  did  the  work  of  a 
tutor  to  the  underclass  men.  F"or  almost 
thirty  years  he  was  principal  of  graded 
schools  in  various  cities  and  helped  to  build 
up  that  most  enduring  monument,  the  public- 
school  system  of  our  great  commonwealth. 
Seven  years  he  spent  in  a  mission  school  for 
the  colored  race  in  Mississippi,  and  did  his 
part  to  tit  and  prepare  native  teachers  to  carry 
on  the  work  of  uplifting  tiie  race,  and  pre- 
jjare  them  for  full  citizenship.  Having 
retired  from  acti\e  labors  he  now  aids  in  the 
liubiication  of  "The  Call"  and  conducts  the 
Kureka  column.  ha\ing  been  a  constant  con- 
tributor to  school  journals  and  the  press 
in  general,  during  his  entire  career.  He 
maintains  his  vigor  to  a  remarkable  degree 
and  bids  fair  to  reach  his  four  score  years 
and  more. 

r.  B.  Hobbs  was  born  in  Edgar  county, 
in  the  \illage  of  Kansas,  on  the  second  day 
i>f  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  September 
_'0,  1863,  "that  beautiful  Sunday  morning 
when  ^lajor-General  Bragg  drove  General 
Rosecrans  and  the  'boys  in  blue'  out  of 
Chickamauga"  and  when  General  Thomas 
made  himself  famous  as  the  "Rock  of  Chick- 
amauga." His  youth  was  spent  much  as  the 
lives  of  his  companions,  except  that  in  ad- 
dition to  attending  school  and  running  er- 
rands, he  served  an  apprenticeship  at  the 
"art  preservative"  or  in  common  phraseol- 
ogy, served  as  "printer's  devil"  under  S. 
Will  Rose,  of  "The  Republican  Sun,"  and 
was  thereby  doomed  to  follow  in  the  foot- 
steps of  the  immortal  Benjamin  Franklin. 
After  completing  his  course  in  the  graded 
schools  of  the  state,  at  the  different  places 


at  which  the  family  resided. — as  the  family 
of  an  Illinois  school  master,  like  that  of  a 
Methodist  preacher,  may  be  said  to  be  "raised 
on  the  road," — he  entered  Eureka  College  in 
October  14,  1881,  and  received  his  sheepskin 
June  25,  1885. 

After  a  year  spent  in  teaching,  he  fol- 
lowed the  advice  of  that  immortal  editor 
and  "went  w'est  to  grow  up  with  the  coun- 
try." Five  years  growing,  in  Chase  county, 
Xeljraska,  sufficed  to  convince  him  that  Illi- 
nois was  good  enough,  and  after  securing 
a  piece  of  land  out  of  Uncle  Sam's  domain 
a  ndimbibing  with  the  western  atmosphere 
unmeasurable  experience  in  frontier  life  in 
general  and  western  journalism  in  particu- 
lar he  returned  to  the  state  of  his  birth  and 
founded  "The  Call"  at  Roanoke,  in  August, 
1 89 1.  Here  he  has  labored,  cheerfully  and 
persistently,  content  in  doing  something  to 
make  the  lives  of  those  about  him  somewhat 
more  worth  living.  The  fourth  generation 
is  represented  by  Master  Harry  O.  Hobbs, 
aged  ten  years,  who  long  since  earned  his 
title  as  junior  member  of  the  firm  and  can 
set  his  "stick"  of  type  with  the  assurance 
that  it  will  appear  in  print,  and  even  wields 
the  editorial  "We"  in  doing  the  honors  of 
the  shop  when  visitors  call. 


JOHN  G.  ZELLER,  M.  D. 

On  the  17th  of  June.  1893,  there  passed 
away  from  his  home  in  Spring  Bay,  Illinois, 
a  well  beloved  physician,  whose  many  years 
of  faithful  toil  in  his  profession  made  his 
name  a  household  word  in  that  community. 
He  was  a  man  whose  death  was  felt  as  a 
loss  among  all  classes  and  the  following  brief 
account  of  one  so  esteemed  will  be  read  with 
unusual  interest. 

The  Doctor  was  a  native  of  German  v. 


6o8 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


born  in  Bavaria  December  lo,  1828,  and 
comes  of  a  long  line  of  German  ancestry. 
His  boj'hood  and  youtb  were  spent  in  his  na- 
tive land  and  in  1847  li^  came  to  America, 
but  two  years  later  returned  to  Germany 
and  did  not  locate  permanently  here  until 
1853.  He  then  entered  a  medical  colleg-e  at 
St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  he  took  two 
courses  of  lectures,  and  was  graduated,  re- 
ceiving the  degree  of  M.  D.  Soon  after  his 
graduation  he  came  to  Spring  Bay.  Illinois, 
and  was  engaged  in  practice  here  for  about 
a  year.  He  then  returned  to  St.  Louis,  where 
he  married  Caroline  Nichols,  who  died  in 
Spring  Bay,  leaving  four  children :  Alex- 
ander, George  A.,  Josephine  and  Frederick. 
George  A.  and  Frederick  are  successfully  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Peoria. 
The  latter  and  his  sister,  Josephine,  visited 
Europe  in  the  summer  of  1900. 

Dr.  Zeller  again  took  up  his  residence 
in  Spring  Bay  and  continued  in  acti\e  prac- 
tice here  until  his  death.  He  was  again 
married,  in  September.  1865,  his  second 
union  being  with  Miss  Caroline  Winckler, 
a  native  of  Woodford  county,  where  she  was 
reared  and  educated.  Her  parents.  Chris- 
tian and  Elizabeth  (Snider)  Wickler,  were 
both  born  in  Germany  and  when  young  came 
to  this  country,  where  their  marriage  was 
celebrated.  They  were  pioneers  of  Wood- 
ford county  and  were  numbered  among  its 
most  highly  respected  citizens.  By  his  sec- 
ond marriage  Dr.  Zeller  had  five  children, 
two  of  whom  are  deceased,  Katie  dying  at 
the  age  of  thirteen  years,  and_  John  at  the 
ajre  of  four.  Those  living  are  Julius  C,  a 
Methodist  minister  now  located  at  Manteno, 
Illinois,  who  is  married  and  had  three  chil- 
dren ;  Christina,  who  married  Everett  Ogle- 
bee,  of  Rockford,  Illinois,  September  26, 
1900:  and  William  L.,  at  home. 


Politically  Dr.  Zeller  was  an  ardent  Re- 
publican antl  served  as  justice  of  the  peace, 
president  of  the  town  board  and  in  other  po- 
sitions of  honor  and  trust.  He  always  en- 
joyed a  large  and  lucrative  practice  and  suc- 
ceeded in  accumulating  a  large  estate.  On 
coming  to  the  county,  however,  he  was  in 
limited  circumstances,  and  his  success  in  life 
was  due  entirely  to  his  own  well-directed  ef- 
forts. He  was  widely  and  favorably  known 
and  his  memory  will  be  a  sacred  inheritance 
to  his  children  antl  will  be  cherished  by  a 
multitude  rif  friends.  Throughout  his  career 
of  continued  and  far-reaching  usefulness  his 
duties  were  performed  with  the  greatest 
care,  and  during  a  long  life  his  personal 
honor  and  integrity  were  without  blemish. 


GEORGE  WINKLER. 

This  well-known  and  successful  agricult- 
urist of  Spring  Bay  township,  Woodford 
county,  whose  home  is  pleasantly  situated 
on  section  36,  four  and  a  half  miles  from 
Peoria,  is  a  native  of  the  county,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Worth  township  January 
14,  1856.  His  father,  George  Winkler,  Sr.. 
was  born  in  Germany,  in  181 5,  and  in  1830 
came  to  the  new  world  with  his  father,  Adam 
\\'inkler.  The  family  first  located  in  Penn- 
sylvania, but  after  spending  five  vears  in  that 
state  came  to  Illinois  and  took  up  their  resi- 
dence in  Woodford  county,  being  among 
its  first  settlers.  In  Worth  township  .\dam 
Winkler  opened  up  and  improved  a  farm. 

George  Winkler,  Sr.,  was  married,  in 
Woodford  county,  to  Margaretta  Hemfling, 
also  a  native  of  Germany,  and  a  daughter  of 
Nicholas  Hemfling,  who  brought  his  family 
to  America  during  her  childhood  and  settled 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


609 


liere.  .\fter  his  marriape  Mr.  Winkler  con- 
timieil  u<  make  his  home  in  Worth  townsliip, 
where  he  successfully  eneaged  in  farming 
throusfhout  life,  dying  there  in  February, 
1899.  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-four 
years.  His  wife  survives  him  and  lives  with 
a  son  on  the  old  homestead.  In  tlieir  family 
were  eiglit  children,  four  sons  and  four 
daughters,  namely:  Yetlia.  wife  of  Charles 
Greiner,  of  Spring  Bay  township:  .\nianda. 
wife  of  George  (ireiner.  of  Har.cy.  Cook 
county,  Illinois;  George,  Jr..  our  subject; 
Margaretta.  wife  of  Morris  Braudigan.  of 
Nebraska;  .\nna.  wife  of  A.  Haed'cke,  of 
Tazewell  county,  Illinois:  Henry  I-".,  of 
Spring  Bay  township,  Woodford  county; 
and  Peter  L.  and  Charles,  both  at  home. 

During  iiis  boyhood  and  youth  George 
Winkler.  Jr..  assisted  his  father  in  the  labors 
of  the  farm  and  attended  the  district  schools 
of  the  neighborhood  to  a  limited  extent,  but 
his  literary  education  has  been  mostly  self- 
acquired  since  reaching  manhood.  On  lea\- 
ing  the  parental  roof  he  engaged  in  farming 
on  rented  land  for  eight  years,  and  in  1K85 
purchased  his  present  farm  of  one  Inmdred 
and  sixty  acres  on  section  36.  Spring  Bay 
townsliip,  to  the  im])rovement  and  cultiva- 
tion of  which  he  has  since  devoted  his  en- 
ergies. When  he  located  thereon  the  place 
was  run  down,  the  old  house  was  in  ])oor 
repairs  and  the  ini])rovenients  were  all  of 
an  inferior  order,  but  he  has  since  built  a 
large  and  neat  residence,  good  barn,  granary, 
cribs,  etc.,  and  in  other  ways  has  added 
greatly  to  the  value  and  attractive  appear- 
ance of  the  ])lace. 

On  the  7th  of  Decemlier.  1880.  in  Worth 
township.  Mr.  Winkler  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Louisa  S.  Haedicke.  a  na- 
tive of  that  townshij)  and  a  flaughter  of 
Adolph  and  I  lannah  S.   (  Braudigan )   Hae- 


dicke. who  were  born  in  Germany  and  as 
young  peojjle  came  to  the  United  States, 
their  marriage  being  celebrated  in  Illinois. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winkler  have  three  children 
living:  Elmer  (i.,  Austin  L.  and  Dewey 
E.  One  daughter.  Palnia.  died  at  the  age 
of  three  months. 

Politically  Mr.  Winkler  has  been  a  life- 
long Kei)ublican,  but  at  local  elections  he 
\otes  for  the  man  whom  he  believes  best 
(|ualified  to  fill  the  ofifice,  regardless  of  party 
affiliations.  His  fellow  citizens,  recognizing 
his  worth  and  ability,  have  called  him  to 
office,  and  in  1897  '^^  ^^''^  elected  justice  of 
the  peace  and  in  1899  sui^ervisor.  Although 
his  township  is  Democratic  he  received  a 
good  majority.  He  has  also  served  as  com- 
missioner of  highways,  a  member  of  the 
school  board  six  years  and  clerk  of  the  dis- 
trict. Xo  trust  reposed  in  him  has  ever  been 
mis])laced  ;ind  he  has  discharged  his  official 
duties  with  the  utmost  ]iromptness  and  fidel- 
itv.  .\s  a  member  of  the  county  board  he 
is  now  ser\ing  on  the  road  and  bridge  com- 
mittee and  is  chairman  of  the  veteran  aid 
committee.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  church  of  Peoria. 


FOSTER  BE.\J.\MI.\. 

Among  the  brave  men  who  devoted  the 
opening  years  of  their  manhood  to  the  de- 
fense of  the  country  from  the  internal  foes 
who  sought  her  dismemberment  was  Foster 
Benjamin,  now  a  prominent  citizen  of  the 
village  of  Cazenovia.  He  was  born  in 
Coshocton  comity,  Ohio,  Xovember  12, 
1843,  anil  is  a  son  of  Josei)li  and  Elizabeth 
(  Payn)  Benjamin.  The  fatl.er  was  Ijorn  in 
Xew    Jersey    and    when    young    mo\ed    to 


6io 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Coshocton  county,  Oliio,  with  his  parents, 
David  and  Ruth  (Paddock)  Benjamin,  who 
were  pioneers  of  that  county  and  there  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  lives.  On  reaching 
manhood  Joseph  Benjamin  married  EHza- 
beth  Payn,  a  native  of  Coshocton  county, 
where  they  continued  to  make  their  liome  for 
some  time  after  tlieir  marriage,  and  tlien 
mo^■ed  to  Owen  county,  Indiana,  where  lie 
opened  up  and  improved  a  farm.  His  death 
occurred  there  in  April,  1889.  Later  his 
wife  spent  one  year  in  \\'oodford  county. 
Illinois,  and  then  returned  to  Indiana,  where 
she  died  in  1895.  By  occupation  he  was 
first  a  shoemaker  and  later  a  farmer.  Foster 
is  the  second  in  order  of  birth  in  their  fam- 
ily of  eight  children,  the  others  being  David 
J.,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Twenty-ninth 
Indiana  Regiment  during  the  Civil  war  and 
is  a  resident  of  Owen  county,  that  state; 
Mrs.  Julia  C.  Scott,  of  Clay  county,  Indi- 
ana: John  N.,  of  Owen  county;  George  H., 
of  Greene  county,  Indiana ;  Mrs.  Mary  Ma- 
tilda Williams,  of  Owen  county;  Russell,  of 
Greene  county;  and  Andrew,  who  died  while 
our  subject  was  in  the  service  of  his  country 
in  1864. 

Foster  Benjamin  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Owen  county,  Indiana,  and  on  start- 
ing out  in  life  for  himself  chose  the  occupa- 
tion of  farming,  to  which  he  devoted  his  en- 
ergies until  his  retirement  from  active  labor. 
In  October,  1861,  he  enlisted  at  Gosport, 
Indiana,  in  Company  A,  Fifty-ninth  Indi- 
ana Volunteer  Infantry,  for  three  years.  He 
was  sworn  in  at  Camp  Hughes.  Indiana, 
where  the  regiment  was  assigned  to  the 
Army  of  the  West.  He  participated  in  the 
battles  of  New  Madrid,  Fort  Pillow,  Corinth 
and  luka,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  and  the  en- 
gagements at  Yazoo  Pass.  On  the  22(1  of 
May,    1863,  he  received   a   shell   wound   in 


the  side  and  was  confined  in  the  department 
hospital  at  Vicksburg  for  some  time.  He 
rejoined  his  regiment  at  Vicksburg,  from 
whence  they  went  to  Missionary  Ridge, 
wh.ere  he  served  on  detached  duty  from  that 
tiiue  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was 
with  Slierman  on  the  famous  march  to  the 
sea  and  was  honorably  discharged  at  Wil- 
mington, Xc:)rth  Carolina,  April  4,  1865, 
after  which  he  returned  to  his  home  in  In- 
diana. 

In  Owen  county,  that  state,  Mr.  Benja- 
min was  married,  in  1867,  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth A.  Gardner,  who  was  born  in  thart 
county.  Her  parents,  Jams  and  Permelia 
(  Hilsalieck)  Gardner,  were  natives  of  Xew 
York  and  Xorth  Carolina,  respectively,  and 
early  settlers  of  Owen  county.  Indiana, 
w  here  they  made  their  home  for  many  years. 
In  1867  they  removed  by  team  to  Woodford 
county,  Illinois,  and  located  at  Low  Point. 
By  occupation  the  father  was  a  carpenter  and 
farmer.  His  father  was  Jarus  Gardner,  Sr., 
who  for  forty-five  years  was  a  minister  of 
the  gospel  in  the  Alethodist  church.  Mrs. 
Benjamin  is  the  oldest  of  their  children,  the 
others  being  Mrs.  Laney  Dyer,  of  Low 
Point ;  Joseph  ]M.,  of  ^Marshall  county,  Iowa ; 
larus  B.,  a  phvsician  and  surgeon  of  Ma- 
nilla, Iowa;  David  H.,  of  Rose  Lawn,  In- 
diana :  William  Alliert,  a  hotel  keeper  and 
undertaker  of  ^Manilla,  Iowa ;  Mrs.  Albert 
Readout,  of  Union.  Imva ;  Parnielia.  of 
Union,  Iowa;  (jeorge  \\'..  a  farmer  of  Stu- 
art, Iowa:  Foster  Edison,  a  railroad  man  of 
Siou.x  City.  Iowa;  and  Francis  B..  of  Rose 
Lawn,  Indiana.  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Benjamin 
ha\-e  three  children:  Mandy  C.  now  the 
wife  of  Samuel  Mumlell.  Jr..  a  merchant  of 
Cazenovia,  by  whom  she  has  four  children, 
Maggie  Alice,  Foster  Le  Roy,  Hazel  G. 
and   Maria  Elizaljeth :  \"iola  Berdilla,   who 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


6ii 


died  at  tlie  age  of  eig'.it  years ;  and  Cuma 
Alice,  wife  of  Jesse  Mundell.  also  a  merchant 
of  Cazenovia,  by  whom  she  has  one  son, 
Lee  Benjamin. 

Mr.  Benjamin  continued  his  residence  in 
Lidiana  until  1867.  when  he  moved  to 
Woodford  county,  Illinois.  Here  he  success- 
fully engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until 
1900,  when  he  moved  to  the  village  of  Caze- 
novia, and  is  now  living  a  retired  life.  For- 
merly he  affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party, 
but  is  now  a  Prohibitionis;  in  jiolitics.'  Re- 
ligiously both  he  and  his  wife  are  earnest 
members  of  the  Christian  church  and  are 
held  in  the  highest  respect  and  esteem  by 
all  will  I  know  them. 


JOSEPH    EXCEL. 

The  subject  (->f  this  sketch,  who  is  one 
of  the  jirosperous  citizens  of  Metamora 
township,  Woodford  county,  is  now  success- 
fully operating  a  fine  farm  of  twn  hundred 
acres  on  section  28,  within  a  mile  of  the  city 
of  Metamora.  He  was  born  on  that  place 
May  8,  1854,  and  there  the  greater  part  of 
his  life  has  lieen  spent.  The  family  to  which 
he  l>elongs  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
highly  respected  families  of  the  county.  His 
grandfather.  Peter  Engel.  was  a  native  of 
France,  and  on  his  emigration  to  America, 
in  1 83 1,  took  up  his  residence  in  Metamora 
township,  Woodford  county,  Illinois,  enter- 
ing the  land  on  which  our  subject  now  re- 
sides. 

The  father.  Peter  R.  Engel.  was  born  in 
Alsace,  France,  in  1828.  and  was  only  seven 
years  old  when  brought  by  his  jjarents  to 
the  United  States.  He  grew  to  manhood  in 
\\'oodford  county  and  married  Barbara 
Xofsinger.  also  a  natixe  of  (jermany,  who 


came  to  the  new  world  in  chiklhood  and  was 
reared  in  Illinois.  Peter  R.  Engel  suc- 
ceeded to  a  part  of  the  old  homestead  and 
meeting  with  success  in  his  farming  opera- 
tions he  became  the  owner  of  four  good 
farms.  He  died  March  12.  1888,  honored 
and  respected  "by  all  who  knew  him.  His 
wife  survives  him  and  resides  on  the  home 
farm  with  our  subject. 

During  his  boyhood  Joseph  Engel  pur- 
sued his  studies  in  the  local  schools  and 
gained  a  thorough  knowledge  of  agriculture 
u])on  the  home  farm,  where  he  remained  un- 
til he  was  married,  in  ^\'oodford  county, 
February  24.  1876.  to  Miss  Mary  Garber, 
a  native  of  Pekin.  Illinois.  By  this  union 
were  born  six  children,  as  follows:  Lloyd 
E..  who  attended  the  Metamora  schools  and 
later  engaged  in  teaching,  but  is  now  a  stu- 
dent at  the  State  University  in  Champaign : 
Carl,  who  assists  his  father  in  the  operation 
of  the  farm;  Emanuel  P..  Arthur,  William 
J.  and  Frances,  all  at  home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Engel  began  their  domestic 
life  on  a  farm  three  miles  east  of  Metamora, 
where  they  made  their  home  for  five  years, 
and  then  removed  to  Tazewell  county,  Illi- 
nois, Mr.  Engel  being  engaged  in  farming 
near  Cruger  for  ten  years.  In  1891  he  re- 
turned to  the  old  homestead.  ha\'ing  suc- 
ceeded to  a  part  of  the  farm,  and  has  since 
added  to  his  portion  until  he  now  has  one 
hundred  and  twenty-eight  acres  here.  In 
connection  with  this  he  operates  other  land 
and  is  the  owner  of  a  good  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  si.xty  acres  in  Hamilton  county, 
Nebraska.  He  is  also  engaged  in  stock  rais- 
ing, making  a  specialty  of  sheej),  and  now 
has  a  fiock  of  forty-five  pure-blooded 
Shropshires.  He  is  accounted  one  of  the 
most  thrifty  farmers  and  successful  stock 
raisers  of  his  communitv. 


6l2 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Politically  he  is  identitied  with  the  Re- 
jjublicaii  party,  but  takes  no  active  i)art  in 
politics  aside  from  \-oting-,  as  he  prefers  to 
give  his  undivided  attention  to  his  business 
interests.  He  is  well  known  throug'liout 
his  nati\e  count}-  and  tlmse  who  know  him 
best  are  luimbered  among-  his  warmest 
friends,  which  fact  testifies  to  his  sterling- 
worth. 


THOM.^S  ELLIS. 

I^rominent  aiuong  the  successful  farm- 
ers of  Cruger  township  may  be  numbered 
the  gentlen-ian  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch.  A  native  of  the  Keystone  state,  he 
was  born  in  Mifflin  county.  PennsyUania. 
April  15.  1825,  and  is  a  son  of  Robert  and 
Mary  (Dunn)  Ellis,  who  were  born  in  Ire- 
land, and  on  their  emigration  to  the  new 
-world  settled  in  Miftlin  county,  Pennsyl\-ania, 
making  their  home  near  Lewistown,  where 
the  father  engaged  in  farming  throughout 
his  active  husii-iess  life.  He  died  there  in 
1864,  and  his  wife  also  died  in  Pennsyhania 
some  }-ears  later.  Of  their  nine  children 
Eliza  died  in  Pennsylvania:  Robert  came  to 
Woodford  C(nmty,  Illinois,  at  an  early  day, 
and  later  crossed  the  plains  with  teams  to 
California,  hut  is  now  living  in  Kansas; 
James  is  a  resident  of  Pottsville,  Pennsyl- 
vania: George  came  to  Woodford  county  in 
1853,  and  from  here  went  to  Kansas,  where 
he  enlisted  in  a  Kansas  regin-ient  during  the 
Civil  war  and  was  killed  in  the  serx'ice:  John 
makes  his  liome  in  Kansas:  \\'illian-|,  who 
ser\e(l  three  _\-ears  in  a  Pennsy]\-ania  regi- 
ment during  the  Civil  war,  died  in  Potts- 
town,  that  state,  about  1895:  Catherine  died 
in  Kansas:  Mrs.  Jane  Nearhard  lives  in 
Snyder  county,  Pennsylvania:  and  Thomas, 
<-iur  suhiect^  con-ipletes  the  family. 


In  the  county  of  his  nativity  Thomas 
l^llis  was  reared  and  educated  in  much  the 
usual  manner  of  farmer  boys  of  his  day,  and 
lie  remained  there  until  coming  to  Illinois 
ill  1833.  He  spent  three  or  four  months  in 
Montgomery  townshi]_),  Woodford  county, 
and  then  returned  to  Pennsvhania,  but  in 
1834  we  again  find  him  in  the  same  town- 
sliij).  The  followii-|g  year  he  purchased  a 
farm  in  Waldo  township,  Livingston  county, 
there  being  no  settlements  between  Gridley 
and  Panola  at  that  time.  In  1858  he  re- 
turned to  Pennsyhania  b\-  tean-|,  and  flid  not 
locate  ])ermanentlv  in  this  state  until  i8()^, 
when  he  purchased  his  present  farm  in 
L'ruger  township,  Woodford  county.  To  its 
improvement  and  cultivation  he  has  since 
devoted  his  energies,  and  now  has  one  of  the 
l)est  farms  of  its  size  in  the  locality. 

In  McLean  county,  Illinois,  Mr.  Ellis 
v.  as  n-iarried,  in  1858,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
hdeming,  also  a  native  of  Mifflin  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  a  daughter  of  William 
and  ]\Iary  (  McKinley)  Fleming,  who  spent 
their  entire  lives  in  Pennsylvania  and  were 
among  the  early  settlers  of  Mifflin  county. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ellis  were  born  three  chil- 
dren:  Caroline,  wife  of  Joseph  Dearth,  of 
Olio  township,  Woodford  county:  Eliza 
Jane,  wife  of  W.  O.  Davidson,  of  Cruger 
township:  and  Maggie,  wife  of  Fred  Bar- 
rett, of  Eureka. 

During  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Ellis  enlisted 
in  the  Pennsylvania  state  militia,  and  was 
stationed  at  Chambersburg  for  ten  days.  By 
his  ballot  he  always  supports  the  men  and 
measures  of  the  Republican  party,  and  takes 
an  actixe  interest  in  political  afifairs.  He  as- 
sisted in  the  organization  of  Cruger  town- 
ship, and  has  been  prominently  identified 
with  its  development  and  upbuilding  almost 
continuouslv  since  1853.     As  one  of  the  pio- 


THOMAS  ELLIS. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


615 


iieers  and  hoiKired  citizens  he  is  certainly 
deserving  of  representation  in  this  history 
of  iiis  adopted  county. 


MICHAEL  l)i:X.\ IS. 

Xunihered  among  the  lea(Hng  farmers  of 
Kansas  townsliip.  Woodford  county,  is  tlie 
gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this 
sketch.  He  dwus  and  operates  a  ricii  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  eighty  acres 
being  on  sectit>n  4,  and  forty  acres  on  sec- 
tion y.  A  native  of  the  Buckeye  state,  Mr. 
Dennis  was  born  in  Monroe  county,  Ohio, 
Septeml)er  16,  1837,  and  is  a  son  of  Jolm 
and  Rachel  (  Barniiouse)  Dennis.  The  fa- 
ther was  born  and  reared  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  at  the  age  ni  twcnty-nne  went  to  \'ir- 
ginia,  where  he  farmed  iov  some  years. 
Subsequently  he  spent  a  number  of  years  in 
Monroe  county,  Ohio,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1852  mo\ed  to  Allen  county,  Indiana,  where 
he  followed  farming  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  when  he  was  seventy-four  years  of 
age.  By  industry  and  perseverance  he  ac- 
cumulated considerable  property,  becoming 
owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  in  Indiana.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  survived  him  about  four  }ears  and 
died  at  the  age  of  hfty -four.  She  had  eight 
children,  six  of  whom  are  living,  Michael 
being  the  oldest.  The  father  was  twice  mar- 
ried, his  first  wife  being  Elizabeth  Slacher, 
who  also  l)ore  him  eight  children. 

The  first  fifteen  years  of  his  life  Michael 
Dennis  sijent  in  his  native  county,  and  was 
educated  in  the  district  schools  of  his  birth- 
place. He  remained  with  his  parents  until 
he  was  married.  Jiuie  24.  1860.  in  Allen 
county.  Indiana,  to  Miss  Hannaii  Jane  Craig, 


a  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  ( Brister) 
Craig,  farming  people  of  that  county,  who 
in  1867  came  to  Woodford  county,  Illinois, 
and  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives  in 
Kansas  township.  Their  son,  .Andrew' 
J.  Craig,  is  still  a  resident  of  that  town- 
ship. The  father,  who  followed  farming 
throughout  life,  died  at  about  the  age  of 
seventy  years.  After  his  death  the  mother 
lived  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Dennis,  at 
whose  home  she  died  at  the  age  of  sexenty- 
five. 

Ele\en  children  ha\e  been  Ixirn  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Dennis,  namely:  (  i  )  Mack,  born 
in  .\lleu  county,  Indiana,  is  now  a  farmer 
of  Hancock  county,  Iowa.  He  is  married 
and  has  two  children,  Rosa  .\rdela  and 
James  Andrew.  (2)  The  second  child  of 
our  subject  died  imnamed.  (3)  Eliza,  born 
in  .\llcn  county,  Indiana,  is  the  wife  of 
Hem-y  Rich,  a  jirosperous  farmer  of  Han- 
cock county.  Iowa,  and  they  ha\e  five  chil- 
dren. .\mie.  Katie,  Edmund.  Lela  and  Dora. 
(  4  )  .Mary,  born  in  Woodford  county,  Illinois, 
is  the  wife  of  J.  L.  Xasli,  a  farmer  of  El  Paso 
townshi]),  that  county,  and  they  have  three 
children,  .\rabelle,  Lillie  .\nnie  and  Pearly 
May.  (  5  )  Arena  and  (  6)  Josei^h  both  died 
in  infancy.  (7)  William  S.  died  at  the  age 
of  si.xteen  vears.  (8)  Eli  died  in  infancy. 
(9)  ImiocIi.  of  Bloomington,  Illinois,  and 
(  10)  Christopher  C,  who  assists  his  father 
in  the  operation  of  the  home  farm.  (11)  1  he 
youngest  child  died   in   infanc\'. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Dennis  engaged 
in  fanuing  in  Huntington,  and  Allen  coun- 
ties, Indiana,  until  after  the  Ci\il  war  broke 
out.  when  he  enlisted  in  1862,  in  Company 
H,  Seventy-fifth  Indiana  \'olunteer  Infan- 
try. He  participated  in  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga  and  several  skirmishes,  and  was  di,s- 
charged     March      13.      18^5.     on     account 


6i6 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


of  disability  caused  1)y  a  gunshot  WDund 
received  at  the  l)attle  of  Chickamauga. 
Returning-  to  his  iionie  in  IncHana,  he 
contintied  to  follow  farming  there  lui- 
til  the  fall  of  1868,  when  he  brought 
his  family  to  \A'oodford  county,  Illinois,  lo- 
cating first  in  Montgomery  township,  where 
he  remained  seven  years.  He  then  jjurchased 
his  present  farm  in  Kansas  township,  and  to 
its  cultivation  and  iniprcjx-ement  has  since 
devoted  his  energies,  at  the  same  time  giv- 
ing some  attention  to  stock  raising.  When  he 
located  thereon  the  land  was  covered  with 
dense  brush,  but  soon  acre  after  acre  was 
cleared,  and  it  is  now  all  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation  and  is  one  of  the  best  farms 
in  the  township.  He  has  erected  a  large  farm 
house  and  spacious  barn,  and  has  made  many 
other  improvements  which  add  greatly  to  the 
value  and  attractive  appearance  of  the  place. 
He  is  one  of  the  men,  who  by  industry  and 
perseverance  has  helped  to  make  Woodford 
county  what  it  is  today,  one  of  the  richest 
farming  districts  in  the  state.  Politically  Mr. 
Dennis  is  a  Democrat.  For  eighteen  years 
he  has  efficiently  served  as  school  director 
in  his  district,  and  at  the  present  time  is 
commissioner  of  highways  of  Kansas  town- 
ship, which  ofifice  he  has  held  for  two  terms. 


JOSEPH  MOORE. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  is  now 
living  a  retired  life  in  the  village  of  Roan- 
oke, Woodford  county,  Illinois,  was  born  in 
Rockingham  county,  X'irginia,  January  10, 
1828,  and  is  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Dorothy 
(Spitzer)  Moore,  the  former  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania,  Init 
of  German  extraction.     Thomas  ]\Ioore  was 


an  exceptionally  well  educatetl  man,  w  Ikj,  af- 
ter coming  to  the  United  States,  devoted  his 
time  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  had  a  fam- 
ily of  ten  children,  eight  of  whom  grew  to 
maturity.  Reuben  is  now  deceased.  Re- 
liecca  married  William  Fletcher,  but  botli  are 
now  deceased.  David  is  also  deceased.  An- 
drew now  resides  in  Missouri.  Philip  lives 
in  California.  Joseph  makes  his  home  in 
Roanoke,  Illinois,  while  Isaac  is  li\ing  in 
Nebraska.  Sarah  married  William  Gallihue, 
who  died  several  years  ago.  She  now  makes 
her  home  in  Rockingham  county,  X'irginia. 
Joseph  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Joseph  Moore  resided  in  his  native  state 
until  1869,  and  was  there  principally  engaged 
in  farming.  During  the  Civil  war  he  served 
his  state  for  three  years,  the  greater  part  of 
the  time  in  the  quartermaster's  department. 
He  was  taken  prisoner  at  Harrisonburg,  Vir- 
ginia, and  was  held  at  Fort  JMcHenry  for 
nine  months,  the  w'ar  then  closing.  In  1869 
he  came  to  Woodford  county,  Illinois,  and 
located  about  one  mile  south  of  Roanoke, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  until  1881, 
when  he  moved  to  the  village  where  he  has 
since  resided. 

Mr.  Moore  was  marrieil  April  4,  1849, 
Miss  Sarah  Jane  Lower,  a  native  of  Orange 
county,  Mrginia,  and  daughter  of  Michael 
and  Ann  (Gibbons)  Lower.  Her  father  was 
a  Pennsylvanian  by  birth,  while  her  mother 
was  born  in  \'irginia.  Of  the  four  children 
born  to  Joseph  Moore  and  wife,  Susan  Vir- 
ginia married  ^^^  B.  Gish,  but  is  now  de- 
ceased. William  P.  resides  in  Roanoke,  Illi- 
nois. Charles  L.  is  living  in  Candow,  North 
akota,  and  N.  R.  is  represented  on  another 
page  of  this  volume.  The  faniil}'  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Alethodist  Episcojjal  church.  In 
politics  Joseph  Moore  has  always  lieen  a 
Democrat. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


617 


X.  R.  MOORE. 

Among'  Roanoke's  representative  l)usi- 
ness  men  and  jirogressive  citizens  is  N.  R. 
Moore,  manager  of  the  firm  of  Bartlett. 
Frazier  &  Company,  of  Cliicago.  A  native 
of  Virginia,  lie  was  horn  near  Harrisburg. 
Rockingiiam  county.  January  8.  1865.  and 
is  a  son  of  Joseph  Moore,  now  a  resident  of 
Roanoke,  Illinois.  The  family  came  to  this 
state  in  1871  and  settled  in  Roanoke,  where 
our  subject  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools.  He  commenced  his  business  career 
as  a  clerk  in  the  drug  store  of  1).  R.  Zimmer- 
mann.  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  and  there 
served  an  api)renticeship  of  si.x  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  received  a  certificate 
of  registration  as  a  pharmacist  that  he  has 
ke])t  in  force  up  to  the  present  time.  During 
the  following  five  years  he  was  employed  as 
clerk  in  the  general  mercantile  estalilishment 
of  R.  A.  Peterson,  of  Roanoke,  and  lor  one 
year  was  in  the  grain  business  lor  Henry 
Tropitz,  of  that  place.  At  the  expiration  of 
that  time  the  property  was  taken  pos.session 
of  by  Bartlett.  Frazier  &  Company,  of  Chi- 
cago, and  liy  them  Mr.  Moore  has  since 
been  employed  as  manager.  While  connected 
with  the  drug  business  he  learned  telegra- 
phy, and  has  had  the  management  of  the 
Postal  Telegraph  Company  at  Ro.anoke 
since  1893.  He  is  a  wide-awake,  energetic 
business  man.  and  has  the  entire  confidence 
and  esteem  of  the  firms  with  which  he  is 
connected. 

On  the  i6th  of  June,  1886,  was  celebrated 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  Moore  and  Miss  Lula 
Upton,  of  Roanoke,  and  to  them  have  been 
born  four  children:  Mabel,  born  June  20. 
1 889; Flora.  iKirn  December  12.  1892;  Floyd, 
born  October  29,  1896.  and  an  infant  born 
July  19.  1900.    Mr.  Moore  has  e\er  taken  an 


active  interest  in  public  afifairs,  and  has  oflfi- 
cially  served  as  \illage  clerk  two  terms  and 
school  tlirector  for  two  terms.  Socially  be  is 
connected  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  and  religiously  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


S.VLMACIOUS  15.  Dl'..\Kril. 

The  subject  of  this  review  is  one  of  the 
highly  resi)ected  citizens  of  Palestine  town- 
ship, Woodford  county,  his  home  being  on 
section  29.  He  was  born  in  Marion  county. 
Ohio,  October  26,  i^^;^.  a  son  of  Isaac  and 
Marv  .Vnn  (Rogers)  Dearth,  in  whose  fam- 
ilv  were  five  children,  all  now  deceased  with 
the  exception  of  our  subject,  the  oldest  child. 
The  mother  died  when  quite  young.  The 
f;ither,  also  a  native  of  Ohio,  engaged  in  mill- 
ing in  Marion  county  for  some  years,  and  in 
1S53  moved  to  Tazewell  county.  Illinois, 
where  he  lixed  retired  from  acti\-e  labor 
until  called  from  this  life  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
five  years. 

I 'mil  he  attained  his  majority  S.  B. 
Dearth  continued  to  live  in  his  nati\'e  county, 
and  there  received  his  early  education. 
Coming  to  Illinois  in  1853,  be  settled  in 
]\IcLean  county,  where  he  worked  by  the 
mouth  as  a  farm  hand  for  two  years,  and 
then  engaged  in  farming  on  rented  land  in 
White  Oak  town>bip.  that  county.  ;nid  Mack- 
inaw iMwnslii]).  Tazewell  county.  I)uring 
tlie  Ci\il  war  he  moved  to  Butler  county, 
low.'i.  whei-e  he  owned  some  land,  and  re- 
mained tliere  seven  years.  On  his  return  to 
Illinois,  he  locateil  in  Kansas  township, 
Woodford  county.,  where  he  rented  a  farm 
which  he  continued  to  occu])y  for  nine  years. 
He  next   renteil    his   iiresent    farm   of    forty 


6i8 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


acres  on  section  29.  Palestine  township,  and 
in  connection  witli  its  o])eration  works  at 
the  carpenter's  trade,  to  wliicli  he  has  devoted 
a  portion  of  his  time  for  thirty  years.  He  is 
a  supporter  of  the  Republican  party  and  its 
principles,  and  has  served  as  school  director 
in  Palestine  township,  his  last  term  of  office 
expiring  in  i8g8. 

On  the  loth  of  Septemlier.  1856,  in 
Bloomington,  Illinois,  Mr.  Dearth  led  to  the 
marriage  altar  Miss  ]\lary  J.  Fordyce.  who 
is  the  youngest  in  a  familv  of  nine  children, 
four  still  living.  Her  parents  were  Lebbious 
and  Catherine  (Carpenter)  Fordyce.  The 
father  was  a  nati\'e  of  Ohio,  and  resided  in 
Morgan  count}-,  that  state,  some  years.  .\ 
half  century  ago  he  moved  to  ]\IcLean  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  and  engaged  in  farming  and 
Stock  raising  in  White  Oak  township,  though 
he  w^as  a  lawyer  and  followed  that  profes- 
sion in  Ohio,  until  coming  to  this  state.  He 
died  in  Tazewell  county,  at  the  age  of  fiftv- 
four  years.  On  first  locating  in  McLean 
county  he  bought  fifteen  hundred  acres  of 
land  for  one  dollar  and  a  quarter  per  acre. 
Mrs.  Dearth  lost  her  mother  when  onlv  seven 
years  old. 

Of  the  nine  children  horn  to  our  subject 
antl  his  wife,  Edwin  died  at  the  age  of  fif- 
teen months,  and  Salena,  the  first  wife  of 
John  Frye,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years.  She  has  one  child,  Elva,  who  was 
born  in  Kansas  township  and  died  at  the 
age  of  seven  months.  Those  of  the  family 
still  living  are  as  follows :  (  i )  James,  born 
in  McLean  county,  married  Etta  Neargraith. 
He  is  a  armer  of  Bowling  (jreen,  Palestine 
township,  Woodford  countv,  and  has  ser\-ed 
as  constable  and  school  director.  (2)  Henrv. 
l)orn  in  McLean  county,  is  also  a  farmer 
and  school  director  of  Palestine  township. 
He  married  Mollie  Beber  and  the\-  ha\e  two 


children,  Carl  and  Mary.  (3)  Segal,  born  in 
]McLean  county,  March  3.  1863,  is  prevented 
from  work  by  being  a  cri])])le  and  resides  at 
home  with  his  parents.  (4)  Samuel,  born  in 
Clarksville.  Iowa,  is  n(}\v  running  a  tile  fac- 
tory and  brick  works  in  Edgewood,  that 
state.  He  married  Eliza  Elliott,  and  thev 
have  three  children,  Harry,  Taylor  and  Oral. 
(5)  Frances,  born  in  Kansas  township, 
Woodford  county,,  is  the  second  wife  of 
John  Frye.  a  farmer  of  Olio  township,  and 
they  have  one  child.  May.  (6)  Stephen,  born 
in  Woodford  county,  is  a  farmer  of  Kansas 
township.  He  married  Lizzie,  daughter  of 
Jacob  Hexamer,  of  Palestine  township,  and 
they  have  two  children,  Nellie  and  Violet. 
(7)  Albert,  liorn  in  Kansas  township,  mar- 
ried Mary  Michel,  of  El  Paso  township,  and 
he  is  now  em])loyed  as  a  stationary  engineer 
in  Palestine  township. 


E.  L.  McCLINTOCK. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of 
Woodford  county's  nati\'e  sons  and  a  repre- 
sentati\"e  of  one  of  her  most  prominent  and 
honored  families,  whose  identification  with 
her  history  dates  from  an  early  period  in  the 
development  of  the  county.  He  was  born  in 
Olio  township,  January  ij.  1850,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (  Brown)  McClin- 
tock.  the  former  born  in  Maryland,  the  lat- 
ter born  in  Lancaster,  Pennsyl\-ania.  They 
were  married  in  Pennsylvania  and  in  the 
early  '30s  migrated  to  IMcLean  county,  Illi- 
nois. Later  they  came  to  Woodford  county 
and  took  up  their  residence  in  what  is  now 
Olio  towushii),  where  the  father  bought  a 
claim  that  had  not  been  improved,  it  being 
the  farm  on  which  our  subject  now  resides. 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


619 


When  he  located  here  tlie  country  was  all 
wild  and  unsettled  and  game  was  ahundant. 
He  assisted  in  organizing  his  township  anil 
county,  and  bore  an  active  part  in  the  work 
of  development  and  progress.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Democrat.  For  many  years  he  devoted 
his  time  and  attention  to  the  improvement 
and  cultivation  of  his  farm,  but  spent  his 
last  days  in  retirement  from  active  labor  in 
Eureka,  where  his  death  occurred  in  1884. 
His  wife  died  in  that  city  the  same  year.  To 
them  were  born  nine  children;  li\e  <>f 
whom  are  still  living,  namely:  Jesse,  who 
resides  near  Normal.  McLean  county:  W'ill- 
iani.  who  served  three  vears  in  the  Civil  war 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Btoomington.  Illi- 
nois: Joseph,  who  is  living  near  Kappa,  in 
Woodford  county;  E.  L.,  our  subject:  and 
Mrs.  Mary  Fr)e,  of  Eureka. 

On  the  home  farm  ]•'..  L.  McClintock 
passed  his  boyhood  and  xouth.  early  becom- 
ing familiar  with  every  department  oi  farm 
work,  and  accpiiring  his  literary  education 
in  the  district  schools  of  the  neighlx)rh(jo(l.. 
He  now  owns  and  t>perates  the  old  home- 
stead, which  is  a  well-improved  farm  of 
sixty-five  acres,  besides  forty  more  which 
he  has  added,  on  which  he  has  erected  ri 
good  residence.  He  is  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock  raising,  and  is  meeting 
with  well-deserved  success  in  his  labors. 

In  1872  in  Olio  township,  Mr.  McClin- 
tock led  to  the  marriage  altar  Miss  Mary 
Bullington,  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Catharine  (Mater)  Bulling- 
t(jn,  the  father  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  the 
mother  of  Ohio,  who  at  an  early  day  came  to 
Woodford  county,  Ilinois,  and  located  per- 
menently  in  this  county,  about  i860,  where 
the  father  died  in  1890,  but  the  mother  is  still 
living  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years,  and 
fintls  a  i)leasant  home  with  our  subject.    His 


brother.  Robert  Bullington.  was  one  of  the 
early  pioneers  of  the  county,  and  is  now  de- 
ceased. Mr.  and  Mrs.  McClintock  have  three 
children :  Jennie,  Mabel  and  Edna.  In  his 
political  aftiliatit)ns  Mr.  McClintock  is  a 
Democrat,  and  he  has  efficiently  served  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board  in  his  district. 
He  takes  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs 
and  gives  his  support  to  all  measures  which 
he  believes  will  in  any  way  benefit  his  com- 
munitv. 


nox.  .\.  H.  brlt..\ki-:r. 

Honored  .'uid  res]>ected  by  all.  there  is 
no  man  in  Woodford  county  who  occupies 
a  more  envial)le  imsition  than  A.  H.  Brubak- 
er.  of  llenson.  not  alone  on  account  of  the 
l)rilliant  success  he  has  achieved,  but  also  on 
account  of  the  honorable  and  straightfor- 
ward ])t)licy  he  has  ever  followed.  For 
many  years  he  was  actively  identified  with 
the  Intsiness  and  ix)litical  interests  of  the 
count}-,  but  is  now  li\ing  a  retired  life  at  his 
beautiful  home  in  Benson. 

Mr.  Brubaker  was  bom  in  Little  Cone.s- 
toga  Creek,  near  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania, 
April  1 1,  1833,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  B.  and 
.\nna  ( Huber)  Brubaker,  who  Ijelonged  to 
an  old  colonial  family  of  Swiss  origin.  Their 
descendants  are  now  scattered  throughout 
\'irginia,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illi- 
nois, Canada  and  the  west.  Farming  has  al- 
ways been  the  principal  occupation  of  the 
family.  Longevity  is  numbered  among  its 
characteristics.  Our  subject's  paternal 
grandfather  was  eighty-seven  years  of  age 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  and  his  father  died 
at  our  subject's  home  in  Benson,  August 
2.  1895,  ''t  the  same  age. 

The  early  education  of  A.  H.  Brubaker 
was  limited  to  a  short  attendance  at  the  pub- 


620 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


lie  scliools  of  his  native  county.  In  1S52 
he  married  Miss  Catherine  Schneider,  also 
of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
three  years  later  they  started  west,  stopping 
first  in  Chicago,  and  from  there  went  to 
Free])ort,  Illinois,  where  he  remained  for  a 
short  time.  We  next  find  him  in  Peoria, 
and  from  there  he  came  to  \\'oodford  coun- 
tv,  where  he  purchased  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  on  section  4.  Greene 
township,  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
Compan)-.  Here  he  made  a  permanent  lo- 
cation, and  in  his  farming  operations  met 
with  excellent  success,  becoming  owner  of 
much  valuable  land  in  Woodford  county. 
In  1884  he  embarked  in  mercantile  business 
in  Benson,  and  also  shipped  grain  east  and 
west,  but  since  October,  1895.  has  lived  a 
retii'ed  life,  enjoying  a  well-earned  rest. 

Mr.  Brubaker's  first  wife  died  February 
9,  1864,  leaving  four  children,  namely: 
Maria  married  Benjamin  Zirkle  and  they  re- 
side near  San  Angelo,  Texas ;  Aaron  married 
Ida  Huxtable  and  they  make  their  home  near 
Lexington,  Dawson  county,  Nebraska;  Hi- 
ram married  Lida  Tool  and  they  reside  in 
Benson,  Illinois;  Sarah  is  the  w'lie  of  Joseph 
Wells  and  the}''  live  in  Joliet,  Illinois.  For 
his  second  wife  Mr.  Brubaker  married,  De- 
cember 6,  1866,  Miss  Elizabeth  Brubaker,  a 
native  of  Richland  county,  Obio^,  and  a 
daughter  of  Hiram  Brubaker,  who  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania.  He  moved  to  Ohio  in 
1821  and  there  resided  until  1851,  when  he 
came  west  and  located  in  Woodford  county, 
Illinois,  near  Eureka.  Here  he  resided  for 
four  years  and  then  moved  to  where  the  town 
of  Roanoke,  Woodford  county,  now  stands. 
He  died  at  the  home  of  our  subject  April 
18,  1880,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years 
and  nine  months.  He  and  his  wife  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  three  are 


now  living,  namely :  John,  who  is  making  his 
liome  in  Juliet,  Illinois;  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
our  subject;  and  Daniel,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  Normal  township,  McLean  coun- 
ty, Illinois. 

Of  the  four  sons  born  to  Hiram  Bru- 
baker and  wife  all  enlisted  and  served  in  the 
Civil  war.  Three  brothers  of  our  subject 
also  served  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion, 
Samuel,  Jacol)  and  John.  Jacob  rose  from 
the  ranks  to  captain  in  the  regular  service. 

Of  the  six  children  born  of  the  second 
marriage  of  A.  H.  Brubaker,  Henry  C.  died 
July  31,  1899,  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine 
years;  Emma  M.  married  J.  E.  Eckhart,  of 
whom  a  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
volume;  Minnie  E.,  wife  of  George  Jeter, 
resides  in  Greene  township,  Woodford 
county;  while  Jennie  A.,  Clarence  Isi.  and 
Nettie  P.  are  yet  residing  at  home.  Clar- 
ence M.  is  taking  the  scientific  course  at 
Wesley  L^niversity,  at  Bloomington.  Illi- 
nois, and  Nettie  P.  is  attending  the  schools 
of  Benson. 

Politically  Mr.  Brubaker  is  a  strong 
Republican  and  expansionist,  and  he  has 
taken  a  very  active  and  prominent  part  in 
public  affairs,  having  served  as  supervisor 
from  1878  to  1880,  inclusive,  and  again 
from  1888  to  1890.  He  was  the  candidate 
of  his  party  for  count}-  judge,  in  1868,  and 
in  1886  was  elected  to  the  state  legislature 
in  which  he  ser\ed  mie  term.  He  was  the 
originator  of  the  bill  which  favored  holding 
three  terms  of  court  in  Woodford  county, 
and  introduced  the  bill  for  dating  seeds  and 
patent  medicines,  any  act  to  qualify  justice 
of  peace  and  jurisdiction  and  practice  of 
justice  of  peace  and  fix  duties  of  constables. 
He  most  ably  represented  his  district  and 
took  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  the  house. 
i\Ir.  Brubaker  was  a  charter  member  of  the 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


621 


Agricultural  Association,  organized  in  iHjc). 
and  for  twenty  years  has  served  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Roanoke  I-'ire  Insurance  Com- 
pany, which  he  was  instrumental  in  organ- 
izing. Both  he  and  his  wife  are  memhers 
of  the  Methodist  church,  and  are  held  in 
high  esteem  in  social  circles.  Their  home 
is  a  magnificent  structure  on  Front  street, 
which  was  built  in  January.  iS»)i.  from  ^Ir. 
Brubaker's  own  jilans.  and  which  is  sup- 
plied with  all  the  modern  im])ro\ements  of 
a  fine  city  residence,  being  lighted  bv  gas, 
heated  by  steam  and  fin-nished  with  .three 
kinds  of  water  and  all  sanitary  arrange- 
ments. Here  hospitality  reigns  supreme 
and  host  and  hostess  take  great  pleasure  in 
entertaining  their  many  friends. 

Mr.  Brubaker  can  relate  many  interest- 
ing incidents  of  pioneer  days  when  grain 
was  hauled  to  market  in  sacks  on  ox  carts, 
and  when  there  were  no  bridges  and  roads 
were  poor.  He  was  the  first  man  in  Greene 
township  to  get  a  carload  of  tile,  and  was 
laughed  at  by  the  less  progressive  citizens, 
but  his  sound  judgment  was  soon  shown  by 
the  productiveness  of  his  land,  and  his  farms 
are  now  worth  one  hundred  and  twenty  dol- 
lars per  acre.  As  a  stock  raiser  lie  also  met 
with  excellent  success,  being  considered  an 
expert  hog  raiser,  as  he  never  had  a  case 
of  cholera  on  his  farm.  At  one  time  he 
raised  eighty  hogs  which  averaged  four 
hundred  and  twelve  pounds  each. 


JOSEPH  \\'.  KELLOGG. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  is  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
on  section  36,  Cazenovia  township,  Wood- 
ford county,  Illinois,  was  born  on  the  9th 


of  December.  jS^t).  i'l  Champaign  count\', 
Ohio,  and  is  the  only  child  of  John  and 
Laura  (Darling)  Kcllogu-.  'riK'  father  was 
a  native  of  \  erniont,  and  when  a  young 
man  migrated  to  ()hit).  where  he  married. 
The  mother  dieil  in  Champaign  county,  that 
.state,  in  1842,  and  four  years  later  the  fa- 
ther was  again  married  in  Vermont,  his  sec- 
onil  union  being  with  Dorothea  Boyington, 
also  a  native  of  that  state.  In  1K53  he  came 
from  Ohio  to  Woodfortl  coimty,  Illinois,  and 
purchased  land  in  Metamora  township,  which 
he  im])ro\-cd,  and  u\nm  wliicli  he  still  con- 
tinues to  live  at  the  age  of  eighty-three 
years.  By  his  second  marriage  he  had  three 
children:  J\Lartha:  Mrs.  Phebe  B.  Murphy, 
of  ]\Ietamora  township;  and  Lorenzo,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years. 

Joseph  \y.  Kellogg  came  to  Woodford 
county  with  his  father  and  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Mctaniora  township.  Soon 
after  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  he 
enlisted  at  I'eoria,  in  July,  iS(u  ,  in  the  Forty- 
seventh  Illinois  \'ohnitcer  Infantry,  for  three 
years  or  dm-ing  the  war.  1  le  was  a  member 
of  a  company  under  command  of  Captain 
Wilcox,  of  Minonk,  but  was  soon  taken  ill 
and  honorably  discharged  on  account  of 
disability.  Later  he  re-enlisted,  September 
19,  1864.  for  one  year,  in  Comiianv  1), 
Eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  which 
was  assigned  to  the  Gulf  department  of  the 
Western  army.  He  was  mustered  into  the 
L^nited  Slates  .service  at  Springfield,  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  battle  of  Spanish  Fort,  Fort 
Blakely  and  the  siege  of  Mobile.  His  regi- 
ment was  the  first  to  enter  Fort  Blakely, 
and  be  was  one  of  the  first  men  to  get  in- 
side the  fort.  He  took  part  in  the  Texas 
expedition  and  was  on  detached  duty  at  Jef- 
ferson, that  state,  for  a  time.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  he  was  honorably  discharged  at 


622 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


New  Orleans,  in  Se])tem1ier,  1865.  and  re- 
turned to  liis  home  in  Woodford  connty. 
In  1873  he  went  to  I'liillips  county,  Kansas, 
and  took  up  a  claim,  on  which  he  lived  for 
four  years,  hut  with  that  exception  he  has 
made  his  home  in  Woodford  county,  and  is 
now  the  owner  of  a  good  farm  of  eighty 
acres  on  section  36,  in  Cazenovia  township. 
At  Roanoke,  in  1865,  was  celehrated 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  Kellogg  and  Miss  ]\Ie- 
lissa  Spangler,  a  native  of  OIney,  Illinois, 
and  a  daughter  of  Henrv  and  Rosella  Spang- 
ler, who  were  earl\-  settlers  of  Richland 
county,  Illinois,  antl  are  both  now  deceased. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kellogg  were  born  eight 
children,  as  follows :  Mrs.  Minnie  Hall,  a  res- 
ident of  Hastings,  Nebraska;  John  Henry, 
who  died  in  1892;  Zacharaiah,  of  Menona 
county,  Iowa :  Laura  Esther,  wife  of  S.  \\'. 
Newton  of  Wilco.x,  Nebraska;  Jesse  \^'arner, 
who  is  married  and  lives  in  Metamora  town- 
ship, Woodford  county;  Charles  Lewis,  of 
Roanoke;  Jennie  and  George,  both  at  home. 
As  a  Republican  Mr.  Kellogg  takes  an  ac- 
tive interest  in  political  affairs,  and  has  ef- 
ficiently ser\-ed  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board  in  his  district. 


ANDERSON  VAN  SCYOC. 

Anderson  Van  Scyoc  is  one  of  the  larg- 
est land  owners  of  Woodford  county,  and  is 
aslo  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  success- 
ful farmers  and  stock  raisers  in  the  commu- 
nity in  which  he  lives.  His  homestead  of 
eight  hundred  acres  of  valuable  land  is  pleas- 
antly located  on  section  28,  Palestine  town- 
ship, and  is  one  of  the  model  farms  of  the 
county,  being  improved  with  a  commodious 
and  pleasant  resilience,  large  barns  and  sub- 


stantial outbuildings.  Indeed  it  is  supplied- 
with  all  the  con\eniences  antl  accessories 
needed  b}-  the  progressive  agriculturist  of  the 
twentieth  century. 

Mr.  Van  Scyoc  came  to  \\'oodford 
county  March  v  1838,  and  has  not  only  suc- 
ceeded in  becoming  independent  but  has  ac- 
cumulated a  large  fortune.  When  he  located 
ir.  this  section  of  the  state  it  was  all  known 
as  McLean  county.  His  father's  family  set- 
tied  near  the  present  home  of  our  sul)ject. 
.\t  that  time  there  A\as  scarcely  more  than  a 
dozen  families  within  as  man_\'  square  miles. 
The}-  selected  what  they  considered  the  most 
fertile  soil,  and  John  Van  Scyoc,  father  of 
our  subject,  boug'ht  the  claim  of  William 
^litchell,  and  when  the  land  came  into  mar- 
ket purchased  it  from  the  go\'ernment.  Upon 
this  eighty-acre  tract  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  and  it  is  still  in  possession  of  the 
family.  He  died  July  18,  1857,  at  the  age 
of  fifty-nine  years  and  ten  months.  He  was 
one  of  the  best  know-n  pioneers  of  the  county, 
an  intelligent,  industrious,  hard  working 
man,  whose  chief  object  in  life  seemed  to  be 
the  promotion  of  the  interests  of  those  who 
lived  and  were  dear  to  him.  He  put  forward 
every  possible  elYort  to  leave  his  family  com- 
fortably provided  for.  He  was  a  native  of 
Virginia,  presumably  of  Dutch  ancestry,  and 
was  rearetl  in  what  is  now  Marshall  county, 
that  state.  There  he  married  Margaret 
Shepherd,  wIki  was  probably  born  in  the 
same  state,  and  after  their  marriage  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Virginia  for  some  years. 
To  them  were  born  three  children,  of  whom 
our  subject  is  the  youngest.  Kittie  died  near 
Shelbyville,  Indiana,  in  the  springtime  of 
life,  having  reached  the  age  of  eighteen  years. 
Amanda  is  now  the  widow  of  Asa  E.  Sparks, 
a  merchant  of  El  Paso.  Illinois,  where  she 
still    resides.     Her   children   are   Robert,    a 


ANDERSON  VAN  SCYOC. 


THE-  BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


625 


lanner  on  section  30.  Palestine  township. 
Wodfonl  county:  Anderson,  a  farmer  of 
Iowa:  Maggie,  wife  of  \\'illiam  Dorsey.  a 
stone  mason  of  El  Paso:  Amos,  a  farmer  of 
Iowa  :  Joliu.  a  teamster  of  El  Paso:  Edward, 
a  farmer  of  Palestine  township:  and  Clara 
wife  of  William  T.  Tegard.  of  El  Paso. 

Anderson  \'an  Scyoc  was  horn  in  Mar- 
shall couniy,  \'irginia.  July  12.  1S22,  antl 
was  ahout  thirteen  years  of  age  wdien  the 
tamily  moved  to  Shelby  county,  Indiana. 
Many  incidents  connected  with  his  lioyhood 
in  that  state  are  still  fresh  in  his  memory. 
.\fter  three  years  spent  in  Indiana,  he  came 
with  his  parents  to  Woodford  comity,  Illinois 
and  the  journey,  made  in  true  pioneer  style, 
with  teams  an<l  wagons,  is  still  impressed 
upon  his  mind  with  the  same  vividness  as 
e\enls  of  recent  occurrence.  Two  weeks 
were  occupied  in  this  trip  and  at  last  they 
arri\ed  at  the  Mackinaw  river.  The  land 
along  that  stream  V-as  then  unmolested, 
rough  and  untrodden,  by  the  white  men, 
game  abounded  in  the  timber  and  the  river 
teemed  with  the  tinny  tribe.  Soon  the  neigh- 
borhood began  to  attract  other  people,  and 
comfortable  homes  were  built  at  intervals. 
The  nearest  market  places  were  Pekin  and 
Peoria,  where  the  settlers  took  their  grain 
and  in  return  received  their  supplies.  After 
a  few  }ears  of  active  labor  in  this  community 
the  father  died  and  the  mother  continued 
to  live  with  our  subject  until  her  second 
mariage,  which  took  place  a  few  years  later, 
she  becoming  the  wife  of  James  Pearson. 
When  again  left  a  widow  she  made  her  home 
iii  the  village  of  Kappa  until  her  death, 
which  occurred  May  13,  1878.  She  had  at 
that  time  passed  her  four  score  years.  She. 
as  well  as  her  first  husband,  Mr.  Van  Scyoc, 
was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church. 

Aniid    piioneer   scenes   Anderson   Van- 
33 


-Scyoc  grew  to  manhood,  and  for  some  years 
he  aided  his  father  in  the  improvement  and 
cultivation  of  the  home  farm  in  W(X)dford 
county.  In  early  manhood  he  established  a 
home  of  his  own,  being  united  in  marriage 
December  31,  1857,  with  Mi.ss  Mary  L. 
Carr,  who  was  born  in  Georgetown,  Indiana, 
ir,  1840,  a  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Maletta 
Carr.  natives  of  \^irginia.  Her  parents 
spent  most  of  their  lives  in  Indiana  until  the 
spring  of  1857.  when  they  came  to  Wood- 
ford county,  and  resided  for  some  time  in 
Palestine  township.  The  father  was  a  car- 
penter by  trade  and  met  death  wdiile  in  pur- 
suit of  that  occupation,  being  fatally  injured 
by  falling  ofT  an  ice  house  on  which  he  was  at 
work.  He  was  about  sixty  years  of  age  and 
was  at  the  time  of  his  death  a  resident  of 
Kappa.  His  first  wife  died  at  the  same  place 
about  two  years  prior.  Mrs.  Van  Scyoc  was 
sixteen  years  of  age  when  she  came  to  Illi- 
nois with  her  parents,  and  was  married  the 
following  year.  After  a  few  short  years  oi 
happy  wedded  life  she  died  October  22, 
1865.  She  had  endeared  herself  to  all  who 
knew  her,  and  was  loved  and  admired  for 
hcr  strength  of  character.  She  left  three 
children,  while  one  son.  Charles  Edward, 
preceded  her  to  the  final  rest.  Those  li\iiig 
are  as  follows :  ( i )  Margaret  M..  is  the  wife 
of  John  Davidson,  a  native  of  Woodford 
county,  and  a  farmer  of  Palestine  tovvnshi]). 
and  they  have  two  children,  Mary  and  Mil- 
dre<I.  ( j)  John  A.,  a  prominent  farmer  and 
stock  raiser  of  Palestine  tow'nship,  married; 
Ida  M.  Bereer,  and  they  have  six  children. 
Charles.  Piculah,  Grace,  Mabel,  Hazel  and 
Bessie.  (3  )  \\'illiani  A.,  born  in  Woodforrl 
county,  .\pril  2\,  1863,  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  Palestine  township,  and 
is  still  living  on  the  home  farm.  On  the 
25th  of  September,  1895,  he  married  Clara 


626 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


\'an  Alstine,  a  daughter  of  Jolm  and  Mary 
(Hart)  Van  Alstine.  Her  fatlier  is  a  promi- 
nent farmer  and  large  stock  raiser  of  Greene 
township.  Wocnlford  county.  One  child 
blesses  this  union,  \\'illiam  Anderson,  horn 
December  5,  1898. 

Mr.  Van  Scyoc  was  again  married,  April 
17,  1873,  his  second  union  l>eing  with  Mrs. 
Margaret  J-  Pierce,  who  was  torn  in  Mar- 
shall county,  Illinois,  August  26,  1835,  a 
daughter  of  Henry  Shepherd.  Her  first  hus- 
band was  John  Pierce,  who  died  November 
29,  1862. 

For  man\-  years  Mr.  \'an  Scyoc  was 
activel}'  and  successfully  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  and  accumulated  a  valua- 
ble property.  In  addition  to  his  home  farm 
of  eight  hundred  acres  of  rich  and  arable 
land,  he  owns  several  others  in  Palestine 
township,  having  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  on  section  20 ;  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  on  section  t,2;  eighty  acres  on  section 
20;  eighty  acres  on  section  26;  and  two  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  on  section  24.  He  also 
has  six  hundred  acres  in  Greene  township, 
and  one  hundred  and  seventy-fi\'e  acres  in 
Kansas  township,  Woodford  county,  a  one- 
hundred-and-sixt\'-acre  tract  adjoining- 
Padua,  McLean  county;  and  sixty  acres  in 
Hudson  township,  the  same  county.  His 
landed  possessions  in  Woodford  and  I\Ic- 
Lean  counties  aggregate  something  over 
twenty-four  hundred  acres  of  land,  mostly- 
improved.  He  still  resides  upon  iiis  farm 
but  has  laid  aside  business  cares,  and  is  now 
liviiig  retired,  sm'n.nmded  liy  all  the  com- 
forts of  life.  He  is  a  man  of  keen  discrimina- 
tion and  sound  judgment,  ai-id  is  an  able 
financier,  who  has  carried  forward  to  success- 
ful completion  whatever  he  has  undertaken. 

Mr.  Van  Scyoc  is  a  man  of  liberal  ideas 
in  matters  of  religion,  and  usually  votes  the 


Republican  ticket.  He  has  .served  as  super- 
visor and  has  held  other  township  offices. 
g-^'\'ing-  universal  satisfaction  in  whatever 
place  he  has  l)een  called  upt)n  to  fill.  .\  nian 
of  unbounded  enterprise,  his  success  in  life 
is  due  to  his  own  well-directed  efforts,  and 
he  deserves  prominent  n-iention  among  the 
leading  and  representative  business  n-ien  of 
the  county . 


DOMINIQUE  JACOUIN. 

The  subject  of  this  review,  who  is  a  re- 
tired farmer  and  highly  esteemed  citizen  of 
Metaniora,  Illinois,  was  born  in  Lorraine. 
France,  April  7,  1833,  and  when  a  lad  of 
fourteen  years  came  t(.i  America  with  his 
parents.  On  landing  in  this  country  they 
at  once  proceeded  to  Illinois,  and  in  June, 
of  that  3-ear,  took  up  his  residence  near 
\\'ashington,  Tazewell  county,  where  the  fa- 
ther purchased  a  farm  and  engaged  in  its 
operation  until  his  death  in  1863. 

Dominitjue  Jactjuin  attended  school  to  a 
limited  extent  in  his  native  land,  but  his 
knowledge  of  English  has  been  self-acquired. 
He  assisted  his  father  in  the  culti\-ation  and 
improvement  of  the  home  farm  in  Tazewell 
county  until  he  attained  his  majority,  and 
then  started  out  in  life  for  hiniself  as  a 
farmer,  operating  land  for  a  number  of 
}-ears.  On  the  24th  of  July,  1857,  in  Taze- 
well county,  he  married  Miss  Elizabeth 
llaker,  who  was  born  in  that  county  of  Ger- 
man parentage,  and  to  them  ha\e  been  born 
six  children,  as  follows;  Anna  C.  wife  of 
C.  W.  Andrew,  who  is  engaged  in  the  g-rain 
business  in  Walnut,  Bureau  county.  Illinois; 
Sophia  C,  wife  of  Jefferson  (iriggs,  of  Meta- 
niora ;  Helen  M.,  wife  of  A.  L.  Herriford, 
of  Springfield,  Illinois;  Nicholas  J.,  who  is 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


627 


married  and  lives  in  Peoria:  Mara  Vicdora, 
wife  of  I>urt  Tyler,  (if  .Springfield:  and  J. 
William,  who  is  married  and  resides  in 
Liiuisiana.  Missouri. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jac(|iiin  began  their  mar- 
ried life  nixjn  a  rented  farm  in  Tazewell 
county,  where  they  made  their  home  for 
several  years.  In  1869  he  embarked  in  the 
mercantile  business  at  Metamora.  which  he 
carried  on  for  seven  years  with  good  success. 
In  the  meantime  he  purchased  a  farm  of 
eighty  acres  in  Metamora  township,  Wood- 
ford county,  in  1872,  which  he  rented  until 
his  retirement  from  business,  when  he  re- 
sumed agricultural  pursuits.  Later  he  sold 
that  place  and  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
four  acres  of  land  near  Metamora,  to  the 
further  improvement  and  cnltivaticjn  of 
which  he  devoted  his  energies  until  1894, 
A\hen  he  rented  it  and  mined  to  Metamora. 
where  he  has  since  lived  a  retireil  life,  en- 
joying a  well  earned  rest,  free  from  the  cares 
and  res))onsibilities  of  business  life.  The 
]irMS])erily  that  has  come  to  him  in  business 
is  but  the  just  reward  of  honest  labor,  for  on 
starting  out  in  life  for  himself  he  was  with- 
out ca])ital  and  has  been  de])endcnt  entireh' 
upon  his  own  resources. 

Since  attaining  his  majority  Mr.  jaciiuin 
has  always  affiliated  with  the  Democratic 
party  and  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for 
James  Buchanan.  He  has  been  a  stanch 
friend  of  education  and  public  schools,  and 
has  efficiently  served  as  township  trustee  a 
number  of  years.  He  was  reared  in  the  Cath- 
olic faith  but  holds  mcmbershij)  in  no  church, 
though  he  gives  to  the  supjwrt  of  the  Prot- 
estant churches.  His  wife  attends  the  Ger- 
man Lutheran  church.  He  united  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Wash- 
ington. Illinois,  and  has  filled  all  the  chairs 
in  that  l(jdge,  lieiug  past  grand.    Wherever 


known  he  is  held  in  high  regard,  and  his  cir- 
cle of  friends  and  acquaintances  throughout 
^\'(1odford  count v  is  extensive. 


WILLIAM  N.  B.\TEM.\X. 

Prominent  among  the  successful  agricult- 
urists and  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  Kan- 
sas township,  Woodford  county,  is  William 
-V.  Bateman,  whose  home  is  on  section  9. 
i  ie  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  his  birth  having  ik- 
curred  in  Ross  county,  January  23,  1827. 
There  he  spent  the  first  sixteen  vears  of  his 
life,  and  in  1843  came  to  Illinois  \\itli  his 
]jarents.  William  and  Susan  (Roe)  Bateman. 
The  father  was  also  born  in  Ross  county. 
(-)hio,  and  passed  much  of  his  boyhood  there, 
but  after  the  death  of  his  father  went  with 
his  mother  to  Kentucky,  where  he  remained 
until  he  attained  his  majority.  Returning  to 
Ohio  he  was  married  in  that  state,  and  fol- 
lowed farming  there  until  1843,  when  be 
mo\-ed  to  Illinois,  locating  on  Big  Indian 
creek,  in  l.a  Salle  county,  where  he  followed 
the  same  pursuit  for  a  few  vears.  Subse- 
(|uently  he  made  his  Imme  for  a  lime  in 
Peoria  county,  and  in  1848  went  to  Texas. 
w  here  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing until  1852.  During  that  year  he  removed 
to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Metamora  township, 
Woodford  county,  where  he  followed  his 
chosen  profession  for  thirty  years,  but  his 
last  days  were  spent  in  retirement  from  active 
labor  in  the  village  of  Kapjia,  where  he  died 
.\ugust  J3,  1873,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six 
years.  The  mother  of  our  subject  died  in 
Texas,  in  1849. 

William   X.   ]^>ateman  is  the  oldest   in  a 
lamiK'   of   nine   children,   and    he   remained 


628 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


under  the  parental  roof  until  he  was  married, 
jMav  29,  1856,  at  Metamora,  to  ]\Iiss  Louisa 
\\'est,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Catherine 
(Cress)  \\'est,  who  are  prominent  agricult- 
urists living  near  Metamora,  and  are  now  de- 
ceased. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bateman  were 
born  fourteen  children,  si.x  of  whom  are 
now  deceased,  including  their  eldest  daugh- 
ter, Missouri  B.,  who  was  the-  second  wife 
of  Daniel  Gingerich,  whose  sketch  appears 
on  another  page  of  this  volume.  Four  sons 
and  four  daughters  are  living,  namely  :  Cath- 
erine, wife  of  Allen  Harper,  a  farmer  of  Kan- 
sas township;  Columbus,  a  farmer  of  Minne- 
sota ;  Mollie,  wife  of  Warren  Search,  a  lirick- 
maker  of  Bloomington,  Illinois;  Albert, 
James,  Walter,  Gertrude  and  Ada,  all  at 
home. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Bateman  lived  in 
Metamora  until  ihe  spring  of  1858,  when  he 
ni(..\  cd  to  Ray  county,  ilissouri.  While  there 
the  Civil  war  broke  out,  and  he  entered  the 
L'nion  army.  He  receix'ed  a  slight  wound 
which  caused  him  almost  to  lose  the  sight  of 
(ine  eye,  and  after  ser\'ing  one  year  he  was 
discharged  August  i,  1865.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Illinois  and  settled  in  Kansas  town- 
ship, Woodford  county,  he  having  purchased 
forty  acres  of  his  present  farm  before  en- 
listing, in  Kansas  township  in  1864,  which 
at  that  time  was  all  wild  land.  He  has  adtled 
to  his  landed  possessions  from  time  to  time 
as  his  financial  resources  have  increased,  until 
be  now  owns  a  thousand  acres  of  improved 
land,  and  is  still  successfully  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  stock  raising.  In  his 
linme  farm  he  has  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  a  like  amount  on  section  4,  and  all  of 
section  5.  Kansas  township.  Industrious,  en- 
terprising and  reliable,  he  has  made  for  him- 
self an  honorable  record  in  business,  and  by 
his  well  directed  efforts  has  acquired  a  hand- 


some competence.  On  starting  out  in  life  he 
was  in  rather  limited  circumstances,  but  he 
has  a]wa_\'s  been  a  hard  working  man,  and 
ti'  this  and  his  good  business  abilit_\-  ma}-  be 
attributed  his  remarkable  success.  I-'nr  manv 
\ears  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  of  El  Paso  L(jdge  for  twentv- 
six  years,  and  his  life  has  been  in  barnKinx- 
with  its  teachings. 


JOHN  CARSON. 

John  Car.son,  a  retired  contractor  and 
builder,  residing  in  Eureka,  \Voodford  coun- 
ty, has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  since 
1857.  He  was  born  in  \\'ayne  township, 
Adam  s  county.  Ohio,  March  12,  1827,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  and  Rachel  (Beam)  Car- 
son, both  of  whom  were  born  in  the  same 
county,  the  former  at  Manchester,  1  m  the 
Ohio  ri\er,  January  g,  1801.  and  the  latter 
in  the  same  town,  August  i,  1799.  Pier 
jjarents  were  from  Pennsylvania. 

James  Carson,  the  paternal  grand fatlier, 
was  born  in  Belfast,  Ireland,  of  Scotch  an- 
cestry. His  wife,  Jane,  was  also  born  in 
that  city.  They  came  to  America  Avhen 
young,  locating  in  New  York,  where  their 
Adams  county,  (^hio,  March  12,  1827,  and 
to  Ohio  territcu'}',  when  it  was  nothing  more 
than  a  vast  wilderness.  His  son,  John  Car- 
son, the  father  of  our  subject,  grew  to  man- 
hood in  bis  nati\'e  count}'  and  there  married 
Rachel  Beam.  He  was  bv  dccupation  a 
farmer,  a  \iication  that  he  followed  through- 
out life.  He  always  avoided  holding  office, 
though  evev  ready  to  do  his  duty  in  the  ma- 
terial interests  of  his  county.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Democrat,  and,  religiouslv,  a  mem- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


629 


ber  oi  the  Missionary  Baptist  cliurcli,  very 
strict  in  beiiavior  and  stanch  in  his  views. 
He  died  September  29,  1877.  wliile  liis  good 
wife,  who  was  also  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
cliurcli,  departed  this  life  May  15,  i86r. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  s])ent  his  boy- 
hood and  youth  on  his  father's  farm,  and 
received  a  good  practical  education  in  tlie 
schools  of  the  neighborhood.  He  assisted 
his  father  in  farm  work  until  he  was  twenty 
years  of  age,  when  he  was  apprenticed  to 
learn  the  carpenter's  trade.  .After  complet- 
ing his  term  with  his  employer  he  worked 
as  a  jnurnevnian  in  Brown  county.  Ohio, 
until  1837.  While  still  residing  there  he 
m<-'.rried  Miss  Mary  Pickrill,  a  native  of 
Annetta  died  when  two  years  old.  John  L. 
Pickerill,  a  prominent  citizen  of  that  ctninty. 
By  this  union  were  born  ten  children.  Al- 
l>crt  W.  is  married  and  has  two  children, 
Bert  and  Jessie.  He  is  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine  in  Dover.  Kansas,  Lucin- 
da,  now  Mrs.  Ward,  resides  in  Baker  City, 
OregMii.  .Mexander  died  in  infancy.  Sarah 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years.  Mary 
Annette  died  when  two  years  old.  John  L. 
is  a  practicing  physician  of  Bakersfield,  Cali- 
fornia. Hannah  E.,  now  Mrs.  Frank  Kent, 
resides  in  Washington.  Illinois.  Fannie, 
twin  sister  of  Hannah,  is  now  the  widow 
of  O.  M.  Kent,  of  Eureka.  She  has  one 
son,  Charles  M.  David  L..  a  postoffice  offi- 
cial of  Topeka,  Kansas,  is  married  and  has 
two  children.  Albert  and  Enid.  Lola  M.. 
now  Mrs.  L.  W.  Allison,  of  Eureka,  is  the 
mother  of  three  children.  Vergia.  Jay  .A. 
and  Lottie  F.  All  the  children  were  given 
good  educational  advantages,  which  were 
si>ecially  imi)roved.  Mrs.  Carson,  who  was 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Christian  church 
from  the  time  she  was  fourteen  years  old. 
was  called  to  her  reward,  .April  23.    1880. 


She  was  a  loving  wife  and  affectionate  moth- 
er, and  her  memory  is  cherished  not  alone  by 
the  bereaved  family,  but  by  many  friends. 

In  Xovember,  1882,  Mr.  Carson  was 
again  united  in  marriage,  choosing  for  his 
second  wife  Mrs.  Jemima  Karr,  itcc  Swear- 
ingen.  She,  too,  has  been  called  away,  her 
death  occurring  Xovember  i,  1883.  aged 
forty-seven  years.  On  the  30th  of  July,, 
1885.  Mr.  Carson  married  Mrs.  Mary  J. 
Swearingen,  iicc  Sqniers.  who  died  August 
-"•  i^9vV  ^*^''  'i'^  fourth  wife  he  married 
Mrs.  Mary  .\.  Eiinis,  iicc  Black.  March  20, 
i8()4.     She  died  September  5,  1898. 

In  September,  1857.  Mr.  Carson  came 
with  his  family  to  Woodford  county.  Illi- 
nois, and  located  in  the  village  of  Wash- 
burn, where  he  engaged  in  contracting  and 
building,  and  while  residing  there  did  a 
large  business,  putting  up  the  greater  luini- 
ber  e)f  the  houses  erected  in  the  village  and 
surorunding  country.  He  had  purcha.sed  a 
small  tract  of  land,  but  from  the  fact  that  he 
could  not  purchase  any  of  the  land  adjoining, 
he  sold  out  and  later  purchased  a  quarter- 
section  (jf  land  near  Minonk.  and  also  a  half- 
section  near  Cjilman.  Illinois.  In  was  his  in- 
tention of  moving  to  the  tract  near  Gilman, 
but  after  considering  the  matter  in  every  way 
and  looking  esi^ecially  to  the  future  well- 
being  of  his  children,  he  determined  to 
move  to  Eureka  that  he  might  give  them  the 
benetit  of  its  schools. 

Locating  in  Eureka  in  1867,  for  some 
years  Mr.  Carson  did  a  large  business  in 
contracting  and  building,  and  many  of  the 
best  houses  in  that  locality  were  put  u])  un- 
der his  sujiervision.  During  his  more  active 
career  he  gave  employment  to  a  good  many 
men.  For  the  past  twenty  years  he  has  been 
less  active  in  building  enteriirises,  especially 
as  age  was  ad\ancing.      His  own  lieautiful 


630 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


residence,  in  the  midst  of  a  tract  of  seven 
and  a  quarter  acres  of  land,  is  as  fine  a  piece 
of  property  as  there  is  to  be  found  in  Eure- 
ka. The  house  lie  erected  in  1867.  Ad- 
joining the  city,  he  has  all  the  advantages  of 
both  city  and  country. 

Mr.  Carson  has  done  considerable  trad- 
ing in  real  estate,  and  now  owns  much  prop- 
erty in  Eureka.  The  farm  near  Gil- 
man  was  disposed  of  years  ago  and  the 
money  placed  at  interest.  By  his  frugality, 
industr)^  and  temperate  habits,  he  has  be- 
come the  possessor  of  a  competency  that  en- 
ables him  to  live  at  ease  and  take  such 
recreations  as  he  thinks  best  for  his  general 
happiness  and  well-being. 

For  six  years  Mr.  Carson  served  as 
school  director,  and  he  was  also  on  the  town- 
ship board  of  trustees  for  several  years,  but 
he  has  ne\er  had  any  special  desire  for  office 
or  for  official  honors.  Always  a  friend  of 
education,  he  has  given  of  his  means  in  aid 
of  Eureka  College,  and  has  devoted  con- 
siderable time  in  the  interests  of  public 
schools.  The  north  school  house  in  Eureka 
was  erected  under  his  supervision,  while  he 
was  director. 

From  the  organization  of  the  Republi- 
can ])arty  to  the  present  time  Mr.  Carson  has 
voted  the  party  ticket,  but  he  has  never  been  a 
jiolitician  in  the  current  acceptation  of  the 
term.  He  has  alwa}'s  beliex'ed  that  a  man 
could  use  his  time  to  better  advantage  than 
in  local  politics.  The  first  year  after  his 
marriage  he  united  with  the  Christian  church 
and  for  about  fourteen  years  served  as  a 
deacon  in  the  church  of  Eureka.  While 
not  now  holding  an  official  position  in  the 
church,  yet  he  takes  the  same  strong  inter- 
est in  its  welfare  and  in  the  cause  of  the 
Master.  Wherever  known  he  is  held  in  the 
highest  esteem. 


HE.\RY  CLYDE  HAYES. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  now  chief  en- 
gineer and  manager  of  the  Eureka  electric 
light  plant,  was  born  in  Mt.  Vernon,  Ohio, 
April  22.  1871.  His  father,  obn  Henry 
Riggs  Hayes,  was  born  in  the  same  place,  and 
is  a  son  of  Dr.  AMlliam  Hayes,  a  native  of 
England,  who  came  to  the  United  States 
when  a  child  and  li\ed  some  time  in  Balti- 
more, Maryland,  where  he  married.  Later 
he  mo\-ed  to  Mt.  \'ernon,  Ohio,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  medicine,  but  his  last 
days  were  spent  in  Clarence,  New  York.  He 
.  and  his  family  were  very  prominent  in  the 
Christian  church,  with  which  he  w'as  officially 
connected.  The  father  of  our  subject  grew 
to  manhood  iij  his  native  place,  where  he  fol- 
lowed farming  for  some  time,  but  later 
owned  and  operated  a  lage  farm  near  Bran- 
don, Knox  county,  Ohio.  In  1887  he  left 
Ohio,  and  after  spending  one  year  in  Illi- 
nois, went  to  Kansas,  locating  at  Yates  Cen- 
ter. Woodson  county,  where  he  took  up  a 
tract  of  wild  land  and  improved  a  farm.  He 
is  now  successfully  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock  raising  near  Fort  Scott,  Bourbon  coun- 
ty, the  same  state.  He  is  a  well  educated 
man,  being  a  graduate  of  Hopedale  College, 
and  successfully  engaged  in  teaching  school 
for  .some  years.  In  politics  he  is  a  Rqiub- 
lican,  and  bv  that  partv  was  elected  to  se\'- 
eral  offices  in  Woodson  county,  Kansas.  He 
is  an  active  member  of  the  Christian  church 
and  served  as  elder  while  living  in  Ohio.  In 
Mt.  \"ernon,  that  state,  he  married  Miss  Car- 
(  line  Daily,  who  died  leaving  three  children, 
of  whom  our  subject  is  the  eldest. 

Henry  C.  Hayes  began  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  Kno.x  county,  and  later  attend- 
ed the  schools  of  W'oodford  county,  Illinois, 
his  father  and  tlie  family  having  stojiped  here 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


631 


one  year  on  their  way  west.  He  went  with 
them  to  Woodson  county,  Kansas,  but  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  returned  to  Eureka,  where  he 
took  a  course  in  the  high  scht)ol  in  1890, 
Going  to  Fairbury,  lUinoi.s,  in  1892,  he  found 
employment  in  the  electric  light  plant,  where 
he  learned  the  business  of  an  electrician  and 
machinist,  and  where  he  worked  his  way  up- 
ward until  he  was  made  head  of  the  estab- 
lishment. He  remained  there  until  1897,  and 
then  returned  to  Eureka  to  take  charge  of  the 
electric  light  plant  at  this  place.  The  water 
plant  is  comiectetl  with  it  and  does  all  the  city 
pumping.  Mr.  Hayes  thoroughly  understands 
his  cho.sen  occupation,  and  is  meeting  with 
e.xcellent  success. 

On  the  2(jt\i  of  June.  1898.  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Miss  Erma  V.  Earnheart,  a 
daughter  of  James  Franklin  Earnheart,  an 
old  and  h(nK>red  settler  of  Fairbury.  They 
now  have  a  little  son,  John  Franklin,  born 
July  24,  1899.  Mr.  Hayes  is  a  member  of 
the  Christian  church,  while  his  wife  holds 
membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  and  the  Odd  Fellows 
Lodge  of  Fairburg,  in  which  he  held  office 
during  his  residence  there.  In  his  political 
affiliations  he  is  a  Republican,  and  is  now  an 
efficient  member  of  the  board  of  education  of 
Eureka. 

James  Franklin  I'^arnlieart  was  l)Lirn  in 
Mt.  \'ernon,  Ohio,  Sejjtember  i,  1834,  and 
was  reared  by  Christian  parents,  his  father 
I)eing  a  Methodist  minister.  When  a  child 
he  went  with  his  parents  to  Campbellsburg, 
Washington  county,  Indiana,  and  fmm  there 
with  his  father  to  a  farm  two  and  a  half  miles 
southwest  of  Fairbury.  Illinois.  The  family 
later  moved  to  Greencastle,  Indiana,  where 
he  attended  .-\sbury  (now  De  Panw)  Uni- 
versity, his  father    having    been    connected 


with  that  institution  from  its  organization. 
.-\fter  finishing  his  course  in  the  University 
he  returned  to  Indian  Grove  township,  Liv- 
ingston county,  and  March  20,  1856,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Eady  Carr 
Moore,  and  to  them  were  born  nine  children, 
of  whom  Mrs.  Hayes  is  the  youngest.  He 
enlisted  in  the  war  for  the  Union  in  July, 
1861,  in  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-Ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  as 
a  private.  He  was,  however,  soon  detailed 
as  a  regimental  armourer  and  jiostmaster, 
and  served  as  such  until  honorably  dis- 
charged in  Setember.  18O4.  Returning 
home,  he  purchased  a  small  farm  northwest 
of  Fairbury.  where  he  lived  until  1862,  when 
he  sold  and  was  successfully  engaged  in  the 
implement  business  for  five  years.  He  then 
moved  to  Phillips  county,  Kansas,  in  1879, 
but  after  two  and  a  half  years  he  returned 
to  Fairbury,  where  he  lived  retired  until  his 
death,  September  9,  1900.  He  was  a  life- 
long member  of  the  Metluxlist  Episcopal 
church,  and  one  of  the  oldest  members  of 
Livingston  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F..  and  took  an 
active  interest  in  that  t)rder.  His  wife  is  yet 
living. 


FR.\.\CIS  X.  H.Al'.SSLAR. 

.\niong  the  highly  res[)ecled  and  honored 
citizens  of  the  village  of  Secor  is  Francis  X. 
Hausslar,  who  for  over  forty  years  was  act- 
nely  identified  with  its  business  interests, 
but  is  now  living  a  retired  Ife.  He  was 
born  n  Alsace.  France,  March  3,  1834,  and 
is  the  twelfth  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family 
of  si.xteen  children,  whose  parents  were  Fer- 
dinand and  Barbara  Hausslar,  also  natives 
of  France,  where  the  mother  died  at  the  age 
if  si.\tv-four  vears.     The  fatlier  served  as  a 


^y- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Miklier  in  the  l''rencli  army  under  XapuletMi 
III.,  and  was  in  the  ser\ice  at  tlie  time  nf  the 
Emperor'.'^  capture.  Tie  distinguished  liim- 
self  for  liis  bravery  on  field  of  l^attle. 

In  liis  native  province  Francis  X.  llauss- 
•lar  was  reared  and  educated,  and  with  his 
'father  learned  the  harness  maker's  trade, 
which  the  latter  always  fnllowed  in  France. 
<  )n  the  _Mid  nf  July,  1841.  nur  subject  came 
V  ith  his  father  and  nldest  brother  tn  the 
L'nited  States,  and  first  located  in  Xew  York 
city,  wliere  he  began  learning  the  trade  of  a 
cp.rpenter  and  caljinet  maker,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  some  vears.  He  also  wt>rked  at 
j)iano  manufacturing  and  the  making  of 
billiard  tables.  In  1858  he  came  to  Illinois 
and  settled  in  Secor.  \V'oodfor(l  count}-, 
^\■here  he  has  since  made  his  home.  Uixm 
coming  to  this  village  he  continued  to  work 
at  his  trade  of  a  carpenter  and  cabinet  maker 
liir  some  time,  and  later  engaged  in  the  fur- 
niture and  undertaking  business,  whicli  he 
lollowed  until  1900,  when  he  sold  <iut  the 
business  and  is  now  li\ing  a  retired  life. 

At  the  age  of  twenty- four  }-ears,  Mr. 
Hausslar  was  married  in  the  city  of  Xew 
York  to  Miss  Magdalena  Deitz,  a  daughter 
of  Frederick  Deitz,  a  German  by  birth,  whi> 
came  from  Baden  when  a  young  man  and 
settled  in  New  York  city.  ]\Irs.-Hausslar 
died  in  1887,  Three  chiUh-en  were  born  to 
them,  nanielv  :  Alexander  died  in  Secor  at 
the  age  of  about  fourteen  vears.  V .  .Vugust 
is  now  engaged  in  the  carpenter  business  in 
Peoria,  Illinois.  He  married  Ellen  Richard 
and  they  have  two  children,  Artluu  and 
Nellie.  Caroline  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Slem- 
mer,  a  carpenter  of  Secor,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Edward.  In  1892  Mr.  Hausslar  was 
again  married,  in  Secor.  his  second  union 
being  with  Miss  Emma  R.  Prescott,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Reuben  S.  and  ]Mary  (Baker)   Pres- 


cott. I'or  many  years  her  father  was  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  business  in  St.  Charles, 
Illinois,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
nine  years,  while  his  wife  died  in  Batavia, 
th.is  state,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two.  Mrs. 
Hausslar  is  the  third  in  order  of  liirth  in 
their  family  of  ten  children,  four  of  whom 
are  now  living. 

^Ir.  Hausslar  was  reared  in  the  Roman 
Catholic  faith,  but  in  early  life  became  a 
P'rotestant,  and  for  man\-  \'ears  w  as  a  mem- 
Ijer  of  the  Methodist  church.  Later  he  was 
a  constant  attendant  and  supj)orter  nf  the 
■German  Evangelical  church,  in  which  he 
ser\ed  as  class  leader  for  some  years,  but 
is  now  a  Christian  Scientist,  which  belief  he 
lias  maintained  for  six  years.  .\s  an  up- 
right Christian  man,  he  is  held  in  the  high- 
est esteem  b}-  his  fellow  citizens,  and  it  is 
safe  to  say  that  few  men  in  Secor  have  more 
friends  than  Francis  X.  Hausslar. 


DANIEL  GIXGERICH. 

Among  Woodford  county's  most  prosper- 
ous and  substantial  farmers  must  lie  num- 
bered Daniel  Gingerich,  who  owns  and  occu- 
pies a  valuable  farm  of  eight  hundred  acres 
on  sections  6  and  7,  Kansas  township,  all  of 
which  is  improved  and  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation.  His  early  home  was  on  the 
other  side  of  the  .Vtlantic.  for  he  was  born 
in  (iermany,  April  J9,  183J,  and  is  the  only 
child  uf  Peter  and  Loui.sa  (Ritter)  Ginger- 
ich, who  spent  their  entire  lives  in  that  conn- 
try,  both  dying  at  an  advanced  age. 

Our  subject  passed  his  boyhood  and 
youth  in  tlie  place  of  his  birth,  anil  was  ed- 
ucated in  its  common  schools,  liaving  heard 
of  the  advantages  afforded  young  men  in  the 


DANIAL  GINGERICH. 


I 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


635 


new  wmiil.  he  decided  to  try  liis  fnrlune  in 
-Vnicrica,  and  accurdinyly.  at  the  aj^e  of 
nineteen  years,  he  crossed  the  ocean,  landing 
in  Xew  \\>rk  city,  lie  pii 'ceeded  at  once 
to  C'hicas;"!!.  and  fur  a  few  ninuths  worked 
on  the  Michigan  canal.  Later  he  was  cni- 
])loyed  at  unloading  canal  hoats  at  La  Salle, 
Illinois,  for  a  short  time.  ;inil  in  1852  went 
to  'I'azewell  county,  where  he  \\i irked  on  a 
farm  one  }ear.  lie  was  next  employed  as 
hostler  in  Peoria  for  a  short  time,  and  then 
accei)ted  a  positii>n  as  ])orter  in  the  J'eoria 
House,  where  he  remained  three  or  t\)nr 
years,  .\tter  his  marriage  he  opened  a  Iioard- 
ing  house  in  that  city,  which  he  successfully 
conducted  until  1862.  and  then  came  to 
WOodford  county,  where  he  run  a  gristmill 
and  distillery  at  Bowling  (ireen.  Palestine 
township,  for  upwards  of  si.x  years.  In  1868 
he  traded  that  pro])erty  for  one  thousand 
acres  of  land  in  .Missouri,  which  he  after- 
ward traded  for  a  part  of  his  present  farm 
in  Kansas  township.  Woodford  county, 
where  he  has  made  his  home  since  ^SC^q. 
At  that  tune  it  was  nearly  aii  wild  land,  hut 
he  has  since  cleared  it  and  placed  it  under 
excellent  cultivation,  at  the  same  time  erect- 
ing thereon  good  and  suhstantial  huildings. 
He  has  added  to  this  property  until  he  now 
has  eight  hundred  acres  of  rich  and  arable 
land  in  Kansas  townshi])  besides  four  hun 
dred  and  ten  acres  in  I'alestine  township, 
which  lie  rents,  and  one  hundred  and  ten 
acres  of  partially  inipro\ed  land  in  Mont- 
gomery township,  also  occupied  by  a  tenant. 
1  le  also  owns  a  section  of  land  in  Clay  coun- 
ty. Mississippi.  Since  it  came  into  liis  pos- 
session Mr.  Gingerich  has  resided  upon  his 
farm  in  Kansas  township  with  the  exception 
of  ten  years  when  engaged  in  the  saloon  busi- 
ness in  El  Paso.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
returned  to  tlie  farm,  and  has  since  devoted 


his  energies  to  its  im])rovement  and  cultiva- 
tion. 

In  1836  Mr.  (jingcrich  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Aliss  Adelia  I'.ngcl.  who  was 
born  in  b" ranee  in  1835.  and  caine  to  this 
country  with  her  parents  when  quite  young. 
She  died  soon  after  tiieir  removal  to  El  Paso, 
in  1872.  Maria,  the  only  child  born  of  this 
union,  died  in  Peoria,  at  the  age  of  eleven 
months.  In  August.  1874,  Mr.  Gingerich 
\vas  again  married,  his  second  union  being 
with  Miss  Missouri  B.  Jjatenian,  who  was 
born  in  .Metamora  towiishii).  Woodford 
county,  in  June,  1857.  and  wa>  the  oldest 
daughter  of  William  X.  and  L(niisa  Bate- 
man,  w  ho  are  represented  on  another  page  of 
this  vohniie.  Three  children  blessed  this 
marriage,  all  liorn  in  LI  I'aso.  namely:  i'cter 
X..  born  December  26,  1875,  was  educated 
at  K\  Paso  and  in  Kansas  township,  and  now 
aids  his  father  in  the  opei'ation  of  the  home 
farm;  Louisa  Cora,  born  December  11, 
1877.  and  Missouri  Belle,  born  I'"el)ruar\-  18, 
1880.  are  both  at  home.  ]\lrs.  Gingerich, 
who  was  a  de\iited  wife  and  lo\ing  mother, 
died  June  13,  1882.  in  Kansas  township,  by 
accidental  drowning  while  attempting  to  ford 
the  Mackinaw  ri\er.  there  being  no  bridge 
across  the  stream  in  that  township.  Her  re- 
mains were  interred  in  White  Oak  cemetery. 
She  was  greatly  loved  by  all  who  knew  her, 
and  her  death  was  widely  and  deeply 
moui-ned. 

.Mr.  ( iingerich  has  taken  quite  an  acti\e 
part  in  iinblic  .atTairs.  holding  the  office  of 
go\  eminent  insjiector  of  distilleries  in  Mc- 
J.ean  and  Woodford  counties  fof-  four  vears, 
and  serxing  as  mail  carrier  in  I'eoria  for 
three  years  under  (jeneral  Swett.  then  post- 
master of  that  city.  He  has  also  been  school 
director  ;m(l  comnn'ssioner  of  bigliwnxs  in 
Kansas  township.     L'ndei-  botli  Lincoln's  and 


636 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Grant's  administratidus  lie  affiliated  with  the 
Republican  party,  but  since  that  time  has 
Aotetl  the  Democratic  ticket.  Fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter  and 
Commandery  of  El  Paso.  He  and  his  family 
are  members  of  the  Mennonite  church,  and 
as  an  upright,  honorable  man,  he  is  held  in 
high  regard  by  all  who  know  him. 


HORACE    L.    AIcOMBER. 

One  of  Panola  township's  most  honored 
and  highly  respected  citizens  is  Horace  L. 
IMcOmber,  who  has  made  his  home  in  Wood- 
ford county  since  1856,  and  has  since  been 
prominently  identified  with  its-  agricultural 
interests.  He  was  born  in  Gahvay,  Sara- 
toga county,  New  York,  September  17,  1827, 
a  son  of  Israel  and  Laura  (Hayes)  McOm- 
ber,  also  natives  of  New  York.  The  first  of 
the  McOmber  family  to  come  to  America 
settled  in  Rensselaer  county,  that  state.  Our 
subject  lost  his  father  when  only  two  years 
old,  and  his  mother  died  in  184s.  at  the  age 
of  forty-six  years.  Their  children  were : 
Isaac  and  Lewis,  both  deceased  :  Horace,  our 
subject,  and  Israel,  tleceased. 

In  his  natixe  state  Horace  L.  McOmber 
grew  to  manhood,  and  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  day.  In  1852  he 
was  imited  in  marriage  with  Miss  Margaret 
J.  Brown,  also  a  native  of  Saratoga  count}-, 
New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  Justus  Brown. 
To  them  were  born  four  children,  namely : 
Laura  J.,  wife  of  Clinton  T.  Swartz,  whose 
sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  \'olume: 
Hattie,  wife  of  W'ilhani  11.  I'eard,  nf  Eu- 
reka, Illinois;  Lewis,  a  farmer  of  (iridley 
ttAvnship,  McLean  county,  Illinois ;  and  Ed- 
die, a  resident  of  Tavlor  Riflge.   llliiiiiis.  is 


pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
He  has  been  located  at  Taylor  Ridge  for  the 
past  four  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Rock  Island  conference. 

Mr.  McOmber  followed  farming  in  the 
Empire  state  until  185C).  when  he  came  to 
Woodford  county,  Illinois,  and  from  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  his  present  farm  on  section 
34,  Panola  township.  As  his  financial  re- 
sources have  increased,  he  has  added  to  his 
liMided  possessons  from  time  to  time  until  he 
now  has  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in 
Panola  township,  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  acres  in  Gridley  township,  Mc- 
Lean county.  He  is  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock  raising,  and  has  met  with 
excellent  success  in  his  life  work,  becoming- 
one  of  the  well-to-do  as  well  as  one  of  the 
biighiy  respected  citizens  of  his  community. 

In  politics  Mr.  McOmber  is  independ- 
ent, voting  for  the  man  whom  he  considers 
best  qualified  to  fill  the  oftice  regardless  of 
party  lines.  Religiously  he  is  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  a  liberal  supporter  of  the  same.  Up- 
right and  honoralile  in  all  things,  he  has  ex- 
erted a  great  infiuence  for  good  in  the  com- 
niunity  where  he  has  so  long  made  his  home. 
He  has  never  used,  nor  would  he  allow  any 
<  Mie  in  his  employ,  to  use  profanity,  and  he 
is  a  man  whose  word  is  always  considered  as 
good  as  his  bond. 


GIDEON  JETER. 

For  almost  fiftv  years  this  gentleman  has 
made  his  home  in  Woodford  county,  and  his 
name  is  inseparably  connected  with  the  agri- 
cultural  and  ])olitical   interests  of  his  com- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


637 


iminity.  He  now  resides  on  section  9. 
(Ireene  townslii]).  He  was  l)orn  in  Bedford 
connty.  \  irsjinia.  December  ,^.  1S14.  a  son 
of  Henry  and  .\nnie  (Craft)  Jeter,  als(j  a 
native  of  tlie  Old  Dominion.  The  fatiier, 
will)  was  a  farmer  I)y  <iccui)ation.  spent  near- 
ly liis  entire  life  in  Bedford  county.  l)nt 
;d)out  eleven  years  prior  to  his  death  went 
to  Missouri  to  make  his  home  with  a  son. 
\vhere  he  died  at  tlie  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
si.x.  His  wife  liad  died  in  \'irginia  some 
yeans  before.  In  tiieir  family  were  five 
chldren.  four  sons  and  one  daugliter,  of 
whom  our  subject  is  the  fourth  in  order  of 
l)n"th  and  is  now  the  onlv  survivor. 

(iideon  Jeter  grew  to  manhood  in  the 
county  of  his  nati\it\".  and  there  obtained 
liis  early  education.  }Ie  was  first  married 
in  Botetourt  county.  Seiitember  19,  1839, 
t:.'  Miss  Sarah  (i.  Baldwin,  a  daughter  iif 
deorgc  \\  .  Baldwin.  <if  N'irginia.  who  was  a 
school  teacher  hv  ])rofession  and  a  man  of 
])romineiice  in  his  commnnitw  .^-ihe  died  in 
that  state.  October  0,  1S44.  Of  the  three 
children  born  of  this  union,  one  died  in  in- 
fancy unnamed,  and  lilizabeth  died  in  Roan- 
oke county.  X'irginia.  at  the  age  of  eight 
years.  James  M.,  the  oldest,  was  born  in 
X'irginia,  September  18.  1840,  and  came  w  ith 
his  father  to  this  state,  lie  was  educated  in 
the  district  schools  of  Roanoke  towushi])  and 
gained  a  thorougli  knowledge  of  agriculture 
b}'  aiding  his  father  in  the  operation  of  the 
home  farm,  i  le  now  owns  two  lunidred  and 
seventy-eight  acres  of  tine  farming  land  be- 
sides five  acres  of  timber  land.  Me  served 
as  supervi.sor  of  Cjreene  township  ten  years, 
as  justice  of  the  peace  a  ninnber  of  years, 
and  lia.s  filled  nearly  all  of  the  t(")wnship 
offices.  He  wedded  Mary  I'eterson,  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  I'eterson.  a  prosperous  farmer 
of    Rf)anoke    township.  an<i   to  them  were 


born  ten  children,  nine  of  whom  are  li\  ing. 
namely;  Jennie,  Lewis.  George,  Mrs.  Sal- 
lie  Iloutz,  Orxille,  John.  Pearl,  Jessie  and 
.Mary. 

Before  leaving  \  irginia  Mr.  Jeter  was 
again  married,  January  30,  1845,  his  second 
union  being  with  Miss  Lucy  Aim  Leonard,  a 
daughter  of  George  and  Catherine  ( Sum- 
mers)  Leonard,  also  \'irginians  by  birth. 
Jhrtnighout  his  active  business  life  the  fa- 
ther followed  farming.  After  reaching  the 
age  of  seventy-five  years  he  came  to  Illinois 
and  spent  his  last  days  witli  his  daughter. 
Mrs.  Jeter,  in  Roanoke  ti>\\nship,  W'ootlford 
county,  where  he  died  at  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-seven  years.  His  wife  died  at  the 
same  place  when  seventy-eight  years  of  age. 
i'hey  had  ten  children,  five  sons  and  ti\e 
daughters,  all  of  whom  are  living  with  the 
exception  of  two.  By  his  second  marriage 
-Mr.  Jeter  had  se\en  children:  William  II.. 
a  farmer  of  Kendall  county,  Illinois;  Luther 
J.,  a  grain  dealer  of  Yorkvilie,  Kendall  coun- 
ty ;  X'irginia  I'.,  wife  of  J.  B.  Hatcher,  an 
nnplement  dealer  and  collector  of  I'eoria,  by 
whom  she  has  three  children,  Lottie  A., 
I'rank  B.  and  Carrie;  John  C,  a  farmer  of 
Kane  county,  Illinois;  Martha,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  eight  years ;  Sarah  C,  who  died  in 
X  irginia  at  the  age  of  two  years  and  ten 
u'.onths;  and  one  who  died  in  infancy  un- 
n;unc(l. 

In  1833  .Xlr.  Jeter  left  his  old  home  in 
X'irginia  and  came  to  Woodford  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  has  since  made  his  hoiue.  1  le 
first  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  wild  land  in  Roanoke  township, 
w  hich  he  broke,  improved  and  placed  under 
e.xcellent  cultivation,  and  later  bought  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  Linn  township,  and  still 
later  forty  acres  adjoining  his  present  home 
on  section  9,  Greene  township,  but  has  since 


638 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


sold  all  his  fanii  property  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  land  on  which  his  residence  is 
located,  and  is  now  living  a  retired  life.  He 
still  owns  a  couple  of  dwelling  houses  in  the 
village  of  Roanoke. 

]Mr.  [eter  has  e\er  taken  an  active  and 
prominent  part  in  ])ul)lic  affairs,  and  has 
been  elected  to  several  responsible  positions. 
While  a  resident  of  Roanoke  township  he 
hlled  all  the  township  offices,  ser\-ing  as  its 
first  treasurer  and  filUng  that  position  two 
years.  He  was  supervisor  Un-  the  long  pe- 
riod of  fourteen  ^-ears ;  assessor  for  ten  years, 
road  commissioner  nine  years;  and  school 
director  over  sixteen  years.  He  also  served 
as  coroner  of  \\''oodford  county  for  one 
term  of  two  years,  and  has  faithfully  dis- 
charged every  duty  devohing  upon  him, 
whether  public  or  private.  In  politics  he 
has  always  been  a  Democrat,  and  in  religious 
belief  he  is  a  Baptist.  His  election  to  public 
ofifice  shows  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  is 
held  by  his  fellow  citizens,  and  he  has  always 
proved  worthy  of  their  regard.  Although 
eighty-six  years  of  age,  and  his  wife  seven- 
ty-eight, they  still  enjoy  good  health,  and  are 
now  living  a  quiet,  retired  life,  surrounded 
by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances 
who  esteem  them  highly  for  their  sterling 
worth. 


WILLIAM  A.  DAVIDSON. 

William  A.  Davidson,  who  is  now  living 
a  retired  life  in  the  city  of  Eureka,  is  one  of 
the  oldest  native-btirn  citizens  of  Woodford 
C(_.unty,  Illinois.  He  was  lx)rn  in  Olio  town- 
ship, April  5,  1837,  and  is  the  son  of  Caleb 
and  Martha   (Glazebro(ik)    Davidson. 

He  grew  to  manrhood  on  his  father's 
farm  and  recei\'ed  his  primary  education  in 


the  subscription  schools  of  the  day.  He  then 
entered  Eureka  College,  but  completed  his 
school  life  a  student  of  Northwestern  LTniver 
sitv,  Evanston,  Illinois.  In  1859  he  entered 
into  the  general  mercantile  business,  putting 
up  a  store  building  on  the  S(|uare,  one  of  the 
first  stiires  in  the  place.  He  contiinied  in 
trade  until  August,  i86j,  when  he  enlisted  in 
Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Eighth  Illi- 
r.ois  X'olunteer  Infantry,  the  first  service  nf 
the  regiment  being  in  the  chase  after 
Morgan.  It  was  then  sent  to  Memphis,  where 
it  was  organized  for  the  campaign  against 
\"icksburg,  and  participated  in  the  entire 
siege.  l*"r(im  ^'icksburg  it  proceeded  south 
and  was  in  the  engagement  at  Port  Hudson, 
and  also  at  Sjianish  Fort,  the  last  regular 
engagement  of  the  war.  On  entering  the 
service  Mr.  Daxidscm  was  commissioned  sec- 
ond lieutenant,  but  was  later  promoted  cap- 
tain, and  as  such  was  mustered  out  and  hon- 
orably discharged.  His  company  started  out 
one  hundred  and  fourteen  strong,  and  on  its 
return  home  there  were  left  luit  twenty-three 
men  of  the  original  number.  After  the  close 
of  hostilities  it  did  provost  dut\-  niuil  mus- 
tered out  in  .\ngust,  1865. 

Returning  home.  Captain  Daxidson  re- 
sumed his  mercantile  business  in  which  he 
continued  until  the  fall  of  iXUt).  when  he 
traded  his  stock  of  merchandise  for  farm 
lands  in  Woodford  county,  buying  the  old 
homestead  of  two  hundred  and  ninety-three 
acres,  where  his  parents  died.  To  that  farm 
he  moved,  and  there  continued  to  reside  for 
many  years,  engaged  in  general  farming  antl 
stiick  raising.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  in- 
troduce short  horns,  Herefords  and  Callow  av 
cattle.  He  alwa^'s  endeavored  to  ha\e  a  high 
grade  of  stock  and  did  much  to  improve  the 
stock  of  the  county.  He  continued  to  suc- 
cessfully operate  his  farm  until   iS<)0.  when 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


639 


lie  returned  to  the  city  tliril  he  miijht  hve  a 
retired  lite. 

On  the  I3tli  of  Octolier.  i8r)0.  Mr.  l)a- 
xidson  was  united  in  marriage  witli  Jane 
C'.  h'wing,  daughter  of  .\lljert  (I.  Kwing. 
who  located  in  F.ureka  in  1X5S,  coming  here 
fvdm  ( )hiii.  .Mr.  I'.wing  was  a  memhcr  "f  the 
Christian  church,  and  was  very  acti\e  in 
church  WMik.  and  was  also  greatly  interested 
in  College  wurk.  He  was  for  many  years 
president  of  the  hoard  of  trustees  of  Eureka 
College,  a  position  that  he  was  occupying  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  also  chairman 
CI  the  l)oard  of  elders  of  the  clnu-ch.  and  his 
church  and  college  work  consumed  much  of 
lii^  time,  hut  he  cheerfully  attended  to  every 
duly  called  upon  to  perform.  Mrs.  Davidson 
is  a  cousin  "f  the  wife  of  Colonel  Waterson, 
of  Eouis\ille.  Kentucky,  and  conies  of  a  well- 
known   famil\-  in  Kentuck_\-  and  Ohio. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davidson  one  daughter 
was  Ijorn.  Anna  E.,  who  yet  makes  her  home 
with  her  parents.  She  is  a  well  known 
worker  in  the  C.  \\'.  Ji.  M.  of  the  Chri.stian 
church,  and  has  for  some  years  heen  its  state 
president  and  its  guiding  spirit,  it  can  he 
truthfully  said  that  she  has  done  ninre  to  in- 
spire the  women  of  the  Christian  church  of 
the  state  U>  greater  aclixitv  in  the  cause  of 
the  Master  than  any  other  person. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davidson  have  for  nian\" 
}ears  heen  memhers  of  the  Christian  church, 
and  Mrs.  i)a\idson  is  a  deaconess  in  the 
church  in  J'^ureka.  She  is  also  one  of  the 
trustees  of  ]*lureka  College,  and  is  also  a 
wiirkcr  in  the  Ladies  College  .\id  Society  of 
the  slate.  In  the  work  of  the  C.  W.  P>.  M. 
she  likewise  takes  an  actixe  interest.  Frater- 
nally Captain  Davidson  is  a  nicmher  of  Dan 
Miles  Po.st.  G.  A,  R,,  of  Eureka,  and  of  Will- 
iam C.  Hohhs  Lodge  No.  306,  A.  ¥.  6!:  A.  M., 
of  which  he  is  the  present  master.  He  is  algo 


a  memher  ot  I  a/.ew ell  Chapter,  Xo.  98,  R. 
A.  M.,  of  Washington,  Illinois.  Politically 
he  is  a  Democrat,  and  lias  taken  an  active  in- 
terest in  political  affairs,  serving  his  party 
at  different  times  on  township  and  countv 
central  committees,  liy  his  fellow  citizens 
lie  has  heen  hunored  with  various  township 
ottices.  and  as  lownshi])  ihghwav  commis- 
sioner he  did  much  for  the  construction  of 
good  roads.  In  1893  'i*-*  ^^'<i^  appointed  post- 
master of  lun-eka  and  served  the  four  years 
of  Cleveland's  .second  administration,  mak- 
ing an  eflicient  and  popular  officer. 

(^n  returning  to  the  city.  Captain  r3:ivid- 
son  erected  a  heautiful  home  on  Main  .street, 
which  has  heen  the  family  home  for  some 
years.  The  latch  string  of  that  house  alwavs 
l-.angs  out  and  there  the  many  friends  of  the 
lamily  hnd  a  cordial  welcome  and  genuine 
hospitality.  .\  lit'e-long  resident  of  the  coun- 
ty, the  Captain  is  well  known  and  is  univer- 
.sally  esteemed,  and  the  wife  and  daughter, 
e(|ually  well  known,  have  innumerahle 
Iriends  nut  only  in  Woodford  county,  hut 
throughont  the  state. 


SILAS  D.  P.XTTOX. 

The  well-known  and  popular  postmaster 
i<i  VA  Paso,  and  a  prominent  husiness  man  of 
that  place,  was  horn  in  Warren  county,  Ohio, 
January  J3,  1846,  a  son  of  George  W.  and 
Sarah  (Church)  Patton.  The  father  was 
horn  in  West  Virginia.  March  5,  1805,  the 
mother  in  Massachusettts,  August  25,  1805. 
I'.oth  grandfather  Patton  and  Seth  Church 
were  natives  of  England  and  farmers  hy  oc- 
cupation. On  his  emigration  to  America  the 
former  settled  in  West  \^irginia.  the  latter  in 
Massachusetts.  In  his  native  state  George 
\\^   Patton  grew  to  manhood,  receiving  a 


640 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


cummon  school  education,  and  in  early  life 
lie  learned  the  art  of  making  barrel  hoops  for 
coopers,  which  occupation  he  followed 
throughout  his  active  business  life.  About 
1827  he  moved  to  Ohio,  settling  in  a  little 
village,  then  known  as  Yankeetown,  but  now 
called  Mainville,  Warren  county,  where  he 
established  himself  in  Inisiness  and  con- 
tiiuied  to  work  at  his  trade  for  a  number  of 
}ears.  Later  he  lived  in  Blandchester,  Clin- 
ton county,  the  same  state,  from  where  be 
moved  to  Walton,  Cass  county.  Indiana,  and 
w  hen  be  retired  from  business  went  to  live 
with  his  children.  He  died  while  on  a  visit 
to  a  sister-in-law  in  Davenport,  Iowa,  in  the 
tall  of  1873,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 
His  wife  survived  him  some  years,  dying  at 
the  liiime  nf  her  son,  Henry  C,  in  Fulton 
count}-,  Indiana,  in  1882,  at  the  age  of  se\- 
enty-se\"en.  To  them  were  born  thirteen 
children,  ti\e  of  whom  died  in  early  chikl- 
hood.  The  others  were  as  follows:  Joseph, 
deceased,  who  made  his  home  in  Walton. 
Cass  county,  Indiana ;  Samuel,  who  was  a 
member  of  Company  B,  Se\'enty-ninth  Obit) 
Volunteer  Infantr}^  during  the  Ci\-il  war, 
and  died  when  with  Sherman  on  the  march 
to  the  sea;  Ephraim,  a  retired  citizen  of  Ro- 
chelle.  Ogle  county,  Illinois;  Matilda,  who 
first  married  Galen  Ballard,  who  was  killed 
in  the  Civil  war  while  a  memlier  of  the  For- 
ty-seventh Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  she 
is  now  the  wife  of  David  Olds,  of  Oregon 
City,  Oregon ;  Seth,  who  as  a  member  of 
Company  B,  Seventy-ninth  Ohio  Regiment, 
Avas  killed  at  the  battle  of  Lookout  Moun- 
tain :  Henry,  now  a  farmer  of  Fulton  county, 
Indiana,  who  was  a  member  of  the  same 
company  as  his  brother  Seth,  and  was  very 
seriously  wounded  in  the  service,  a  bursting 
shell  destroying  his  hearing  and  crippling 
him  for  life;  Silas  D.,  our  subject:  Hannah 


Jane,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
)ears. 

Silas  D.  Patton  attended  the  public 
schools  near  his  early  home  in  Ohio  until 
eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  accompanied 
his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Indiana,  lo- 
cating in  Walton,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm 
liand  by  the  month  for  neighbors,  receiving 
twenty  dollars  per  month,  or  when  he  worked 
by  the  day  one  dollar.  In  Ohio  he  had  previ- 
ously worked  for  thirteen  dollars  per  month. 
After  three  years  spent  in  the  employ  of 
others  Mr.  Patton  came  to  Woodford  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  in  1868,  and  rented  a  farm  in 
(n"eene  township,  from  Da\id  Graft,  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  the  county.  Here  he 
steadily  prosjiered  and  at  length  was  able  to 
purchase  eight}-  acres  of  land  in  El  Paso 
township. 

On  the  loth  of  August,  1871,  Mr.  Patton 
married  Miss  Carrie  Augenstein,  a  native  of 
Tazewell  county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of 
Ernest  Augenstein,  who  was  then  living  in 
El  Paso  township,  Woodford  county.  She 
is  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of 
eight  children,  of  whom  four  are  still  living, 
Tiamely :  Eli,  who  is  living  with  our  subject 
ir.  El  Paso:  Mrs.  Patton;  Emnia,  wife  of 
James  Bailey,  of  Panola  township,  Woodford 
county;  and  Matilda,  wife  of  Oliver  M.  Dye, 
of  the  same  township,  though  they  spend 
much  time  in  travel. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Patton  resided 
upon  his  farm  for  about  ten  years,  and  then 
sold  that  ])lace  and  purchased  one  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  land  near  Hoopeston.  \'er- 
milion  county.  In  1881  he  came  to  El  Paso 
and  embarked  in  business  as  a  dealer  in 
jiianos,  organs  and  sewing  machines.  This 
store  he  still  conducts  in  addition  to  discharg- 
ing the  duties  of  his  office,  having  been  ap- 
pointed postmaster  by  President  McKinley, 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


641 


June  28,  1898.    He  has  pn.xcd  a  most  effi- 
cient and  popular  official. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Patton  have  a  family  of 
three  children:  Charles  O..  a  practicintj  den- 
tist of  El  Paso,  is  a  graduate  of  the  high 
school  of  that  place  and  the  Chicago  Dental 
College.  He  also  took  a  sjiecial  course  in 
piano  and  violin  playing  at  tlie  Wesleyan 
College  at  Rloomington.  and  was  graduated 
there  in  1899.  He  married  Nettie  Tucker, 
and  they  have  one  child,  .\lpha  Arleen.  Ma- 
tilda Flora,  who  is  serving  as  deputy  post- 
master under  her  father,  graduated  from  the 
El  Paso  high  school  in  1895.  and  in  the 
fall  of  that  year  commenced  teaching  school, 
which  profession  she  successfully  continued 
up  to  the  summer  of  1899.  and  three  months 
later  entered  upon  iicr  duties  as  deputy. 
Frank  Ernest  is  also  a  clerk  in  the  office. 
The  parents  are  both  earnest  and  consistent 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
of  which  Mr.  Patton  is  now  ser\'ing  as  treas- 
urer and  trustee.  Fraternally  he  is  a  charter 
member  and  treasurer  of  the  Home  Forum. 
and  politically  is  a  stanch  Republican,  having 
affiliated  with  that  party  since  casting  his 
first  presidential  vote  for  U.  S.  Grant.  He 
lias  been  a  delegate  to  the  county  conventions 
of  his  party  a  number  of  times,  and  has 
served  as  tax  collector  of  El  Paso  two  years. 
Upright  and  honorable  in  all  the  relations  of 
life,  he  has  gained  the  confidence  and  respect 
of  those  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact, 
and  justly  deserves  the  high  regard  in  which 
he  is  uniformly  held  by  his  fellow  citizens. 


RILEY   H.   HALL. 

Among  the  leading  citizens  and  prosper- 
ous agriculturists  of  Panola  township, 
Woodford  county,  is  the  subject  of  this  re- 


view, who  owns  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred 
acres,  eighty  of  which  is  located  on  .section 
10.  and  one  hundre<l  and  twenty  on  section 
15.  That  he  is  a  thorough  and  skillful 
liirmer  as  well  as  a  man  of  good  business 
ability  is  attested  by  the  neat  and  thrifty  ap- 
pearance of  his  place,  which  is  one  of  the 
most  desirable  farms  of  its  size  in  the  coun- 
ty. He  was  born  in  Peoria  county,  Illinois, 
April  21,  18O0.  Inn  was  only  five  years  old 
when  brougin  by  jiis  parents  to  Panola  town- 
ship, Woodford  county. 

Henrv  Hall,  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  England,  June  11,  1824,  and  was 
employed  in  large  woolen  mills  in  that  coun- 
try from  the  age  of  ten  years  until  twenty- 
six,  working  for  the  necessities  of  life.  Find- 
ing himself  no  riciier  than  when  he  began,  he 
decided  to  come  to  America,  tiie  haven  of 
ihe  homeless  and  destitute.  In  1850  at 
Liverpool,  he  took  i)assage  on  the  Great 
Western,  and  after  thirty-two  days  on  the 
water  landed  in  Xew  York,  with  hundreds 
of  other  emigranl>.  He  had  previously 
married  Ann  Hartley,  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Ann  Hartley,  natives  of  England,  where 
both  died.  Mr.  Hall  left  his  wife  in  Eng- 
land until  he  could  prepare  a  home  for  her. 
He  first  worked  as  a  common  laborer  in  Xew 
York  city  for  a  time,  and  then  came  west, 
locating  in  Peoria  county.  Illinois,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  upon  rented  land.  In 
1856  he  sent  for  his  wife  and  daughter.  Car- 
oline, and  meeting  them  in  Xew  ^  ork, 
brought  them  to  the  home  lie  had  prepared 
in  Peoria  county.  In  1865  he  moved  to 
Woodford  county,  and  purchased  eighty 
acres  of  land  on  section  10,  Panola  town- 
ship. Industrious,  enterpri.sing  and  perse- 
vering, he  met  with  success  in  his  new  home, 
and  was  able  to  add  to  his  landed  possessions 
until  he  had  two  hundred  acres  of  valual)le 


642 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD: 


farm  land,  it  lieing  the  farm  iipmi  which  nur 
subject  now  resides.  Tliroughoiit  his  active 
business  life  tiie  father  continued  to  success- 
fully engage  in  general  farming  and  stock 
raising.  His  daugliter  Caroline  died  in 
Peoria  county,  in  185S.  and  the  wife  and 
mother  died  in  Woodford  county  ten  _\-ears 
later.  For  his  second  wife  he  married  Jane 
Heal}-,  antl  after  her  de.ath  he  wedded  ]\Iar_\- 
A.  Chadwick  in  1^83.  B}'  the  last  mar- 
riage he  had  one  child,  now  deceased.  He 
died  January-  2.  tSt;').  and  two  days  later  was 
followed  by  his  wife,  Ijoth  being  Imried  in 
the  same  grave.  They  were  members  of 
the  United  Brethren  church,  and  were  among 
the  useful  and  respected  citizens  of  Panola 
township.  Politically  the  father  alua^'s 
supported  the  Repulilican  part}",  but  was 
never  an  otfice  seeker. 

Riley  H.  Hall  grew  to  manhood  on  his 
present  farm,  and  received  his  educatic.m  in 
the  public  schools  of  Panola  township.  He 
]:as  been  a  life-long  student  of  the  science  of 
agriculture,  to  which  the  well-kept  appear- 
ance of  his  place  will  testify.  Besides  this 
valuable  jiroperty  he  owns  two  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  of  land  in  Burt  township,  Kos- 
suth county.  Iowa. 

On  the  8th  of  Februarv,  1893,  was  cele- 
brated the  marriage  of  Mr.  Hall  and  ^liss 
luta  Klaman,  daughter  of  John  and  Tena 
Klaman,  of  Panola  township,  where  the}' 
now  reside.  They  now  have  two  interesting 
chiklren ;  Edna  Caroline,  born  December 
16.  iiSgf);  and  Ellen  Annie,  born  Jnlv  16. 
1809.  Mr.  Hall  is  one  of  the  prominent 
and  intluential  Republicans  of  Woodford 
count}',  and  has  taken  (|uite  an  active  part 
in  local  i)olitics.  He  is  at  present  ser\-iug 
Ins  district  in  the  capacit}'  of  sch(iol  director, 
and  as  a  public-spirited  and  progressive  citi- 


zen lakes  a  commendalile  interest  in  any  en- 
tcri)rise  calculated  to  ad\ance  the  jnitjlic  wel- 
fare. 


THO-MAS  CRIBBEX. 

Among  the  representati\e  farmers  and  in- 
fluential citizens  of  Palestine  township, 
\\  oodfor<l  county.  Ililnois,  is  the  subject  of 
this  review,  who  owns  a  valuable  and  highlv 
producti\-e  farm  of  four  hundred  and  fort\- 
seven  acres  on  sections  15,  22  and  27.  He 
w as  born  in  the  \illage  of  Ballybane,  parish 
of  Annaugh,  County  JMayo,  Ireland,  on  the 
7th  day  of  January,  1847,  ^"cl  is  of  pvn-e 
Irish  ancestry.  His  father,  James  Cribben, 
was  Iiorn  in  the  parish  of  Baken,  County 
^layo,  and  was  reared  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits in  his  natixe  county.  There  he  was 
married,  in  ;\larch,  1845.  ^  Aliss  Bridget 
Tai'p}-,  w  ho  was  born  and  reared  not  far  ivom 
the  hi  :me  of  her  husband.  Her  parents,  Will- 
iam and  Honora  (Raftery)  Tarpy,  were 
closely  allied  to  some  of  the  best  families  of 
Counties  Mayo  and  Gaiway,  her  mother  be- 
ing a  native  of  tlie  city  of  Gaiway.  Her  pa- 
ternal grandfather,  Thomas  Tarpy,  had  some 
of  the  best  Irish  blood  flowing  in  his  veins, 
and  it  has  been  transmitted  to  a  number  of 
.\merican  families  of  the  same  .name  who 
ha\e  figured  quite  jirominently  both  in  church 
and  state.  .He  married  Margaret  Murphy, 
whose  ancestors  were  prominent  and  highl}- 
respected  citizens  of  County  Mayo  for  more 
than  two  centuries  and  were  closely  allied 
to  the  O'Connors  of  County  Roscommon,  of 
which  the  last  monarch  of  Ireland  was  a  kins- 
man. The  celebrated  Charles  O'Connor,  of 
Xew  York  City,  who  died  a  few  years  ago. 
also  belonged  to  this  familv.    ]Mrs.  Cribben's 


THOMAS  CRIBBEN. 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


645 


fatlier  died  w  lien  she  was  only  eight  years  of 
age.  leaving  eight  children  to  the  care  of  the 
widowed  motiier,  wlio  reared  them  carcfnlly 
and  conscientiously  to  honest  and  worthy 
lives. 

.\fter  their  marriage  James  Crihben  and 
w  ife  began  housekeeping  on  a  farm  in  Coun- 
ty May(j,  where  their  only  child,  our  subject, 
was  liorn.  In  11^49  they  set  sail  for  America, 
embarking  at  Li\erpool,  but  l>efore  they 
leached  their  destination  the  father  died, 
after  an  illness  of  ten  days  duration,  and  his 
remains  were  buried  at  sea.  The  mother  and 
son  i)ursued  their  sad  and  melancholy  jour- 
ney, tinaily  reaching  New  York  city  after  six 
weeks  spent  upon  the  water,  and  at  once  pro- 
ceeded to  Savannah,  Georgia,  where  some 
relatives  of  the  father  had  settled.  Suffering 
under  a  sense  of  loss  and  bereavement,  Mrs. 
Cribben  returned  not  long  afterward  to  her 
native  land  where  she  remained  for  a  period 
of  two  years,  then  leaving  her  son  with  his 
gramlmother.  siie  once  more  crossed  the  At- 
lantic, settling  this  time  in  the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia, Pennsylvania.  Five  years  later  she 
married  John  Connell,  a  native  of  Black 
Rock,  County  Cork,  Ireland,  who  had  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  when  a  young 
man.  Soon  after  their  marriage  they  came 
t'l  Illinois,  and  after  spending  a  short  time  in 
I. a  Salle  county  they  located  upon  the  pres- 
ent farm  of  our  subject  in  Palestine  town- 
ship, Woodford  county,  in  1863.  Their  ef- 
forts in  building  up  a  home  were  crowned 
with  success,  and  they  became  (piite  \nx>i- 
perous.  !Mr.  Connell  died  at  his  homestead 
in  Palestine  township,  .\pril  17,  1879,  at 
alwut  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  He  was  an 
honest,  hardworking,  temperate  man,  and 
highly  respectetl  by  his  neighbors.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Democrat,  and  in  religious  be- 
lief a  Roman  Catholic.     Mrs.  Bridget  Con- 


nell, who  resides  on  the  home  place  with  our 
subject,  is  an  old  lady  of  more  than  average 
iiUelligence  and  a  devout  member  of  the 
i\oman  Catholic  church,  in  which  she  was 
reared  from  childhood.  For  the  ])ast  fifteen 
years  or  more  she  has  been  an  invalid,  and  is 
greatly  loved  by  all  for  her  Christian  charac- 
ter and  kindness  of  heart. 

Thomas  Cribben,  our  subject,  was  given 
a  good  education  while  with  his  grandmoth- 
er in  Ireland,  under  the  instruction  of  a  gen- 
tleman who  had  been  his  mother's  teacher 
during  her  girlhood,  and  who  lived  to  be 
over  one  hundred  years  of  age.  In  1859  he 
again  came  to  the  United  States,  and  pnj- 
ceeded  at  once  to  the  home  of  his  mother  and 
stepfather  in  Rutland,  La  Salle  county,  Illi- 
nois. He  came  with  the  family  to  Palestine 
township,  Woodford  county,  in  1863,  and 
aitled  in  the  acciuiuilation  of  a  fine  property. 
He  has  ilevoted  his  life  in  a  great  measure  to 
the  care  and  comfort  of  his  mother,  to  whom 
he  is  greath'  attached,  antl  in  consequence 
has  remained  single. 

Mr.  Cribben  is  a  faithful  adherent  of  the 
doctrines  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  in 
which  he  was  reared,  and  in  politics  has 
l)een  a  lifelong  Democrat.  He  has  held  all 
the  local  oftices  and  has  repsesented  Pales- 
tine township  in  the  county  board  of  suiier- 
\  isors  continuously  since  1884.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  finance  and  building  com- 
mittee in  the  erection  of  the  court  house  at 
lunxka  in  1897,  the  county  seat  having  been 
changed  from  Metamora  to  Eureka,  and  he 
devoted  a  great  deal  of  his  time  to  the  details, 
of  the  buikling  of  that  fine  structure,  which 
is  now  entirely  paid  for.  During  his  ser- 
vice as  a  member  of  tlie  board  of  sui)ervisors 
he  served  as  chairman  of  that  body  two  years, 
at  the  exjiiration  of  which  time  his  fellow 
members  presented  him  with  an  elegant  gold- 


646 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


lieaded  cane  as  a  token  of  their  appreciation. 
This  is  the  only  incident  of  that  kind  that 
has  taken  place  during  the  existence  of  that 
official  hody.  He  served  as  chairman  of  the 
Democratic  central  committee  about  fifteen 
}ears.  For  the  past  twenty  years  Mr.  Crib- 
ben  has  practically  lived  a  retired  life,  his 
several  farms  being  operated  by  tenants.  He 
resides  on  the  old  homestead  on  section  22, 
Avhere  he  has  surrounded  himself  and  moth.er 
with  all  the  comforts  of  life. 


DANIEL  R.  MEEK. 

One  of  the  honored  pioneers  of  \\'o(jd- 
ford  county  is  Daniel  R.  Meek,  of  Secor,  who 
is  now  retired  from  active  life  and  quietly 
enjoying  the  income  which  he  accumulated 
in  former  years.  He  can  relate  many  inter- 
esting reminiscences  of  the  early  days  of  the 
county,  for  he  located  here  when  the  land  was 
still  in  its  primitive  condition  and  wolves, 
deer  and  other  wild  game  were  plentiful. 

Mr.  Meek  was  bom  in  Jennings  county, 
Indiana,  July  24,  1825,  a  son  of  Joseph  and 
Eurania  (Sullivan)  Meek,  and  a  grand.son  of 
Bazel  Meek,  who  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary war  near  the  close  of  that  struggle. 
The  father  was  born  June  7,  1897,  in  Pu- 
laski county,  Kentucky,  where  he  continued 
to  make  his  home  until  nineteen  years  of 
age,  when  he  and  his  brother  Daniel  went 
to  Indiana.  They  purchased  and  cleared  a 
tract  of  land  in  Jennings  county,  making  a 
home  for  their  parents,  who  located  there 
the  following  spring.  After  ft)urteen  years 
spent  in  that  state  they  sold  out  and  came 
to  Illinois,  in  the  fall  of  1830,  and  settled  at 
what  was  called  Walnut  Grove,  which  was 
the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Eureka. 
Woodford  county  at  that  time  formed  a  part 


of  Tazewell  county.  The  parents  follo\ved  in' 
1832  and  located  in  the  same  neighborhood. 
Both  tlied  in  Woodford  county  at  an  ad- 
vanced age  and  were  buried  here.  The  la- 
ther of  our  suliject  engaged  in  farming  antl 
followed  stock  raising  quite  extensively  for 
those  days.  He  continued  to  make  his  home 
on  the  tract  of  land  which  he  first  purchased 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  just  five  days 
before  the  ninety-third  anniversary  of  his 
birth.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in  South 
Carolina,  in  1800,  died  January  12,  1848. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Berry  Sulli\'an,  a 
planter  of  that  state.  Throughout  life  the 
father  of  our  subject  supported  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  as  a  public-spirited  man 
a(l\'ocated  all  that  tended  to  advance  the  in- 
terests of  the  community  in  which  he  lived. 
When  Woodford  county  was  first  organized 
it  was  governed  by  three  county  commis- 
sioners, and  he  was  one  of  the  three  electetl, 
holding  the  office  three  terms.  He  also  served 
as  supervisor  of  Olio  township  one  term. 
Religiously  he  was  a  member  oi  the  Church 
of  Christ  and  deacon  in  the  same  for  years. 
To  himself  and  wife  were  born  the  following 
children:  Eliza,  wife  of  John  Sadler,  a  farm- 
er of  Woodford  county,  both  now  deceaed ; 
Emily,  who  died  in  childhood ;  Jackson ; 
Daniel  R. ;  Ezra  P.,  a  retired  farmer  of  Fair- 
bury,  Livingston  county;  John,  a  farmer  near 
Washington,  Tazewell  county,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-seven  years;  William  M., 
who  is  represented  on  another  page  of  this 
volume;  Jesse,  a  retired  farmer  of  Eureka; 
Sarah  E.,  deceased  wife  of  William  Finley, 
oi  Woodford  county;  and  a  son  who  died  in 
infancy  unnamed. 

Daniel  R.  Meek  was  only  fi\-e  years  old 
when  brought  by  his  parents  to  what  is  now 
\Wiodford  county,  Illinois,  but  then  forming 
a  part  of  Tazewell  countv.     He  remained  at 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


647 


home  until  lie  attained  his  twenty-fourth 
year  and  then  started  out  in  life  for  himself, 
purchasing  seventy-three  acres  and  receiving 
from  his  father  one  hundred  and  twenty-scv 
en  acres  of  land  in  the  same  neighborhood, 
which  he  improved,  erecting  thereon  good 
and  substantial  buildings  and  placed  the  land 
under  cultivation.  This  farm,  consisting  of 
two  hundred  acres,  he  sold  at  the  end  of  five 
years,  and  l)ought  another,  of  eighty-seven 
acres,  east  of  Eureka,  which  was  partially 
inipriiNcd.  lie  made  liis  home  there  for 
eighteen  )ears,  then  purchased  an  eighty- 
acre  farm  on  Walnut  creek  in  Olio  town- 
ship, where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising  alx)ut  five  years.  He  sold  that  place 
and  the  farm  of  eight-seven  acres  in  1879, 
and  mi)\e(!  to  the  village  of  Secor,  but  shortly 
afterward  bought  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  in  Palestine  township,  which  he  oi^er- 
aled  for  a  few  years.  Renting  his  farm,  he 
returned  to  Secor  in  1890,  and  has  since 
lived  a  retired  life  at  his  present  home  sur- 
rounded l)y  all  tiie  comforts  of  life. 

On  (lid  Tanther  creek,  in  Woodford 
county.  May  24,  1849.  Mr.  Meek  married 
Miss  Elmira  L.  Watkins,  a  native  of  Illi- 
nois and  a  daughter  of  Warren  C.  and  Nan- 
cy (Swarens)  Watkins.  Her  father  w-as 
born  in  Kentucky  and  about  1828  came  to 
Illinois.  After  two  years  spent  in  Sangamon 
ciiniUy  he  removed  to  wdiat  is  now  Olio 
liiwnhip,  Woodford  county,  though  it  then 
formed  a  i)art  of  McLean  county.  Here  he 
imprtned  a  farm  on  which  he  spent  the 
greater  part  of  his  life,  but  finally  sold  the 
place  and  lived  retired  with  his  youngest 
daughter,  Mrs.  Meek,  at  whose  home  he  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  His  wife  sur- 
vived him  about  four  years  and  died  at  the 
same  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meek  have  one 
tlaughter,  Jennie  M.,  wdio  was  educated  at 


Eureka  and  is  now  the  wife  of  E.  H.  Camp, 
a  shoe  merchant  of  Bement,  Piatt  county, 
Illinois.  They  have  one  child.  Edith  J.,  who 
was  born  on  her  grandfather's  farm  near  lui- 
reka,  and  is  the  wife  of  W.  D.  Stone,  a  car- 
penter of  Bement. 

In  his  ijolitical  affiliations  Mr.  Meek  is  a 
Democrat,  and  he  served  as  supervisor  of 
Palestine  township  one  year.  He  and  his 
family  are  active  and  prominent  members 
of  the  Church  of  Christ,  of  wdiich  he  has  been 
an  elder  for  twenty-five  years.  He  gave  the 
land  on  which  the  church  at  Secor  is  located, 
it  being  situated  directly  east  and  adjoining 
his  lawn,  and  in  addition  to  this  gift  he  con- 
tributed largely  toward  the  erection  of  the 
church,  which  was  built  in  the  spring  of 
1898.  As  a  citizen,  friend  and  neighbor  he 
is  true  to  every  duty  and  justly  merits  the  es- 
teem in  which  he  is  held. 


C.  M.  STEPHEXSU.X. 

There  are  only  two  or  three  citizens  of 
Greene  township.  Wodford  county,  who  have 
longer  resided  within  its  borders  than  the 
gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  article.  He 
has  made  his  home  here  since  the  age  of  four- 
teen years. 

Mr.  Stephenson  was  born  in  (ireene 
county,  Pennsylvania,  April  2,  1838,  a  son  of 
Henry  and  Mary  (Myers)  Stephenson.  The 
Stepliens(_)n  family  is  originally  from  Scot- 
land. \\\  that  county  the  great-grandfather, 
1 1  ugh  Stephenson,  made  the  ac(|uaintance  of 
a  Scotchman,  who  was  captain  of  a  sailing 
vessel,  and  without  the  knowledge  of  his  fa  r.- 
ily  came  to  the  L'nited  States,  where  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  was  passed.  His  descend- 
ants have  settled  in  various  jiarts  of  the 
country. 


648 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Henry  Stephenson,  father  of  our  subject, 
was  also  a  native  of  Greene  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  \vas  married  shortly  after 
attaining  his  majority  to  Mary  Myers,  who 
was  horn  in  Monongalia  count}',  \'irginia, 
of  Cjerman  and  luiglish  parentage.  After 
iiis  marriage  lie  followed  farming  in  (ireene 
county,  Pennsylvania,  for  a  number  of  years, 
Ijut  in  185J  he  left  his  home  in  the  east  and 
started  for  Illinois,  accompanied  by  his  fam- 
ily, taking  with  them  all  their  worldly  pos- 
sessions. The_\'  boarded  a  steamboat  at  Mc- 
Conn's  ferry  ()n  the  Alonongahela  riser,  and 
sailed  lUnvn  that  stream  to  Pittsburg,  where 
they  were  transferred  to  a  larger  \essel, 
which  carried  them  to  St.  Louis,  whence  they 
came  up  the  Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers 
to  Spring  Bay,  \\'oo<lford  county.  Two 
weeks  later  they  settled  in  Greene  township. 
Here  they  met  with  the  trials  and  hartlships 
incident  to  pioneer  life,  and  by  untiring  in- 
dustry and  persexerance  they  developed  a 
farm  from  the  raw  prairie  and  at  length 
made  for  themselves  a  good  and  comfortaljle 
home  where  before  was  only  a  barren  waste. 
The  parents  resided  in  Woodford  couiUy  un- 
til their  deaths,  'i  he  mother  died  on  the  10th 
of  August,  1874,  at  the  age  of  si.xty-three 
years.  She  was  a  most  estimable  lady, 
greatly  admired  and  dearly  beloved  by  her 
many  friends.  To  her  no  task  was  too  great 
to  perform  to  promote  the  happiness  of  those 
she  cherished  and  lo\ed.  The  father  sur- 
vived his  wife  se\eral  years,  dying  August 
29,  1881,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  He 
was  a  man  of  quiet  and  retiring  disposition, 
vet  was  genial  in  bis  manner,  and  enjoyed  the 
society  of  his  friends.  His  home  was  noted 
for  its  lio.spitality,  and  all  who  entered  it^ 
doors  were  made  welcome.  He  did  not  care 
to  become  a  rich  man,  but  was  content  if  the 
familv  were  in  favorable  circumstnces.    He 


was  fond  of  bunting,  was  an  e.xpert  marks- 
man, and  during  the  early  days  of  the  coun- 
ty many  a  wolf  fell  liefore  his  ride.  To  him- 
self and  w  1  f e  were  born  live  children,  four  oi 
whom  are  still  living;  James  A.,  of  Blockton, 
Ta\lor  county,  Iowa:  Martha  .\.,  wife  of 
.Stephen  Cummins,  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser 
of  Marysxille,  .Missoiu"i;  C.  M.,  our  subject; 
and  (Jr])ha.  who  married  F.  M.  Miller,  but 
is  now  deceasetl. 

-\mid  pioneer  scenes  C.  M.  Stephenson 
grew  to  manhood,  the  greater  part  of  his 
education  being  acquired  by  home  stud\-.  C)ii 
the  8th  of  June,  i86j,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Mary  C.  Livingston,  a  na- 
tive of  Tazewell  county,  Illinois,  and  the  sec- 
(jud  in  order  of  birth  in  a  large  famih-  uf 
children,  w  hose  ijarents  were  Lewis  and  Amv 
(Powell)  Lixingston,  natives  of  \'irginia. 
Her  father,  who  was  generally  known  as 
Luke  Livingston,  was  born  in  181  1.  and  died 
October  4,  1874,  while  her  mother,  who  was 
horn  in  1814,  died  September  3,  1895.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Stephenson  have  four  children,  all 
born  in  (ireene  township,  namely:  .Mice  Al. 
is  now  the  wife  of  S.  C.  Baringer,  a  retired 
farmer  of  .\orth  Peoria.  Illinois,  wliu  t.)wns 
farms  in  Palestine  and  Roanoke  townships, 
\\'<iodford  county,  which  he  rents.  They 
ha\e  two  children,  Ralph  and  Mary.  Lewis 
H.  marrietl  Helena  Fagot,  daughter  of  Peter 
Fagot,  a  farmer  of  Linn  township,  Wood- 
ford count}-,  and  is  engaged  in  farming  on 
his  own  place  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  in  Cazenoxia  townshij).  Ida  I.  is  at 
iioine.  Reamer  J.,  a  graduate  of  the  Eu- 
reka I'usiness  College,  married  Lavinia  Co- 
\ain,  of  Roanoke,  and  is  engaged  in  farming 
on  his  father's  place. 

Since  attaining  his  majt)rity  Air.  Steph- 
enson has  followed  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
for  several  years  after  his  marriage  operated 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


649 


rented  land,  hut  is  now  the  owner  of  a  val- 
nal)le  tract  <>f  two  linndred  and  tliirty-five 
acres,  iniproxed  witli  j^'ood  huildin^s  wliich 
Tnakes  it  one  of  llic  best  farms  in  (ireene 
townslii]).  I'Jtjhtx-  acres  of  tliis  ])ro|)erty  is 
on  section  20.  eighty  acres  on  section  17  and 
seventy-five  acres  on  section  \i).  Stamhng 
ujjon  the  farm  is  a  white  elm  tree,  w  hich  was 
used  as  an  old  government  witness  tree,  and 
the  blaze  made  over  sixty-six  years  ago  is 
still  di.stinct.  It  is  probably  the  largest  tree  in. 
the  cmnity.  measuring  twenty-three  feet  in 
circumference. 

Mr.  Stephenson  has  been  c.-illcd  upon  to 
till  many  public  oflices  of  honor  and  trust. 
lie  is  secretary  of  the  Roanoke  b'ire  In- 
siu-ance  .\ssociation.  which  was  organized 
April  _'.  1875.  and  has  been  of  mitold  ben- 
efit t(j  the  farmers  of  the  community.  i''rom 
the  .start  he  has  been  closely  connected  with 
the  institution  and  was  one  of  its  lirst  di- 
rectors. .\t  the  lirst  regular  ;nnuial  elec- 
tion held  in  Se]iteniber,  1S73.  he  was  ap- 
pointed secretary  and  treasurer  b\'  the  boartl 
of  directors,  and  has  held  that  responsible 
jjosition  ever  since.  The  business  of  tjie 
association  has  steadilv  ])rospered.  tlie 
officers  and  directors  of  the  company  being 
men  of  good  business  and  executive  al)ility. 
Mr.  Ste])henson  served  one  term  as  scliool 
director,  as  townsiiip  clerk  .seven  years,  col- 
lector one  year,  assessor  five  years.  ;ind  town- 
ship  treasurer  thirty  years,  llis  offici;il  du- 
ties have  always  been  most  conscientiously 
and  faithfulh-  discharged,  gix'ing  entire  sat- 
isfaction to  his  constituents.  He  holds  mem- 
bership in  the  Masonic  lodge  at  El  Paso. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  has  acted  as  report- 
er for  the  bureau  of  agriculture  of  the  state; 
is  one  of  the  directors  of  the  I'll  Paso  District 
Fair;  and  is  superintendent  of  the  depart- 
ment of  condiologv  and  minerolmjv.  having 


made  a  specialty  of  these  two  branches  of 
science  for  many  years.  At  his  home  he  has 
a  large  and  fine  classified  collection  of  both 
shells  and  geological  specimens. 


CLiXTox    r.  s\\.\Rrz. 

.\mong  Woodford  county's  prosjierous 
and  representative  farmers  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  occu))ies  an  emiable  position. 
Throughout  his  active  business  life  he  has 
been  proniinenll\-  identified  with  the  agri- 
cultural interests  of  I'an^la  townshi]).  and 
besides  the  valuable  property  he  owns  here, 
he  now  has  considerable  farming  land  in 
Iowa. 

Joseiih  !j.  .Swartz.  the  fatlier  of  our  su'i- 
ject.  was  born  in  Fairfield  county.  Ohio, 
?\lay  S,  1S34.  a  son  of  (ieorge  and  .Mary 
(  P.eerv  )  .Swartz.  also  nati\es  of  (  )hio.  whose 
ancestors  on  both  sides  were  o|  ( jcrnian  ori- 
gin. .\l  an  early  day  both  the  lieery  and 
Swartz  families  remoxed  to  Ohio  and  were 
among  the  ])ioncers  of  l-"airlield  county. 
Joseph  H.  Swartz  hail  but  limited  educa- 
t;onal  ad\antages.  yet  managed  to  ac(|u:re 
consideralile  learning  by  reading  and  otlier- 
wi.se  imijroving  his  opportunities,  lie  was 
married.  .\i>ril  -'3.  1S57.  to  .\lis>  I'.arbara 
F.  Keller,  who  was  born  in  I.  eking  c mnty, 
Ohio.  |ulv  S.  1S40.  a  dau'.;litev  of  .\br;iliam 
and  lUuTara  (Fussing)  Keller,  also  of  (ler- 
ipan  descent.  .She  lost  her  pareiUs  during 
infancv  and  was  reared  by  an  uncle,  Joseph 
Keller.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Swart/,  were 
born  ten  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  early 
chil.dhootl.  The  others  are  Clinton  P..  our 
subject;  Clara,  wife  of  W.  R.  Sluinian.  of 
McLean  countv.  Illinois:  MeKin,  of  Pe  iria ; 


650 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Ida  B.  married  William  Ostler,  of  El  Paso ; 
Lucy  M.,  deceased;  Elsie  E.,  J.  Wn-non  and 
Ralph  B.  When  our  subject  was  a  year 
old  the  family  moved  to  Putnam  county, 
Ohio,  and  three  years  later  to  Hancock  coun" 
ty,  this  state,  locating  near  Findlay.  In 
the  spring  of  1866  they  came  to  Woodford 
county,  Illinois,  and  took  up  their  residence 
en  section  34,  Panola  township,  a  mile  and 
a  half  east  of  the  present  home  of  our  sub- 
ject. The  farm  the  father  placed  under  a 
liigh  state  of  culti\ation,  and  he  continued 
its  operation  until  1889,  when  he  moved  ti> 
section  32,  the  same  township.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1893,  he  l)ecame  a  resident  of  El  Paso, 
and  there  died  sr-xteen  months  later,  on  the 
5th  of  April.  i8()5.  At  that  time  he  owned 
five  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  (.)f  pro- 
ductive and  valuable  land  in  El  Paso  town- 
.ship,  Woodford  county,  and  Gridley  town- 
.ship,  McLean  connty.  He  was  a  capable 
business  man,  enterprising  and  energetic, 
and  was  one  of  the  most  successful  farmers 
of  his  community.  He  always  affiliated 
with  the  Republican  party,  and  was  called 
ujion  to  fill  numerous  local  offices  in  his  tmvn- 
ship.  in  religious  belief  he  was  a  Baptist, 
while  his  wife  holds  membership  in  the 
Methodist  church.  She  and  the  vounger 
children  are  still  living  in  El  I'aso. 

Clinton  T.  Swartz,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view, was  born  in  Fairfield  county,  Ohio, 
(iebruary  9,  1858,  and  accompanied  his  par- 
ents on  their  removal  to  Putnam  and  Han- 
cock counties,  Ohio.  In  the  sprirng  of  1866 
he  came  with  them  to  Woodford  countv,  Illi- 
nois, and  uijon  the  home  farm  in  I'anola 
township  grew  to  manhood.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  he  commenced  farming  i}n  his 
own  account,  and  is  now  the  nwner  of  a 
\vell-impro\ed  and  highly  cultivated  farm  in 
Panola  townshii).      Since  his   father's  (jeath 


he  has  <)urchased  considerable  farming  ]irop- 
ertv  in  Iowa,  which  he  still  retains.  lie, 
too,  is  an  acti\e  snp[)orter  of  the  Re])ublican 
p;.rt}':  is  usualh'  a  member  of  the  countv 
central  committee:  and  at  present  is  secre- 
tary of  that  organization.  On  the  i6th  of 
March.  ]88i,  he  was  muted  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Laura  J.  McOmber,  daughter  of 
Horace  McOmljer,  of  Panola,  a  sketch  of 
whom  a])pears  on  another  page  of  this  \-ol- 
ume,  and  U>  them  has  been  born  one  child, 
Nelhe  M. 


HEXRV    DAM  MAX. 

Woodford  comity  has  many  enterprising 
and  successful  citizens  who  started  out  in 
life  with  naught  but  an  abundance  of  de- 
termination and  indefatigable  industry,  and 
;i  strong  and  healthy  constitution,  and  have 
succeeded  through  their  own  diligence,  en- 
ergy and  economy.  To  this  class  belongs 
the  suliject  <if  this  sketch,  who  owns  and 
operates  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty-two  acres  of  land  on  sections  27  and  28, 
Greene  t(i\\nship,  his  home  being  on  the 
l.;tter  section. 

Mr.  l-amman  was  Itorn  in  Spenge,  near 
Bielefeld,  Westphalia,  Germany,  November 
18,  1844,  a  son  of  Casper  and  Mary  Dam- 
man,  al.so  natives  of  that  cou;itry,  where  the 
father  spent  his  entire  life  as  a  farmer,  dying 
there  at  the  age  of  fort\--fi\e  \ears.  The 
rr:(ither  came  to  America  and  li\ed  with  our 
Nubject  for  some  time.  She  died  in  Ben- 
ton comity,  Iowa,  at  the  age  of  si.xtv-nine 
\ears.  In  the  famih-  were  elesen  children, 
but  only  four  are  now  li\ing.  Our  subject 
lias  three  sisters:  Anna,  wife  of  John 
.\oellscli,  a  farmer  of  Holt  cou;itv,  Mis- 
souri: Lena,  wife  of  Herman  Stiegelmeyer, 
a  farmer  of  Benton  countv,  Iowa:  and  Clara, 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


651 


wife  of  U.  S.  Fry.  a  grain  dealer  oi  \'an 
Horn,  Iowa. 

In  1853,  at  tiie  age  of  nine  years.  Mr. 
Daniman  came  to  America  with  his  mother, 
landing  in  New  Orleans.  From  there  they 
went  to  St.  Louis.  Missouri,  and  then  to 
Menard  county,  Illinois,  locating  near  Pe- 
tersburg. Our  subject  began  work  by  the 
month  on  farms  in  that  neighborhood,  and 
remained  there  until  about  twenty-three 
years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  Iowa  and  pur- 
chased land  on  which  he  lived  for  eighteen 
months.  Selling  his  property  in  that  state, 
he  returned  to  Illinois  in  1869.  and  this  time 
located  in  El  Paso  township,  Woodford 
county,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  on 
rented  land  for  some  time.  He  finally  pur- 
ciiased  a  partially  improved  tract  of  eighty 
acres,  and  to  its  further  development  and 
cultivation  devoted  his  attention  until  the 
spring  of  1888,  when  he  purchased  his  pres- 
ent fine  farm  in  Greene  township.  Here  he 
lias  erected  a  commodious  and  substantial 
residence  as  well  as  a  large  barn  and  other 
bul.dings,  and  has  made  many  other  improve- 
ments upon  the  place  which  make  it  one  of 
the  most  desirable  farms  of  its  size  in  the 
township.  Mr.  Damman  also  owns  a  farm 
of  eighty  acres  on  .section  9,  Greene  town- 
ship, which  is  operated  by  his  son,  John. 
He  is  successfully  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising,  making  a  specialty  of 
short  horn  cattle.  Poland  China  hogs  and 
Norman  horses. 

On  the  29th  of  I)ecenil)cr.  1869.  at  Peo- 
ria, was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Damman  and  Miss  Mary  Stiegelmeyer.  a 
daughter  of  Casper  and  Mary  Stiegelmeyer. 
farming  people  of  El  Paso  township,  Wood- 
ford county.  The  father  is  now  deceased, 
but  the  mother  is  still  living  and  continues 
to  reside  on  the  home  farm  with  her  .son, 


Henry.  Xine  chiklren  have  been  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daman,  namely:  Clara, 
born  in  El  Paso  township.  December  8,  1870, 
married  Henry  Armstri)ng,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Greene  townsliip,  and  died  .April 
.:o.  1900.  leaving  one  child,  Ralph,  then  only 
iwo  ilays  oil!.  She  was  buried  at  Secor. 
John,  born  April  17,  1872,  married  Ada  B., 
daughter  of  Philip  Evans,  a  farmer  of  Pa- 
n(.)la  township,  and  is  now  engaged  in  farm- 
ir.g  on  his  father's  place  on  section  9,  Greene 
tt^)wnship.  Anna,  born  in  McLean  county, 
December  10,  1873;  \\  ihia'n.  born  in  El 
Paso  township,  Woodford  county,  October 
30,  1875;  George  W.,  born  September  20, 
1877;  and  Henry  A.,  born  May  26,  1879, 
are  all  at  home.  Edwin  F..  born  March  6, 
1881,  and  Mary  .\.,  born  Fel)ruarv  16.  1883, 
are  teaching  district  schools  and  reside  at 
home.  Frank,  born  July  21,  18S7.  is  also 
at  home.  All  ha\e  received  good  tlistrict 
school  educations. 

As  a  Republican  Mr.  Damman  takes  an 
active  interest  in  local  politics,  and  is  now 
chairman  of  the  township  committee,  but  he 
has  never  sought  nor  desired  public  oftice, 
preferring  to  devote  his  entire  time  and  at- 
tention to  his  business  interests.  His  wife  and 
iwo  daughters  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  Starting  out  in  life  for 
himself  a  poor  boy,  his  success  is  due  to  his 
iiidustry.  perseverance  and  good  manage- 
n^ent.  and  he  justly  deserves  the  prosperity 
that  has  come  to  him.  He  is  highly  respected 
ai:d  esteemed  bv  all  who  know  him. 


.M.l'.FkT  C.  JONES. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  one  of  the 
leading  agriculturists  of  El  Paso  township, 
Woodford  countv.  claims  Illinois  as  his  na- 


6s: 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


live  state.  He  was  Ixtii  in  Trcimnit.  Taze- 
well county,  October  31.  1S53.  and  lielongs 
to  one  of  the  prominent  pioneer  families. 
His  father,  Cushing  Jones,  of  El  I'aso.  was 
Lorn  in  Scituate  Plymouth  county,  Massa- 
chusetts, December  5,  1824.  and  is  a  son  of 
Charles  and  Elizabeth  (  Xichols  )  Jones,  also 
natives  of  Scituate,  the  former  born  in  May, 
1786.  the  latter  in  1783.  Her  ancestors  were 
originally  from  England,  while  the  Jones 
family  was  of  Welsh  descent.  The  great- 
grandfather of  our  subject  was  Thomas 
Jones  also  a  nati\e  of  Massachusetts.  In 
1834  the  grandfather,  Charles  Jones,  came 
west  with  the  Tremont  coliniy,  whicli 
founded  the  tnwn  of  Tremont,  Tazewell 
county,  Illinois,  and  which  was  organized  b\ 
Josiah  L.  James.  John  H.  Harris  and  Will- 
iam Sampson,  all  of  New  York.  The  colony 
was  composed  of  about  thirty  families.  Mr. 
Jones,  his  wife  and  children  went  up  the 
Hudson  river  to  AIban_\-  h\-  railroad,  pro- 
ceeded to  Schenectady,  In-  canal  to  Buffalo, 
the  lake  to  Cleveland,  thmugh  Oliio  bv  the 
Wheeling  canal,  then  down  the  Ohio  river  tn 
Cairo.  Illinois,  and  up  the  Mississipi)i  and 
Illionis  rivers  en  route  fur  Pekin.  but  at  the 
mouth  of  Apple  creek,  near  Jackson\ille,  the 
boat  struck  on  a  sand  bar,  and  the  famih'  was 
forced  to  remain  there  during  the  winter. 
In  the  spring  of  1835,  '^liey  settled  at  Tre- 
mont. Inhlding  the  first  house  at  that  place. 
There  Charles  Jones  engaged  in  farming  for 
some  years.  He  died  at  Streator.  Illinois,  in 
1874,  and  his  wife  passed  away  at  Kappa, 
Woodford  county,  in  1862.  In  their  familv 
were  six  children,  all  of  whom  made  their 
home  in  Illinois. 

Cushing  Jones,  the  youngest  and  onlv 
surviving  memebr  of  the  family,  remained  a 
resident  of  Tremont  until  1853.  when  he 
moved  to  Woodford  countv,  having  entered  a 


tract  of  government  lanfl  on  section  _>i.  El 
I'aso  township,  the  year  previous,  when  the 
Illinois  Central  Railrf)ad  was  started,  during 
the  first  sale  of  land  in  that  section.  There  he 
built  a  small  house,  hauling  the  lumber  fmni 
Pekin.  It  was  the  first  house  within  three 
miles  of  the  present  site  of  El  Pasn.  When  lie 
located  here  wolves  and  deer  were  as  ])lenti- 
ful  as  domestic  animals  are  to-day.  His  farm 
consisting  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  unlirnken  prairie  land,  he  at  once  com- 
menced to  improve  and  cultivate,  and  he  con- 
tniued  its  operation  until  1897.  making  his 
li(.me  in  one  house  for  thirtv-two  vears.  In 
1897  he  purchase<l  ])roperty  in  El  Pa.so, 
where  he  is  now  practical!}-  living  a  retired 
life,  though  he  still  has  a  nmnber  of  invest- 
ments lie  looks  after.  He  was  married, 
April  6,  1848,  to  Charlotte  Brooks,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Brooks,  of  Hano\-er.  Massa- 
chusetts, who  came  to  Illinois  in  1837  and 
settled  in  Pekin.  B}-  this  union  were  born 
nine  children,  naniel)' :  Thomas,  who  died  in 
infanc}-:  John,  a  resident  of  Saxonv.  Rice 
count}-,  Kansas;  .\lbert  C..  our  suliiect; 
William  C.  who  was  killed  li\-  an  accident 
in  an  ele\ator  in  El  Paso:  Fred,  a  resident  of 
Hudson,  AIcLean  count}-  Illinois;  Lizzie, 
wife  of  Joseph  Wadsw-orth.  of  El  Paso; 
Frank,  a  resident  of  the  same  place;  Mary, 
at  home;  and  Perrv,  deceased. 

During-  his  bo^-hood  and  \-outli  Allien  C 
Jones  attended  the  public  schools  of  Wood- 
ford Count}',  and  became  familiar  with  all 
the  duties  which  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agri- 
culturist. He  has  .'dw-a}-s  been  engaged  in 
farming  in  Illinois,  with  the  exception  of 
th.ree  years,  from  1876  to  1879  spent  in 
Sterling,  Rice  county,  Kansas.  In  1885  he 
located  upon  his  present  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  si.xt}-  acres,  which  is  i)leasantlv  situated 
on  section  4,  El  Paso  township,  a  half  mile 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


653 


nortli  of  tlie  village  of  El  Paso.  His  i)rinci- 
i;al  ])ro(lucts  are  oats  and  corn,  of  which  he 
raises  an  excellent  (|uality  ami  in  larafe  (|nan- 
tities. 

On  the  30th  of  Deceniher.  1S80  Mr. 
Jones  married  Miss  Mary,  danghter  of  r>.  S. 
Hoper.  of  El  Paso.  They  lia\e  an  ado])ted 
danghter.  Cora  Beatrice.  Mr.  Jones  is  a  sup- 
porter of  the  Prohihition  |)arty  and  an  active 
and  consistent  nieniher  of  tlic  Ilajitist  clnnxli 
c.i  El  Pa.so. 


JO.SRIMI  P..  SCHWI'-.IZKR. 

Wdodfdrd  count}'  has  no  more  enter])ris- 
ing  or  progressixe  l)usiness  man  than  Jose])!! 
B.  Schweizer.  of  the  tirni  of  Scliweizcr  iK: 
Huffman,  well-known  general  mercjiants  of 
Panola.  He  was  horn  in  that  village.  Septem- 
her  I.  1S70.  a  son  of  John  and  .\nna 
(  Storm  )  Schweizer.  ihe  father  was  a  native 
of  (iermanv.  his  l)irth  lia\ing  occurred  in 
.\ullen.  .\])ril  _>o.  iS^S.  Determined  to  try 
l",is  fortune  in  America,  he  crossed  the  .At- 
lantic in  1868  and  ])rocecding  at  once  to  Illi- 
nois he  located  in  the  \illage  of  Panola. 
Woodford  count\'.  1  la\ing  learned  the  shoe- 
maker's trade  in  his  nati\e  land,  he  o])ened  a 
sho])  in  Panola  and  engaged  in  that  husiness 
until  1875,  ^vhen  he  turned  his  attention  to 
mercantile  pursuits,  conducting  a  general 
store  the  first  door  south  of  the  huilding  now 
occupied  by  our  suhjcct.  He  continued  in 
active  husiness  along  that  line  until  his  death. 
which  occurred  June  21,  1898.  He  had  tlie 
(  nl\-  store  in  Panola  for  about  ten  years,  and 
for  about  the  .same  length  of  time  he  was  also 
engagcfl  in  the  grain  and  coal  husiness.  For 
three  terms  he  served  as  tax  collector  of  Pan- 
ola township  and  held  several  other  political 
positions.     By  his  ballot   he  supported   the 


men  and  measures  of  the  Democratic  party. 
In  his  family  were  four  children,  namely: 
I'arbara.  wife  of  John  Koch,  of  Benson, 
Illinois:  Mary,  wife  of  William  McGraw. 
of  Sccor.  Illinois:  Jose])h  P...  our  subject; 
and  Katie,  wife  of  John  Koch,  Jr..  of  Panola. 

Joseph  B.  Schweizer  was  reareil  in  Panola 
and  educated  in  its  public  schools.  He  was 
associated  with  his  father  in  business  until 
the  latter's  death,  and  thus  gained  a  jiractical 
knowledge  of  commercial  affairs.  In  1898 
when  the  estate  was  settled  up  he  took  charge 
of  the  .store  in  partnership  with  .V.  W.  Huff- 
man, and  under  the  lirni  name  of  Schweizer 
&  Huffman,  they  ha\e  carried  on  the  business 
ever  since.  They  ha\e  a  large  and  well  se- 
lected stock,  carrying  a  complete  line  of  all 
goods  usually  foimd  in  a  general  store.  Bv 
fair  and  honoraljle  d-ealing  they  have  built 
up  an  excellent  trade  and  receive  a  liberal 
share  of  the  iniblic  patronage. 

On  the  4th  of  !\Iay,  1890,  Mr.  Schweizer 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Bertha 
Welte,  a  daughter  of  Sebastian  Welte.  of 
I'anola  townshi]),  and  b\-  this  union  ha\e 
been  born  four  children,  namely:  Frank, 
nianchc.  Walter  and  John.  Politically  Mr. 
Schweizer  is  identified  with  the  Democratic 
])arty.  and  socially  affiliates  with  the  Court 
of   I'lon^.r. 


JOHN  I..  W.\RXFK. 

l-"or  o\er  half  a  century  this  gentleman 
has  made  his  home  in  Woodford  county,  and 
lor  manv  vears  was  actively  identified  with 
its  agricultural  interest,  but  is  now  li\ing  a 
retired  life  in  the  village  of  Secor.  He  was 
born  in  X'orthamiiton  county,  Pennsylvania, 
.\pril  29,  182J,  and  is  a  son  of  John  R.  and 
Sarah    (Konkler)    Warner,  also  natives  of 


654 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


the  Keystone  state.  The  father  followed  the 
boot  and  shoe  maker's  trade  throughout  his 
active  business  life.  In  1837  he  moved  U>  Ui- 
nois,  and  first  located  in  Clark  county,  hut  in 
1949  came  to  Woodford  county  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  Palestine  township,  where 
he  made  his  home  until  called  from  this  life 
at  the  age  of  sixty-five  }-ears.  His  wife  sur- 
\ived  him  some  time,  and  died  on  the  home 
farm  at  the  age  of  eighty-one.  Both  were  laid 
to  rest  in  the  cemetery  of  Palestine  town- 
ship. They  were  consistent  and  faithful 
members  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  he 
was  a  Democrat  in  politics.  A  public-spirited 
man,  he  took  an  active  interest  in  all  that 
tended  to  the  impnnement  anil  development 
of  his  county.  In  the  family  \\ere  ele\-en 
children,  of  whom  our  subject  is  third  in 
(.rder  of  birth.  Four  of  the  number  are  still 
living. 

Icihn  L.  Warner  came  with  his  parents  to 
Illinois  in  1837,  and  obtained  his  earlv  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  Clark  coun- 
t\-.  He  remained  at  home  with  his  parents 
until  twenty  years  of  age,  working  on  the 
larm  which  his  father  had  purchased.  On 
attaining  his  majority  he  left  the  parental 
rrof  and  for  some  years  worked  by  the  month 
m  Illinois.  Coming  to  Woodford  county,  in 
1849,  he  purcha.sed  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  on  sections  9  and  10,  Pales- 
tine township,  and  as  it  was  then  all  wild 
land,  he  made  many  improvements  on  the 
place,  erecting  a  good  and  substantial  dwell- 
ing, barns  and  other  liuildings,  finally  bring- 
ing the  entire  farm  imder  a  high  state  of 
cultivation.  At  the  end  of  about  six  years  he 
sold  that  place  and  bought  another  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  on 
section  15,  the  same  township.  Here  he  also 
made  many  improvements,  Init  in  iS^d  sold 
the  place  and  purchased  a  part'aily  imi)roved 


farm  on  sections  15  and  16,  Palestine  town- 
ship. He  erected  additional  buildings,  and 
continued  the  further  improvement  and  cul- 
tivation of  that  place  until  1892,  when  he 
nio\-ed  to  the  village  of  Secor  and  purchased 
for  himself  a  home, where  is  is  now  enjoying 
a  well-earned  rest,  surrounded  by  all  the  com- 
forts of  life. 

On  the  15th  of  September,  1850,  Mr. 
Warner  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
S^'rena  Potter,  a  nati\e  of  Indiana,  and  a 
daughter  of  Ejjhraim  and  Elizabeth  (Hed- 
drick)  Potter.  Her  father  was  born  in  North 
Carolina  and  at  an  early  day  moved  to  In- 
diana. He  afterward  came  to  Illinois,  where 
both  he  and  his  wife  died.  By  occupation  he 
was  a  farmer.  Mrs.  Warner  died  in  Palestine 
townshi]),  in  .\pril,  1892,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
seven  years.  She  was  a  devoted  wife  and 
loving  mother,  and  was  highly  respected  and 
esteemed  bv  all  who  kno\\-  her.  Six  children 
were  born  to  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  \\'arner.  namely: 
Lewis  C  born  in  Woodford  county,  is  an 
invalid  residing  with  his  father  in  Secor; 
Handle}'  C.  a  grocer  of  Peoria,  married  Nel- 
lie Barraga.  and  the}-  have  one  child.  John ; 
Elizabeth  and  Simon  both  died  in  infancy: 
Marion  P.  is  a  resident  of  Missouri;  and 
Emily  R.  is  at  home  with  her  father. 

Mr.  Warner  was  a  member  of  the 
Tvlounted  Rifles  in  the  Mexican  war,  and  was 
in  active  service  in  1847  and  1848.  during 
which  time  he  had  the  misfortune  to  k  ise  the 
sight  of  his  right  eye.  Since  attaining  his 
majority  he  has  alifiliated  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  but  has  never  cared  for  the  hon- 
ors or  emoluments  of  public  office.  He  is  an 
advocate  of  all  measures  that  would  advance 
the  interests  of  the  community  in  which  he 
lives,  and  through  his  industry  and  perse- 
\erance  has  assisted  in  making  the  county 
what  it  is  to-day,  one  of  the  richest  agricul- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


653 


tiiral  districts  in  tlie  state,  .\tter  a  life  of 
industry,  he  is  now  li\ing  retired  at  his  pleas- 
j'.nt  home  in  Secor,  and  is  numbered  amonsj 
its  liighly  respected  citizens,  well  wortliy  of 
representation  in  the  l)in<jra])liical  record  of 
Woodford  county. 


JOSIATT  FiSHKR. 

This  well  known  and  highly  respected  cit- 
izen of  Greene  township.  Woodford  county, 
Illinois,  whose  home  is  on  section  4.  was 
l.r.rn  in  Lancaster  count)-,  I'ennsvlvania,  on 
the  _'4th  of  September,  182O,  and  is  a  son  of 
George  and  Xancy  (Heastent)  Fisher,  life- 
long residents  of  that  state.  The  mother 
died  when  (|uite  \-oung.  hut  the  father  H\ei! 
to  the  advanced  age  of  eighty  years.  Ho 
was  a  farmer  and  distiller  and  followed  that 
occupation  for  many  years. 

Our  subject,  who  was  the  onl_\"  child  of 
this  worthy  couple.  pin\sued  his  studies  in 
the  common  schools  of  his  native  countv, 
and  continued  to  make  his  home  tlierc  until 
twenty-two  vears  of  age.  ( )n  tlic  iitli  of 
Ma\'.  1849  he  migrated  ti  1  Illinois  and  lirst 
located  in  Peoria,  where  he  worked  at  his 
trade  of  a  plasterer  for  nine  or  ten  years. 
Coming  to  Woodford  county,  in  1859.  he 
has  since  resided  ujion  his  ])resent  farm  on 
section  4.  CIreene  township,  and  has  success - 
tully  carried  on  general  farming  and  stock 
raising.  Out  of  what  was  once  wild  land  he 
as  developed  a  good  farm,  and  has  erected 
thereon  large  and  substantial  residence,  barn 
and  other  buildings.  His  home  farm  consists 
of  eighty  acres,  but  elsewhere  in  the  lownshi]) 
he  has  two  hundred  acres  of  rich  and  arable 
land,  all  of  which  ))roi)erty  has  been  ac(|uired 
through  his  perse\erance,  indnstrj'  and  good 
n.anaeement. 


In  1847.  Mr.  Fisher  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Eliza  M.  Brown,  also  a  na- 
tive of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  who 
died  at  their  home  in  Greene  township,  in 
1896  beloved  by  all  who  knew  her.  Her  re- 
mains were  interred  in  the  El  Paso  cemetery. 
By  this  union  were  born  three  chldren :  Ben- 
jamin, a  farmer  of  Greene  township,  married 
Kate  Ettenberg,  and  they  have  four  chil- 
dren. Jessie,  Alta.  Frederick  and  Frank: 
Thaildeus  is  single  and  resides  at  home; 
Sarah  Ann  is  the  wife  of  Levi  Stumbaugh,  a 
retired  farmer  and  prominent  citizen  of  El 
i'aso. 

Mr.  I*"isher  has  served  as  road  commis- 
sioner for  two  terms  hut  has  never  sought 
public  ofiice.  He  is.  ho\\e\er,  enterprising 
and  public-spirited  and  advocates  all  meas- 
i.res  tending  to  ad\ance  and  improve  the  dis- 
trict in  which  he  resides.  He  has  watched 
with  interest  the  wonderful  changes  made  in 
the  country  during  the  past  forty  years,  ami 
has  always  borne  his  part  of  the  work  of 
jirogress.  He  is  therefore  numbered  among 
the  most  \alual)le  and  useful  men  as  well  as 
(  ne  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  citizens  of 
his  adopted  county. 


(iEORGE  JOHNSON. 

The  subiect  of  this  review  has  made 
i:irniing  his  chief  occupation  through  life 
thus  far.  and  has  become  one  of  the  most 
thorough  and  practical  agriculturalists  of 
i 'anola  township,  Woodford  county,  Illi- 
nois. He  was  born  in  Tazewell  county,  this 
state.  October  2\,  i860,  but  since  the  age  of 
eight  years  has  made  his  home  in  Woodford 
ci'inuy. 

His  father,  Andrew  Johnson,  was  Ixirn 


656 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


in  Hanover,  Germany,  December  10.  1827, 
and  heinj^  left  an  orplian  at  the  age  (it  three 
years,  lie  was  forced  to  earn  liis  own  li\eH- 
liood  earlv  in  hfe.  He  was  reared  to  farm 
labor,  and  as  he  had  to  sui)port  himself  as 
son  as  old  enough  he  receix'ed  but  a  \ery 
limited  education.  In  1853  he  took  (jassage 
en  a  sailing  \'essel  bnund  from  Bremen  to 
the  L'nited  States,  and  after  a  \Myage  of 
se\en  weeks  landed  on  American  soil.  He 
first  located  in  Tazewell  countv,  Illinnis.  and 
as  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land  he  accepted 
any  employment  he  could  hnd,  working  as 
a  farm  hand  and  also  on  the  railroad  for  two 
years.  Jn  1868  he  came  to  Panola  town- 
.^hip.  Woodford  county,  and  tonk  up  his 
residence  on  the  farm  still  occupied  li\-  the 
family.  When  he  located  here  it  was  all 
\vild  land.  Init  under  his  able  management 
acre  after  acre  was  placed  imder  the  plow, 
and  in  time  the  wdiole  tract  was  transformed 
into  a  \aluable  and  well  improved  farm, 
It  comprises  .three  hundred  acres,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  desiral)le  farms  of  the  lo- 
cality. Mv.  Johnson  dieil  December  4,  1896. 
He  was  an  earnest  member  of  the  German 
Lutheran  church,  was  upright  and  honorable 
in  all  his  dealings,  and  his  wurd  was  consid- 
ered as  good  as  his  bond.  In  politics  he  was 
a  Democrat,  and  for  many  years  he  efficientl\- 
ser\ed  as  school  director,  making  it  a  point 
to  maintain  good  schools.  ( )n  the  14th  of 
April,  1859,  he  wedded  Miss  Mar}-  (iibson, 
a  native  of  Jo  Daviess  county,  Illinois,  who 
departed  this  life  in  1890.  To  them  were 
born  nine  children,  tw'o  of  whom  died  in 
infancy.  The  others  are  ]Melinda,  wife  of 
(Jscar  Cotton,  of  El  Paso;  George,  oin-  sub- 
ject: Isaac,  a  resident  of  Woodford  counts': 
Sarah,  widow  of  James  Co\-erly  :  Tina,  who 
died  July  19,  1888;  Charles  and  Arthur. 
On  the  home  farm  George  Johnson  grew 


lo  manhood,  earl\-  becoming  familiar  witli 
all  the  duties  which  fall  to  the  lot  of  the 
auricultiu-ist,  and  acquiring  his  literary  edu- 
c.'.tion  in  the  ])ulilic  schools  of  the  neighbor- 
I'.odd.  1  le  owns  and  operates  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  four  acres  of  as  hue  land  as  is 
to  lie  seen  within  the  limits  nf  I'anola  town- 
ship, and  is  meeting  with  well  deserved  suc- 
cess in  his  chosen  calling,  fie  is  one  of 
Wooilford  count\''s  most  progressive  and 
imlilic-spirited  men,  and  is  widely  and  fa\- 
orably  known.  On  the  29th  of  March,  1892, 
-Mr.  Johnson  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Leona,  daughter  of  Charles  McHugh, 
of  Greene  township,  Woodford  county,  and 
til  them  ha\'e  been  liorn  three  children,  as 
lolliiws:     Annie.  Beatrice  and  Cecil. 


^IICHAIH.    FITZGERALD,    Sr. 

Michael  Fitzgerald,  Sr.,  is  a  typical  rep- 
resentative of  that  steady  class  of  upright, 
fionorable  men  who  make  up  the  best  por- 
tion of  an  agricultural  community.  They 
usually  become  well-to-do  citizens  and  take 
an  acti\e  part  in  the  tipbuilding  and  (le\el- 
ii])ment  of  their  township  and  county. 

Oiu'  subject  was  born  in  P>allingary. 
count}-  Tipperar}-,  Ireland,  April  16,  1830, 
and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Margaret 
i  Hackett )  Fitzgerald,  also  natives  of  that 
coimtv,  where  the  father  died  in  early  life, 
The  mother  afterward  came  to  America, 
w  here  she  spent  her  last  years,  departing"  this 
life  at  El  Paso.  Illinois.  In  her  family  were 
eight  children. 

In  his  natixe  land  ^Michael  Fitzgerakl 
passed  his  bo}'hood  and  youth,  and  was  there 
educated  in  the  national  schools.  In  1849 
be  crossed  the  broad  .\tlantic  to  America,- 


i 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


657 


and  after  traveling  considerahh-  in  various 
parts  of  tlie  country  for  al)<)ut  six  years,  he 
came  to  El  Paso.  Illinois,  in  1851).  With 
the  \ie\v  of  making  Woodford  counts  hi> 
home  he  purchased  (jne  hundred  and  iweiUy 
acres  of  land  from  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road Com])any.  which  at  that  time  was  wild. 
unbrokeu  prairie,  and  to  its  improvement 
and  cnltixation  he  at  once  tin'ne<l  his  atten- 
tion. In  his  labors  he  met  with  excellent 
success,  anil  now  has  one  of  the  linesi  farm.-, 
ir,  his  sectit)!!  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Eitzgerald  was  married.  January  31, 
i.S58,  to  Miss  l-.lizaheth  Smith,  of  lllooming- 
toii,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  I'-lizabeth  ( ( Rea- 
son )  Smith,  who  died  in  x:ounly  Tii)i)erary, 
Ireland,  of  which  place  they  were  born  na- 
tives. To  our  subject  and  his  wife  were 
born  eight  children,  namely  :  William,  a 
resident  of  [-".l  Paso;  Daniel,  of  lUooming- 
tou ;  'riionias.  at  home;  Timoth)-.  of  St. 
Louis:  .Margaret,  wife  of  Owen  Kippen- 
brock,  of  Mohnrn.  Missouri:  J'atrick,  de- 
ceased :  .Michael  .and  El.izabeth,  both  at  home. 
I'oliticall)-  Mr.  b'itzgerald  is  a  stanch  sup- 
jji-rter  of  the  Democratic  jjarty  and  its  prin- 
ciples, and  he  is  justly  regardetl  as  one  of 
the  most  useful  and  honored  citizens  of  El 
J^aso  township. 


WESLI-.N     W.    DLX.MlUi:. 

This  well  known  agriculturist,  residing 
on  section  2^.  JCl  ]'aso  township.  WHodford 
county.  Illinois,  was  born  in  Cambria  countv, 
J'enn.sylvania.  December  7.  1857.  and  is  a 
son  of  Daniel  and  Maria  (  Raubaugh  )  Dun- 
mire,  the  former  also  a  nati\e  of  I'emisyl- 
vania.  born  in  i8jj.  The  mother  was  born 
in  Ciermany.  in  183J,  but  was  onlv  tun  \ears 
old  when  lirought  to  the  United  States.  Thcj' 
were  married  in  Cambria  count\',   I'emisxl- 


vania.  the  lather  being  owner  of  one  of  the 
large  nulls  of  that  locality  for  several  years. 
In  connection  with  its  operation  he  worked 
ai  the  carpenter's  trade,  farming  I)ut  little 
in  that  state.  hi  1866  he  came  to  Wood- 
tord  coniuy,  Illinois,  and  purchased  three 
lumdred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  on  sec- 
tions J5  and  ^](k  VA  Paso  township,  which  at 
that  time  was  only  ])artially  iinpro\ed.  lie 
located  on  section  _'3,  and  to  the  further  de- 
velopment ami  culii\ation  of  Iris  land  he  at 
once  turned  his  attention,  lie  laid  many 
rods  of  tiling,  erected  good  buildings  and 
otherwise  im|)roved  his  place.  .\lwa\s  a 
\ery  hard-working  man,  he  carried  on  fann- 
ii  g  (|uite  extensively  and  met  with  marked 
success  in  his  undertakings.  In  his  declin- 
ing years  he  is  now  enjoying  a  well-earned 
rest  at  his  pleas;int  home  in  Xormal,  Illinois, 
lie  was  formerly  a  ]\e])ublicaii  in  ])olitics, 
but  now  >upporls  the  Prohibition  parly,  and 
while  li\iiig  in  the  county  he  was  oriiciallv 
connected  with  the  school  interests  of  \\'in)d- 
ford  county.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  act- 
ive workers  in  the  Evangelical  church,  and 
are  held  in  the  highest  respect  liy  all  who 
know  them. 

To  them  were  born  nine  children,  three  '>f 
whom  are  deceased.  Two  died  in  infancy, 
antl  Mary,  wife  of  Isaac  Pringle,  has  al.so 
pa.sesd  away.  Those  living  are  Joseph  W., 
.1  farmer  of  Palestine  township,  Woodford 
comity:  Lucy,  wife  oi  Richard  Box'd.  a 
f.irmer  of  Mt.  X'ernon,  Illinois;  Wesley  W.. 
our  subject;  Hattie,  wife  of  C.  D.  Pierce,  a 
retired  citizen  of  Xormal;  I'rank,  who  oper- 
ates a  part  of  his  father's  farm  in  El  Paso 
township;  and  Isora,  wife  of  Xew  ton  Savior. 
;i  retired  citizen  of  Xormal. 

The  subiect  of  this  .sketch  is  indebted  to 
district  scliools  of  El  Paso  township  for 
ins  educational  advantages.     He  has  always 


6;8 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


lived  on  the  old  homestead,  assisting  in  plac- 
ing the  land  under  cultivation  and  otherwise 
improving  it.  Since  reaching  manhood  he 
has  oiierated  a  part  of  the  farm  on  his  own 
account,  renting  it  from  his  father,  and  is 
successfully  engaged  in  general  farming  and 
Slock  raising. 

In  1887  Mr.  Dunmire  married  iNIiss  Hat- 
tie  Betz,  who  was  born  in  Greene  ttnvnship, 
\\'oodford  county,  in  uly,  1863,  a  daughter 
01  Jacob  and  Susanna  Betz.  The  father 
died  in  1895,  but  the  mother  is  still  living, 
and  now  makes  her  home  in  El  Paso.  Mrs. 
Dunmire  has  three  sisters,  namely :  Mary, 
wife  of  W.  A.  Renii,  a  merchant  and  real  es- 
ti'te  dealer  of  \\"ell.ington,  Kansas;  Delia, 
wife  of  Alonzo  Stretch,  of  El  Paso,  both  of 
v.honi  are  exangelists,  she  being  a  preacher, 
her  husband  a  musician;  and  Dora,  wife  of 
O.  S.  Kring,  of  El  Paso  township.  Our 
subject  and  his  wife  have  one  son,  Ralph  R., 
now  twelve  years  of  age,  who  is  being  edu- 
cated in  the  district  schools. 

Politically  Mr.  Dunmire  is  a  Republican, 
and  he  has  served  as  school  director  for  sev- 
eral years.  Both  he  and  his  wife  hold  mem- 
bership in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
are  teachers  in  the  Sunday  school,  and  take 
an  active  part  in  all  church  work.  He  is 
also  serving  as  one  of  the  trustees  and  di- 
rectors of  the  church.  They  are  \videI3'  and 
favorably  known,  and  have  many  friends  in 
the  community  where  they  have  so  long  made 
ti^eir  hoi'ne. 


W.  C.  HOGELUCHT. 

Among  the  more  prominent  and  enter- 
prising farmers  of  Greene  township,  Wood- 
ford county,  who  are  of  alien  birth,  is  the 
S'entleman   whose   name   heads   this   sketch. 


Like  others  of  his  countrymen,  lie  has 
brought  to  the  new  world  the  habits  of  econ- 
omy and  frugality  which  are  inherent  char- 
acteristics of  his  native  land,  and  the  exer- 
cise of  which,  accompanied  by  industry  and 
good  management,  have  secured  for  him  a 
comfortable  competence.  He  now  owns  and 
occupies  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
eighty-five  acres  of  land  on  section  18, 
Greene  township. 

i\Ir.  Hogelucht  was  born  in  Friesland, 
Germany,  in  1830,  son  of  Carl  W.  and  Tatye 
(Redenius)  Hogelucht,  also  natives  of  that 
country,  where  the  mother  died,  after  wdiich 
the  father  married  again.  He  came  to  Amer- 
ica and  lived  to  the  age  of  sixty-five  years. 
Our  subject  received  a  good  practical  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  and  a  gymnas- 
ium in  Germany,  and  during  his  youth  as- 
sisted his  father  in  the  work  of  the  home 
farm.  In  1S54  he  came  to  the  United  States 
on  a  sailing  vessel,  and  after  nine  weeks 
spent  upon  the  water  landed  in  New  Orleans, 
whence  he  came  by  boat  up  the  Mississippi 
and  Illinois  rivers  to  Peoria.  After  a  short 
stay  in  that  city  he  w-ent  to  Tazewell  county, 
Illinois,  and  rented  a  farm  near  Washington, 
which  he  operated  one  year. 

Air.  Hogelucht  was  then  joined  Iiy  bis  fa- 
ther, who  had  just  come  to  America  .and  t(j- 
gether  they  b(jught  an  unimproved  farm  in 
Greene  township,  Woodford  county,  but 
after  two  years  our  subject  sold  his  interest 
in  the  place  and  purchased  one  iiundred  and 
twenty-five  acres  of  his  present  farm  on  sec- 
tion 18,  to  which  he  has  since  added  until  he 
now  has  two  hundred  and  eighty-five  acres. 
When  he  located  thereon  it  was  all  wild  land, 
but  by  persistent  and  untiring  effort  he  has 
coverted  it  into  one  of  the  most  highly  culti- 
vated tracts  in  the  township.  The  buildings 
and  other  impro\-enients  on  the  place  are  in 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


659 


first  class  condition,  and  stand  as  monnnients 
to  liis  tln^ift  and  enterprise. 

At  Metaniora,  ]\Ir.  Hogelnclit  married 
Mrs.  Gertie  (Jolmson)  Redenins,  widow  of 
Harm  Redenius,  liy  whom  she  liad  four  cliil- 
dren,  namely :  Helen  first  married  Jacob 
Monk,  a  farmer  by  whom  she  had  four  chil- 
dren, Harm,  W'ilk.  Gertie  and  Getke,  and 
for  her  second  husband  married  William 
Webber,  by  whom  she  has  had  three  chil- 
dren, John,  Fritz  and  Johanna.  Mrs.  Web- 
ber died  about  eight  years  ago  and  was  bur- 
ied in  Greene  township  cemetery.  Johanna 
is  the  wife  of  Albert  Sathofif,  a  farmer  of 
Kansas,  and  they  have  a  large  family  of  chil- 
dren. John  is  a  farmer  of  Wisconsin. 
Harm  is  a  prominent  farmer  and  stock  raiser 
of  Greene  township,  where  he  owns  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  acres  on 
section  7.  He  married  Wilbelmina  Flor,  and 
they  have  nine  children.  Mrs.  Hogcluclu, 
who  was  a  devoted  wife  and  loving  mother, 
died  November  3,  1894,  and  was  buried  in 
the  Lutheran  church  yard  cemetery  in  Greene 
township.  She  was  a  faithful  member  of 
that  church  and  took  an  active  interest  in 
itf  work. 

Mr.  Hogelucht  has  never  cared  for  po- 
litical preferment,  though  as  a  public-spirit- 
ed and  progressive  citizen,  he  takes  a  deep 
interest  in  all  that  tends  to  improve  his  town- 
ship and  county  and  has  done  all  in  his  power 
to  promote  the  general  welfare  of  his  com- 
munity. He  is  widely  and  favorably  known 
and  his  friends  are  many  throughout  Wood- 
ford count  V. 


A.  B.  TURNER. 

This  gentleman,  who  is  recognized  as  one 
of  the  leading  farmers  of  El  Pa.so  township. 
Woodford  county,  and  one  of  the  first  to  give 


his  supjjort  to  any  enterprise  for  the  advance- 
ment of  the  people  of  his  community,  was 
broil  in  Eaton,  Ohio,  Nmember  19,  1840, 
a  sou  of  John  and  Rebecca  (Berry)  Turner. 
The  father,  who  was  al.so  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation, was  born  in  Rockingham  county, 
\'irginia,  of  Scotch  ancestry,  and  died  in 
1843,  'I'  ab(nit  the  age  of  thirty-three  years. 
The  mother  was  born  in  1815.  in  Fairfield 
county,  Ohio,  and  belongs  to  one  of  the  old- 
est families  of  that  state.  Her  ancestors  were 
early  residents  of  Pennsylvania,  and  later  of 
Virginia,  from  which  state  they  moved  to 
Ohio  in  1800,  making  the  trip  down  the  river 
in  a  flat  boat.  After  the  death  of  I\Ir.  Tur- 
ner she  returned  to  I'airfiekl  county,  where 
she  still  resides  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty- 
live  vears.  By  her  tirsl  marriage  she  had  i\\{^ 
cildren,  Jacob,  K.  C,  Joseph,  A.  B.,  and 
Peter,  all  of  whom  ser\x'il  in  the  army  during 
the  Ci\il  war  except  Jacob.  E.  C.  was 
wounded  at  Franklin  and  is  now  deceased; 
Joseph  and  Jacob,  now  living  in  Bremen, 
i'airfield  county,  Ohio;  .V.  B.,  our  subject, 
is  next  in  order  of  birth ;  and  Peter,  who  re- 
sitles  in  Lancaster,  Ohio.  Joseph,  Peter  and 
A.  15.  all  served  in  Company  A,  Seventeenth 
Oiiio  \'olunteer  Infantry.  For  her  second 
husband  the  mother  married  John  Shoemak- 
er, by  whom  she  has  nine  children,  namely : 
Mary,  wife  of  John  Syfert,  who  was  also 
a  member  of  Company  .\,  Seventeenth  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  is  now  a  resident  of 
Bremen,  Fairfield  county;  Martha,  wife  of 
Aaron  Lutz,  a  member  of  the  same  regiment, 
and  a  resident  of  Carroll,  Ohio;  Eli,  a  min- 
ister of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  a 
resident  of  Seneca  county,  Ohio ;  John  W., 
superintendent  of  the  infirmary  in  Van  Wert 
county,  that  state;  William,  a  farmer  of 
Fairfield  county;  Sophia,  now  Mrs.  O'Hare, 
of  Fairfield  countv,  C^hio ;     Anna,  wife  of 


66o 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


Frank  Syfert,  of  Sunnier  cnunty,  Kansas: 
Clare,  wife  of  Daniel  kiiler.  of  \'an  Wert 
county,  (Jliio  ;  and  Sarah,  w  hi  i  <lieil  ;it  the  a^e 
of  six  \ears. 

The  suhject  of  this  sketch  receivetl  liis 
education  in  the  common  scliools  of  Fairfield 
county.  Ohio,  wliere  he  yrew  to  manhood, 
and  while  living'  with  an  uncle  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade.  In  response  to  the  Presi- 
dent's call  for  more  troops,  he  enlisted,  Aug- 
ust to.  i8C)i,  in  Compan\'  A,  Se\enteenth 
CUiio  \  olunteer  Infantry,  which  was  the  first 
reg'inient  to  cross  the  river  into  Kentucky 
from  Cincinnati.  it  did  \alual)le  sersice, 
participating  in  twenty-three  important  en- 
gagements, including  the  hattles  of  Wild 
Cat,  Mill  Springs,  Corinth,  Perryville,  Stone 
River,  Hoo\er's  Gap,  Chickamaiiga,  Brow n's 
Ferry,  Missionary  Ridge,  Resaca,  Kenesaw 
Mountain.  Chattahoucha  River,  near  Atlan- 
ta, Jonesboro,  Waynesboro.  Black  River.  Sa- 
vannah, Fayetteville,  Bentonville,  Goldsboro, 
Smithfield  and  Raleigh.  At  Mission- 
ary Ridge  ]\lr.  Furner  re-enlisted  to  ser\e 
rmtil  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was  honorably 
discharged  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  July  22,  1865. 
He  was  always  found  at  'his  post  of  duty, 
valiantly  defending  the  old  flag  and  the  cause 
it  represented,  and  ne\er  lost  a  day  during 
his  entire  ser\ice  of  almost  four  years.  }dr. 
Turner  enlisted  as  a  ])ri\ate  and  at  the  time 
of  his  discharge  was  first  sergeant  of  his 
company. 

Returning  to  his  home  Mr.  Turner  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  I'"airheld  county,  Ohio, 
until  1S70,  when  he  came  to  Illinois  and  took 
up  his  residence  in  Panola  township,  Wood- 
ford county,  Init  in  1883  purchased  his  pres- 
ent farm  on  section  33,  1l1  Paso  township,  to 
the  further  impro\ement  and  cultivation  of 
which  he  has  since  de\oted  his  time  and  at- 
tention with  most  gratifying  results.     Flis 


success  in  life  is  due  to  his  own  well-direct- 
ed and  energetic  efforts,  and  his  ])rosj)eritv 
is  certainly  well  merited. 

-Mr.  Turner  was  married,  .\ugust  30. 
iS()0,  to  Alis^  Xanc}-  .\.  lL\'ersole,  of  Fair- 
field county,  (Jhio.  and  they  have  become  the 
l);uents  of  nine  children:  David,  born  June 
-'(),  I  St)/,  died  March  12,  1868.  The  others 
are  (jeorge  T..  born  January  3.  1869.  a  resi- 
dent of  El  I^aso,  township:  Alvin  Perry,  born 
January  3,  1871.  married  Anna  Lambert,  of 
(ireene  township,  and  they  have  one  child. 
Atha  L. :  Martha  E..  Ijorn  December  27, 
1872:  Cora  .Mice.  Iiorn  March  31,  1875;  l'"'"- 
lienton,  born  jul\-  14.  1877;  Carrie  R.,  born 
July  8.  1880;  Frank  E.,  born  May  i.  1883; 
and  Anna  M.,  liorn  March  22,  1SS6. 

In  his  jiolitical  \  iews  Mr.  Turner  is  a 
Prohibitionist,  and  lie  is  an  honored  mem- 
ber of  the  lall  Rogers  Post.  G.  A.  R., 
of  El  Paso.  He  is  a  pleasant,  genial  gentle- 
man, and  through  his  hospitality  has  gath- 
ered roimd  him  man_\-  warm  friends  who  ap- 
l)eciate  his  sterling  worth  an<l  nianv  excel- 
lencies of  character. 

Mrs.  Turner  is  a  daughter  of  David  and 
Jilizabeth  (^filler)  Eversole,  both  natives  of 
Rockingham  county,  A'irginia,  and  botii  of 
old  N'irginian  families.  They  were  married 
in  their  nati\e  state  and  settled  in  Ohio  at 
a  \ery  earl\'  tlate.  He  was  one  t)f  the  pioneer 
stock  dealers  of  Ohio,  in  those  days  called 
"drovers."  He  was  also  engageti  in  farming. 
Ihev  reared  a  family  of  ten  children,  viz.  : 
Maria  married  Joseph  Graham,  deceased,  of 
Colfax,  Fairfield  county,  Ohio;  Henry  mar- 
ried Sarali  Work.who  died  in  Arcola.Illinois. 
in  1899.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that 
part  of  the  state;  Jacob  married  Catharine 
Swartz  and  resides  in  Shelby  county,  Illi- 
nois ;  Elizabeth  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen : 
David  lives  in  \'an  Wert  county,  Ohio ;  Ly- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


66 1 


dia  married  Xewton  Peters,  of  Fairfield 
county,  Ohio;  Emanuel  also  served  in  the 
Seventeenth  Ohio  Regiment.  He  now  oc- 
sides  in  Iroquois  county,  Illinois.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Artz.  John  married  Abbie 
Brown,  of  Fairfield  county,  Ohio;  Xancy, 
wife  of  our  subject;  and  Martha  married 
Jacob  Tidd,  of  Columbus,  Ohio.  The  par- 
ents died  in  Fairfield  county,  Ihio,  in  1881, 
the  lather  in  January,  and  the  mother  in  Oc- 
tober. 


JEREMIAH  RAY. 

The  agricultural  interests  of  \\'oodford 
county  find  a  worthy  representative  in  this 
gentleman,  who  is  now  operating  a  farm  of 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  on  sec- 
tion 14.  Greene  township.  He  is  a  native 
of  the  county,  his  birth  occurring  at  ^leta- 
mora,  July  6,  1839.  During  his  boyhod  and 
youth  he  attended  the  C(.)mmon  schools  and 
also  a  select  school  at  ^letamora,  and  assist- 
ed his  father  on  the  farm. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  George 
and  Jane  (Banta)  Ray,  honored  pioneers  of 
Woodford  county.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, George  Ray,  Sr.,  was  born  and  reared 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  after  reaching  manhood 
went  to  Ohio,  where  the  remainder  of  his 
life  was  passed  as  a  farmer.  He  died  when 
well  advanced  in  years.  The  Ray  family 
came  originally  from  Prussia,  and  with  one 
of  William  Penn's  colony  crossed  the  At- 
lantic in  the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth 
century  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  The 
Bantas  came  to  tliis  country  with  a  Dutch 
colony  that  settled  in  the  city  of  Xew  York 
about  1660.  Our  subject's  maternal  grand- 
father, Jacob  Banta,  was  born  in  Xew  Jer- 
sev,  and  married  Marv  Brewer.     His  father 

36 


and  one  or  two  brothers  were  soldiers  of  the 
Continental  army  during  tiie  Revolutionary 
war. 

George  Ray,  Jr.,  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  March 
II,  1808,  and  remained  on  the  home  place 
until  alxjut  1834,  when  he  traveled  west  on 
horseback,  being  at  that  time  in  ill-health, 
l-lnally,  in  1836,  he  located  on  the  present 
site  of  Metamora,  Woodford  county,  Illi- 
nois, buying  out  an  earlier  settler  who  had  a 
little  land  broken  just  south  of  the  village, 
and  there  he  made  a  home  for  himself  and 
family.  He  made  all  the  improvements 
upon  the  place,  in  the  way  of  buildings,  erect- 
ing a  good  residence  and  large  barn,  and  at 
length  placed  the  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
forty  acres  under  high  cultivation.  He 
bought  other  property  at  different  places, 
and  became  quite  a  large  land  owner  for 
those  days.  In  connection  with  general 
farming  he  engaged  in  cattle  raising  quite 
extensively,  keeping  a  large  herd  on  the 
prairie,  from  which  he  shipped  to  the  Chi- 
cago market.  For  se\-eral  terms  he  served 
a-i  justice  of  the  peace  in  Greene  township, 
and  was  twice  elected  sheriff  of  the  county, 
first  on  the  Democratic  ticket  and  second  on 
an  independent  ticket.  He  was  a  Univer- 
salist  in  religious  faith  and  a  generous  giver 
to  churches  of  all  denominations  in  the  town- 
siiip  where  he  lived.  He  was  a  broad  and 
liberal-minded  man,  who  advocated  all 
measures  that  tended  to  the  advancement  and 
development  of  the  community,  and  was 
oi:e  of  Woodford  county's  most  useful  and 
valued  citizens.  He  died  at  ^letamora,  in 
r^Iarch,  1897,  lacking  only  a  few  days  of 
being  eighty-nine  vears  of  age.  The  mother 
of  our  subject  died  on  the  home  farm  in 
1852,  leaving  nine  children,  six  of  whom  are 
still  living.  Jeremiah  being  the  oldest. 


662 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Jeremiah  Ray  remained  with  iiis  parents 
until  twenty-two  years  of  age,  when  he  en- 
tered the  service  of  his  country  as  one  of  the 
boys  in  bhie  during  tlie  Civil  war.  He  en- 
listed in  May,  1861,  in  Company  G.  Seven- 
teenth Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  which  was 
organized  at  Metamora  and  Eureka,  and  was 
made  sdrgeant  of  his  company.  The  princi- 
pal engagements  in  which  he  took  part  were 
the  battles  of  Fort  Donelson  and  Shiloh,  the 
entire  siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  a  number  of 
skirmishes.  After  three  years  of  faithful 
and  arduous  service  he  was  mustered  out  at 
Springfield,  Illinois,  June,  4,  1864. 

After  being  discharged  Mr.  Ray  returned 
lo  the  home  farm  in  Woodford  county,  and 
tor  a  couple  of  years  operated  a  farm  be- 
longing to  his  father  in  Roanoke  township. 
In  1868  he  married  Harriet  T.  Swallow,  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Nancy  (Wilson) 
Swallow.  Her  father,  who  was  a  native  of 
Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  a  fur- 
niture manufacturer  by  occupation,  came  to 
Illinois  in  1855  and  settled  in  Woodford 
county,  where  he  passed  several  years,  but 
about  twenty-five  years  ago  moved  to  Ford 
county,  where  his  death  occurred.  His 
widow  is  still  living  in  that  county  at  the 
age  of  eighty  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ray  have 
four  children,  namely :  Ernest  L.,  a  real  es- 
tate dealer  of  Chalmers,  White  county,  In- 
diana, married  Belle  Ray,  of  Rossville,  Illi- 
nois, and  they  have  one  child,  Harry ;  .\n- 
gie  is  at  home  with  her  parents;  George  J., 
a  graduate  of  the  State  University,  is  now 
a  civil  engineer  in  the  employ  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  and  resides  at  Carbondale; 
and  Edna  F.  has  for  the  past  three  years 
successfully  taught  the  Willow  Tree  school 
in  Greene  township.  All  were  born  in  ]\Ieta- 
mora. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Rav  located  on 


a  farm  one  mile  north  of  Metamora,  where 
lie  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock 
raising  for  eleven  years.  In  1879,  accom- 
panied by  his  wife  and  four  children,  he 
moved  to  Kansas,  but  after  farming  there 
for  three  years  returned  to  Illinois.  For 
four  years  he  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  Eu- 
reka, then  spent  some  time  in  Panola  town- 
ship, Woodford  county,  and  for  the  past 
eleven  years  has  made  his  home  in  Greene 
township.  He  owns  a  small  farm,  which  he 
rents,  while  he  leases  and  operates  a  tract  of 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres.  Since  the 
war  Mr.  Ray  has  been  identified  with  the 
Republican  party,  but  has  ne\'er  cared  for 
political  favors.  He  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Panola  Baptist  church,  of 
which  he  has  been  a  trustee  for  a  number 
of  years.  He  can  relate  many  interesting 
incidents  connected  with  his  early  life  in 
Woodford  county,  when  the  few  settlers 
were  widely  scattered  and  the  land  was  in 
its  primitive  condition,  and  wolves  and  deer 
were  numerous  as  well  as  smaller  game. 
In  the  work  of  development  and  progress  he 
and  his  family  have  borne  an  active  part, 
and  are  well  worthy  of  representation  among 
the  honored  pioneers  and  highly  respected 
citizens  of  the  county. 


GUSTAVUS  BUTTLER,   M.   D. 

This  well-known  physician  and  snrgeon 
of  Panola,  Illinois,  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Oschatz,  Saxony,  November  9,  1830,  and  be- 
longs to  a  very  old  and  distinguished  family 
of  Germany.  The  Buttlers  (or  Van  But- 
tlers)  trace  their  ancestry  back  to  Gultherus, 
the  youngest  brother  of  Duke  Richard  Van 
Erionne.  who  was  a  descendant   from  one 


{ 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


663 


cii  the  Xorman  dukes  and  was  the  first  1)ut- 
ler  of  Henry  I.  nf  Kn<ila;ul.  lie  was  liorn 
in  1068  and  died  in  1 135.  He  married  Me- 
didda,  daughter  of  King;  Antiochus,  fnmi 
Curien.  whom  he  brouglit  home  wlien  he  re- 
turned from  the  crusade.  His  son,  Achilles 
Buttler,  emigrated  from  England  to  Ger- 
many in  1 164  with  a  colony  of  four  hun- 
dred relatives  and  friends,  being  adherents 
of  Archbishop  Thomas  of  Canterbury.  They 
settled  in  Fulda  province,  in  the  central  part 
of  Germany.  Since  that  time  the  family 
have  largely  lived  in  Germany,  and  lia\e 
most  been  distinguished  soldiers  (jf  various 
rank  in  the  German  army.  The  first  mem- 
bers of  the  family  of  which  we  have  any  rec- 
ord is  twenty-six  generations  remote  from 
Dr.  Buttler,  but  his  descent  can  be  accurately 
traced.  A  genealogical  record  has  been  pre- 
pared by  Rudolph  Buttler,  of  I'ritzler,  Ger- 
many. 

Our  subject's  grandfather,  John  Arden 
August  Buttler,  was  a  prominent  general, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  king's  cabinet. 
Three  of  his  sons  were  soldiers,  including  the 
Doctor's  father.  Captain  Henry  Buttler,  who 
followed  a  military  career  throughout  life, 
and  died  while  in  active  service  of  typhoid 
fever  at  Oschatz.  His  wife,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Ninon  Gilbert,  was  a  native 
of  France. 

Dr.  Buttler  was  the  seventh  child  in  order 
of  birth  in  a  family  of  eight  children,  lie 
obtained  his  literary  education  at  a  gymna- 
sium in  Dresden,  and  then  took  up  the  study 
ot  medicine  at  Leipsic,  Germany,  where  he 
was  graduated  in  1859.  ,  The  following 
year  he  came  to  this  country,  and  first  lo- 
cated in  Newark,  Licking  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  followed  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession for  some  time.  Subsequently  he 
spent  a  short  time  in  Columbus,  that  state, 


and  in  1868  came  to  Woodford  county.  Illi- 
nois. For  a  few  months  he  had  an  office  in 
1"1  Paso,  but  later  in  the  same  year  came  to 
Panola,  where  he  has  since  successfully  en- 
gaged in  practice,  his  patronage  being  quite 
extensive. 

In  1866  Dr.  Buttler  married  Miss  Nata- 
lie Arand,  also  a  native  of  Germany,  and  to 
tliem  were  born  two  children,  namely :  Ida, 
deceased  wife  of  Newton  Sheen,  a  farmer  of 
Woodford  county;  and  Robert,  who  married 
Louisa  Kretsmor,  of  West  \'irginia,  and 
lives  in  Panola.  IVilitically  the  Doctor  is  a 
stanch  Democrat,  and  is  now  serving  his 
third  term  as  township  clerk.  In  religious 
liclief  he  is  a  Catholic.  He  is  a  courteous, 
genial  gentleman  who  wins  many  friends, 
and  has  the  happy  faculty  of  being  able  to 
retain  them. 


HENRY  DIERKIXG. 

No  foreign  element  has  become  a  more 
important  part  in  our  American  citizenship 
than  that  furnished  by  Germany.  The  emi- 
grants from  that  land  have  brought  with 
them  to  the  new  world  the  stability,  enter- 
l^rise  and  perseverance  characteristic  of  their 
jieople  and  have  fused  these  qualities  with  the 
progressiveness  and  indomitable  spirit  of  the 
v.est.  Mr.  Dierking,  the  well-known  banker 
of  Secor.  is  a  worthy  representati\e  of  this 
class. 

He  was  l)orn  on  the  uth  of  April.  1830. 
in  the  province  of  Hanover.  Germany,,  of 
which  his  parents,  Henry  and  Wilhelmina 
(Stunkel)  Dierking,  were  also  natives.  In 
1844  they  brought  their  family  to  the  L'nited 
States  and  settled  in  Lafayette  county,  Mis- 
souri, where  the  father  followed  his  chosen 
occupation,  that  of  farming,  for  a  number  of 


664 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


years.  There  lie  was  killed  during  the  war  of 
the  Rel^ellion  at  the  age  of  about  sixty  years. 
His  wife  survived  him  and  after  his  death 
came  to  Woodford  county,  Illinois,  to  make 
her  home  with  our  subject  in  Secor.  where 
she  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years.  In 
their  family  were  seven  children,  five  S(ins 
and  two  daughters,  of  whom  Henry  is  the 
oldest. 

Our  subject  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  land,  and  as- 
sisted his  father  in  the  labors  of  the  farm. 
He  was  fourteen  years  of  age  when  he  ac- 
companied the  family  on  their  removal  to 
the  United  States,  and  at  their  home  in  :\Iis- 
souri  they  grew  to  manhood.  In  1850  he 
crossed  the  plains  to  California,  traveling 
on  foot  with  a  party,  and  reaching  their 
destination  after  twenty  weeks  spent  upon 
the  road.  ~Mv.  Dierking  remained  in  that 
state  two  years  prospecting  and  mining,  and 
then  returned  to  his  old  home  in  La  Fayette 
countv,  Missouri,  where  he  purchased  a 
farm,  which  he  tilled  until  the  civil  war 
broke  out.  In  1861  he  entered  the  service 
as  cook  for  the  home  guards  and  remained 
with  them  se\-eral  months,  after  which  he 
resumed  farming  in  La  Fayette  county. 
Leaving  home  in  1862,  he  spent  a  couple  of 
years  traveling  over  the  country,  and  in  1865 
located  at  Secor,  Woodford  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  was 
first  engaged  in  general  merchandising  for  a 
number  of  years  and  next  embarked  in  the 
grain  business,  buying  an  elevator,  which 
he  operated  until  the  fall  of  1899,  wdien  he 
sold  the  business  to  Mr.  Felter  and  turned 
his  attention  to  the  banking  business,  be- 
coming proprietor  of  what  is  known  as  the 
Secor  Bank.  He  erecti^d  the  brick  building 
in  which  the  bank  is  now  located  and  is  doing 
a  successful  general  banking  business. 


On  the  loth  of  December,  1852,  in  La 
Fayette  county,  Missouri,  Mr.  Dierking  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary  Wallner, 
a  native  of  Germany,  who  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1852,  her  parents  being  dead.  She 
died  in  Secor  March  19,  1900,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-seven  years  and  one  month,  and  was 
laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  there.  She  was 
a  faithful  member  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church,  a  devoted  mother  and  a  loving  wife 
and  helpmeet,  who  took  a  special  interest  in 
the  work  of  the  church  and  endeared  her- 
self to  all  who  knew  her.  Hers  was  a  well- 
spent  and  useful  life  and  she  left  behind 
many  friends  to  mourn  her  loss.  To  Mr. 
and  j\Irs.  Dierking  were  born  nine  children, 
three  sons  and  six  daughters,  of  whom  Carl 
died  at  the  age  of  six  years,  ^Martin  at  the 
ap-e  of  five  and  one  in  infancy  unnamed. 
Kathleen,  born  in  Missouri,  is  the  wife  of 
Hiram  Flessner,  a  real  estate  dealer  of 
Peoria,  Illinois,  and  they  have  three  children, 
Emma,  Edward  and  Lone.  Edward,  a  mer- 
chant of  Secor,  married  Mrs.  Etta  Smith, 
and  they  have  five  children,  Clara,  Carl, 
Sophia,  Bertha  and  Lora.  Alary  is  the  wife 
of  C.  C.  Herman,  a  prominent  druggist  of 
Secor,  and  they  have  two  children,  Irwin  and 
Edna.  Anna  and  Matilda  are  both  at  home 
and  the  latter  assists' as  bookkeeper  in  the 
bank. 

]\Ir.  Dierking  has  held  the  office  of  trus- 
tee of  the  village  board  for  a  number  of 
years  and  has  been  president  of  the  village 
two  or  three  terms.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  German  Lutheran  church,  wdiich  his 
family  all  attend,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
highly  respected  citizens  of  his  adopted  town. 
When  he  came  to  the  county  there  were  but 
few  improved  farms,  and  he  has  seen  nearly 
all  the  wild  land  transformed  into  a  highly 
cultivated  district.     He  is  one  of  the  men 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


665 


will).  l)y  his  industry  and  perseverance,  lias 
helped  to  make  the  county  what  it  is  to-day, 
and  as  a  useful  and  prominent  citizen  he 
is  well  worthy  of  representation  in  this 
volume. 


MEXRY  SWATSLEV. 

rroniinent  aniont^-  the  representative  citi- 
zens and  respected  and  intluential  men  of 
Greene  township,  Woodford  county,  is  fouml 
tlie  subject  of  this  biographical  notice,  who 
resides  on  section  15.  where  he  has  a  well- 
improved  and  highly  cultivated  farm  of 
eighty  acres.  For  many  years  he  was  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  ])ursuiis.  1)Ut  is  now 
living  a  retired  life. 

.\  native  of  West  \'irginia,  ^[r.  Swats- 
ley  was  horn  in  Augusta  county  May  7, 
1836,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Catherine 
(Haybarger)  Swatsley,  natives  of  the  same 
state.  Tlie  father  spent  the  greater  part  of 
his  life  in  .\ugusta  county,  where  his  birth 
occurred  in  1809,  and  throughout  iiis  active 
business  career  followed  farming  and  stock 
raising.  In  the  fall  of  1856  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois and  took  uj)  his  residence  near  Meta- 
niora  in  Metamora  township,  where  he  pur- 
cha.sed  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres.  He  made  many  improvements  upon 
the  place  and  continued  to  reside  there  until 
well  advanced  in  years,  when  he  went  to 
live  with  his  sons  in  Greene  township,  where 
he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years.  He 
met  witli  success  in  his  farming  operations 
and  accumulated  quite  a  property.  Polit- 
ically he  was  a  Democrat,  and  religiously 
was  a  faithful  and  consistent  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  His  wife  had  died  at 
the  age  of  sixty-three  years  while  they  were 
Ii\'ing  in   Metamora  townshi]).     Thev  were 


the  parents  of  four  children,  wlio  in  order 
of  birth  were  as  follows :  John  has  for 
some  years  engaged  in  farming  in  Nebraska 
and  has  become  a  leader  in  public  life,  hav- 
ing represented  his  district  in  the  state  leg- 
islature. He  is  married  and  has  a  family. 
Henry,  our  subject,  is  the  next  of  the  fam- 
il_\'.  Sarah  married  Jacob  Tool,  a  farmer 
and  stock  raiser  of  Iowa,  and  they  died  leav- 
ing three  children:  James;  .Mrs.  Sylvina 
Whistler,  of  Te.xas;  and  Charles.  George, 
a  resident  of  Gibson  City,  Illinois,  was  en- 
gaged in  milling  for  some  years,  but  is  now 
engaged  in  farming,  which  he  followed 
earlier  in  life.  He  married  Lavina  .\irley 
and  they  have  eight  children. 

Henry  Swatsley  obtained  liis  early  edu- 
cation in  the  subscription  schoolsof  his  birth- 
place. He  was  about  .seventeen  years  of  age 
when  he  came  with  the  l";niiily  to  Illinois 
and  remained  on  the  home  farm  in  Meta- 
mora township  nnlil  t\venl\-  li\e,  when  he 
started  out  in  life  for  himself.  lie  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  that  township,  but  after 
operating  it  for  a  few  years  he  sold  the  place 
and  bou.ght  his  present  farm  of  eight)'  acres 
on  section  15,  Greene  township.  n])on  which 
he  has  since  erected  a  lar.ge  atid  jjle.'isant 
residence,  good  barns  and  other  outbuildings. 
He  successfully  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  stock  raising  for  several  years,  but  has 
now  laid  aside  business  cares  to  enjoy  a  well- 
earned  rest. 

On  the  13th  of  March.  i8f)_>,  in  .Meta- 
mora. Mr.  Swatsley  led  to  the  ni.arria.ge 
altar  Miss  Margaret  Xichols,  who  died  De- 
cember 17.  1884,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  the 
Clayton  church  yard  in  Greene  township. 
She  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  I'aptist 
church  and  a  most  estimable  lady.  .She 
left  seven  children,  all  Imrti  in  W'oodfurd 
countw   namelv:      James,   a    resident    of    EI 


666 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


Paso,  married  Flora  Kippenbrock.  and  tliey 
have  one  child.  Minnie:  ^lary  is  the  wife  of 
C.  H.  Tool,  a  machinist  of  Benson,  Illinois, 
and  they  have  one  son,  Lawrence;  Annie  is 
the  wife  of  Conrad  Otto,  a  farmer  of  Greene 
township,  and  they  have  three  children, 
Charles,  Edna  and  Ina;  Flora  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  Jeter,  a  farmer  on  section  15,  Greene 
township;  Alice  is  the  wife  of  Oscar  Gish, 
a  farmer  of  Greene  township,  and  they  have 
three  children,  Ethel,  Bessie  and  Blanche 
Emma:  Fannie  is  at  home  with  her  father; 
and  John  married  Eliza  Nicholson  and  also 
lives  on  the  home  place. 

Since  attaining  his  majority  Mr.  Swats- 
ley  has  always  affiliated  with  the  Democratic 
party,  and  he  is  now  efficiently  serving  as 
justice  of  the  peace  in  Greene  township, 
which  office  he  has  filled  for  four  vears.  He 
has  also  been  school  director  for  many  years 
and  has  done  much  to  promote  the  educa- 
tional interests  and  secure  a  better  school 
system  for  his  district.  It  is  only  necessary 
to  mention  his  long  and  continuous  public 
service  to  show  the  esteem  in  which  he  is 
held  by  his  fellow  citizens.  In  religious 
belief  he  is  a  Baptist. 


EDWIX   HODGSON. 

This  well-known  and  prominent  importer 
and  dealer  in  horses  at  El  Paso  is  a  native 
of  Illinois,  born  in  Tazewell  county,  January 
I,  1842,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and  Phebe 
(Bennett)  Hodgson,  both  natives  of  Ohio 
and  early  settlers  of  Tazewell  county,  Illi- 
nois. The  Hodgson  family  are  of  English 
descent,  those  coming  from  England  being 
members  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  Our 
subject's  father  was  born  near  Wilmington, 


Ohio,  in  18 15.  anil  was  about  sixteen  yer.rs 
of  age  when  he  came  to  Illinois  with  his 
father,  Amos  Hodgson,  who  settled  in  Taze- 
well county,  and  died  at  the  home  of  his  son 
William  at  about  the  age  of  ninety  years. 
At  an  early  day  the  latter  took  up  govern- 
ment land  and  became  quite  an  e.xtensiv? 
land  owner.  He  continued  to  successfu'.lv 
engage  in  farming  until  seventy-two  years 
of  age,  when  he  moved  to  Hopedale,  Taze- 
well county,  autl  has  since  lived  a  retired 
life.  Politically  he  is  identified  with  the 
Republican  party.  His  \\ife  is  now  de- 
ceased. 

To  this  worthy  couple  were  born  eight 
children,  of  whom  the  eldest  died  in  infancy. 
The  others  are:  Mary  Ann,  wife  of  Daniel 
Hill,  of  El  Paso;  Albert,  a  resident  of  Kan- 
sas; Edwin,  our  subject;  Eliza,  a  resident  of 
Pekin,  Illinois ;  Newton,  of  Des  Moines, 
Iowa;  Emeline,  wife  of  R.  M.  Worley,  of 
Pekin;  and  Elva,  deceased  wife  of  J.  W. 
Craft. 

Edwin  Hodgson  recei\ed  his  education 
in  an  old  log  school-house  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Brushhill  township,  within  eighty 
rods  of  the  house.  There  he  pursued  his 
studies  during  the  winter  season  until 
eighteen  years  of  age.  and  assisted  in  the 
farm  work  through  the  summer  months. 
I'or  the  following  three  years  he  operated  a 
rented  farm  belonging  to  his  father.  In 
November.  1863.  when  only  twenty-one 
years  of  age  Mr.  Hodgson  married  Sarah 
E.  Worley.  then  sixteen.  She,  too,  was  a 
native  of  Tazewell  county,  and  a  daughter 
cf  Simeon  and  Mary  E.  Worley,  who  were 
liorn  in  Ohio,  and  at  an  early  tlay  moved  to 
Tazewell  countv,  this  state.  Mrs.  Worley 
is  now  living  in  El  Paso. 

Soon  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Hodgson 
came  to  Woodford  county  and  located   in 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


667 


Panola  t<n\iisliii).  where  he  hmiyiit  eightx' 
acres  of  land,  ami  his  father  i;a\e  him  fiirt\' 
acres.  inakin<j  one  hnndreil  ami  t\\ent\'  acres 
C)f  well  im])rove(l  land.  lie  ft)llo\ved  farm- 
ing on  this  place  until  coming  to  El  Paso 
in  1 88 1,  since  which  time  he  has  engaged 
exclusively  in  importing  and  dealing  in 
horses.  In  1875  he  liought  his  first  im- 
ported horse,  it  being  a  Xorman  by  the  name 
of  Belgian,  and  the  same  \ear  bought  a 
Clydesdale.  In  1882  he  went  to  luuMpe  and 
made  an  importation  of  fourteen  head  of 
Kormans;  the  fulldwing  vear  iniju^rted 
twenty,  and  in  18S4  thirty-one.  since  then 
his  agents  doing  the  buving  fur  him.  Me 
liuilt  his  present  barn  in  i88j.  and  has  ac- 
commodations for  about  one  hundreil  head 
of  stock.  He  is  a  progressive  and  energetic 
bi:siness  man.  and  has  met  with  marked  suc- 
cess in  his  luidertakings.  having  gained  a 
handsome  ciim])etence  l)y  his  well-directed 
efforts. 

Mr.  Hodgson  lost  his  first  wife  in  1876. 
and  of  the  eiglit  children  born  to  them  foiu" 
daughters  dide  in  infancv.  Those  li\ing 
are:  William  I'".,  who  ser\ed  as  deputv 
county  treasurer  for  four  years,  and  is  n^w 
assistant  cashier  of  the  First  National  ]>ank, 
of  El  Paso;  Lester  E.,  a  resident  of  Idaho: 
Eugene  M..  a  druggist  of  Minonk.  Illinois; 
and  Charles  \V.,  a  jeweler  of  Wallace.  Idaho. 
Mr.  Hodgson  was  again  married,  in  i88r, 
his  second  union  being  with  Miss  Kate  Cib- 
son,  a  native  of  Woodt'urd  coinitv.  and  a 
daughter  <if  (leorge  L.  (iib.son.  whu  at  cme 
time  owned  the  largest  part  of  the  land  on 
which  El  Paso  is  now  located. 

For  twelve  years  Mr.  Hodg.son  was 
president  of  the  El  Paso  Fair  Association, 
and  has  been  one  of  its  directors  since  its  or- 
ganization. He  has  entered  stuck  at  over 
tliirtv  consecutive  state  fairs,  and  has  car- 


ried (iff  more  premiums  than  any  other  nue 
individual.  One  1  f  his  horses.  Charton, 
tidk  ])rizcs  at  many  state  fairs,  and  also  at 
the  New  Orleans  E.xposition.  He  was  valued 
at  four  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Hodgson 
also  owns  road  and  coach  horses  as  well  as 
araft  animals.  He  is  a  charter  member  of 
El  Paso  Camp,  No.  168,  M.  W.  .\..  and  is 
a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Republican  party, 
w  ith  which  he  has  affiliated  since  casting  his 
first  presidential  vote  for  .Abraham  Lincoln 
in  1864.  He  was  a  member  of  the  county 
central  committee  ten  years,  and  has  been 
called  upnn  u>  fill  sexeral  local  offices,  hav- 
ing serxed  as  schonl  directnr.  path  master, 
tiiwnship  snperxisiir.  and  aUlerman  and  a 
member  of  the  school  board  of  El  Paso.  In 
1894  he  was  elected  county  treasurer,  and 
most  capably  and  satisfactorily  filled  that 
office  four  years,  during  which  time  the 
county  seat  was  char.ged  from  Metamora  to 
Eureka.  He  is  pre-eminentlv  pulilic-spir- 
iied  and  i)rogressi\-e.  whd  keeps  well  abreast 
with  the  times,  and  is  thoroughly  identified 
with  the  interests  nf  his  ;id(>pted  county.  He 
is  well  known  as  an  enterprising  and  reliable 
business  man,  as  well  as  one  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  El  Paso. 


BEN'JAMIX   F.   STREID. 

.\mong  the  progressive  and  enterprising 
.'ii^ricultiUMsts  of  Worth  township,  Woodford 
county,  is  Benjamin  F.  Streid,  who  owns 
and  operates  a  valuable  and  well-improved 
farm  of  foiu"  hiuidred  acres  on  section  24, 
only  two  miles  and  ;i  (|nrn-ter  from  Meta- 
mora. He  is  a  nati\e  of  Ohio,  his  birth  oc- 
curring in  Holmes  county,  that  state.  Inly 
3,    1854.     His    father.   Joseph    Streid,    was 


668 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


born  in  Strasburg,  Germany,  in  1829,  of 
French  ancestry,  and  there  married  Frances 
Fordenwad,  a  native  of  France.  Joseph 
Streid  spent  his  early  Hfe  npon  a  farm,  and 
lor  some  time  ser\ed  as  a  soldier  in  the 
French  army.  Later  he  accepted  a  position 
on  a  mail  ship  and  in  that  capacity  visited 
all  of  the  great  cities  and  sea  ports  of  the 
old  world,  remaining  in  the  mail  service  for 
five  years.  In  1852  he  came  to  America 
and  first  located  in  Holmes  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  until  1866, 
and  then  mo\-ed  to  ^IcLean  cnunty,  Illinois, 
settling  on  a  farm  near  Chenoa,  where  he 
continued  agricultural  pursuits.  He  died 
there  in  1886,  his  wife  in  1884.  and  both 
were  laid  to  rest  in  Chenoa  cemetery. 

At  the  age  of  twelve  years  Benjamin  F. 
Streid  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  re- 
moval to  McLean  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
grew  to  manhood,  his  education  being  ob- 
tained in  the  country  schools  near  his  home. 
After  attaining  man's  estate  he  worked  on 
hif  father's  farm  for  a  few  vears,  and  in 
1882  came  t<i  Woodford  county,  operating  a 
rented  farm  in  \>'i>rth  township  for  three 
years.  He  then  formed  a  partnership  with 
Peter  Schertz,  and  engaged  in  mercantile 
business  at  Metamora  for  ten  years,  as  deal- 
ers in  hardware,  agricuhural  implements, 
harness  and  saddlery.  To  this  the  firm 
later  added  the  grain  business  at  Cazenovia 
and  Low  Point,  and  in  all  their  undertak- 
ings were  very  successful.  In  1895  Mr. 
Streid  sold  out  and  moved  to  his  present 
farm  of  foiu'  hundred  acres  on  section  24, 
Worth  township,  where  he  has  built  one  of 
the  best  residences  in  the  township,  also  two 
good  barns  and  other  outbuildings,  makine 
the  place  one  of  the  best  improved  farms 
in  the  community.  In  connection  wth  gen- 
eral farming  he  is  also  engaged  in  stock  rais- 


ing, making  a  specialty  of  pure-blooded  short 
horn  cattle  and  Chester  White  hogs,  and 
in  this  lie  has  also  prospered. 

In  \\'oodford  countv  ]Mr.  Streid  was 
niarried.  I'ebruarv  29.  1S76,  to  Miss  Mary 
Schertz,  who  was  born,  reared  and  educated 
in  Worth  township,  and  they  have  become 
the  parents  of  six  children,  namely  :  Joseph- 
ine, Peter,  Lizzie,  Joseph  and  Julia,  all  grad- 
uates of  the  .Metamora  high  school ;  and  Fre- 
da, still  in  school.  The  Democratic  party 
finds  in  Mr.  Streid  a  stanch  supporter  of  its 
principles,  and  for  six  or  eight  years  he  effi- 
ciently served  as  a  member  of  the  Metamora 
town  board.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Mennonite  church,  and  are  highly 
respected  and  esteemed  b^-  all  who  know 
them. 


HON.  JOSIAH  KERRICK. 

Hon.  Josiah  Kerrick  comes  of  one  of  the 
families  which  possessed  the  true  pioneer 
spirit — that  spirit  which  bravely  endures  the 
untold  hardships  of  frontier  life  while  lay- 
ing the  foundations  of  a  later  civilization. 
We.  who  have  entered  into  the  fruits  of 
their  labors,  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  which 
we  cannot  repay,  but  we  are  glad  to  bring  a 
tribute  of  praise  to  these  heroic  souls,  who, 
indeed,  "builded  better  than  they  knew." 
In  tracing  the  history  of  Illinois  and  Wood- 
ford county  one  is  impressed  with  the  im- 
portant place  which  the  Kerricks  have  taken 
in  its  de\'elopment,  and  no  name  is  held  in 
higher  esteem  by  the  people. 

In  1824,  our  subject's  father,  Armstead 
Kerrick,  emigrated  from  Virginia,  his  native 
place  to  Muskingum  county,  Ohio,  and  the 
following  year  removed  to  the  Indiana 
wilderness,     Franklin     couiitv,     and     there 


JOSIAH  KERRICK. 


i 


MRS.  JOSIAH  KERRICK. 


i 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


673 


cleared  a  farm  and  aided  in  the  sjreat  work 
of  preparing  tliat  state  for  future  genera- 
tions of  prosi)erous  people.  In  1840  they 
removed  to  Decatur  county.  Indiana.  In 
1856.  Mr.  Kerrick  decided  to  remove  fur- 
ther west,  and  for  the  twenty-nine  years 
that  followed  he  was  numlwred  among  the 
inhabitants  of  Illinois.  lie  was  successfully 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  in 
Woodford  and  Marshall  counties  for  many 
years,  his  residence  in  the  last-named  county 
dating  from  1864.  -\n  ardent  member  of 
the  ^lethodist  Episcopal  church,  he  became 
a  local  preacher,  and  in  that  capacity  was 
known  far  and  wide,  throughout  central 
Illinois.  His  noble  life,  governed  by  high 
ideals  and  purposes,  was  an  incentive  to 
countless  numbers  and  was  a  jiower  for  good 
in  every  community  he  visited.  When  he 
was  called  to  his  reward,  .\ugust  7,  1S93, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years,  five  months 
and  sixteen  days,  his  loss  was  felt  to  be  a 
public  one,  and  to  his  children  and  posterity 
he  left  the  priceless  heritage  of  an  untar- 
nished name. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  a  Miss 
Sarah  A.  Sloan  in  her  girlhood,  and  her 
birthplace  was  in  Union  county,  Ohio.  Her 
parents  were  from  New  Jersey.  She  mar- 
ried 'Mr.  Kerrick  in  Indiana,  and  in  tiiat 
state  some  of  their  eleven  children  were 
born.  She  was  a  fine  ty|)C  of  the  pioneer 
woman,  resourceful,  courageous  and  cheer- 
ful, even  under  the  reverses  common  to  the 
lot  of  the  early  settler.  Loving  and  faith- 
ful in  all  of  the  varied  relationships  of  life, 
she  possessed  the  love  and  admiration  of 
all  who  were  associated  with  her  in  any 
manner.  She,  too,  was  a  worthy  exponent 
of  the  Christian  faith,  and  many  besides  her 
children  "rise  up  and  call  her  blessed."     Her 


eldest  daughter.  Joanna,  widow  of  .\lma 
Rogers,  resides  in  Dixon,  Illinois.  Mary, 
the  next  in  order  of  birth,  died  in  1898, 
when  about  fifty-four  years  of  age.  Steven 
died  when  about  ten  years  old,  in  1856,  and 
Jacol),  who  died  in  1854,  was  in  his  sixth 
year.  Thomas,  who  married  Ella  Wineteer, 
lives  in  Sedgwick  count\ ,  Kansas.  Har- 
rison, of  Lone  Tree,  Missouri,  married  Fran- 
ces Davidson,  and  James,  of  Minonk,  chose 
Emma  E.  Hollenback  for  a  wife.  Henry, 
of  Bloomington,  Illinois,  wedded  Cora  Ever- 
ly,  and  Benjamin,  a  resident  of  Claude, 
Texas,  is  unmarried,  while  PlKcbe,  who  re- 
sides in  the  same  town,  is  the  wife  of  Dr. 
William  \\'arner.  After  the  death  of  his 
first  wife,  Armstead  Kerrick  married  Mrs. 
Jane  (Burley)  Sauers.  a  widow  with  one 
child.  Minnie.  She  survi\c'd  Ikt  liu-.Iiand 
and  is  now  living  in  I'airfield,  low  a.  in  which 
town  Minnie  and  Richard  L.  reside  with  lier. 
The  other  son,  John  B..  who  chose  Min- 
nie Mcirrill  for  a  wife,  also  resides  there. 
There  was  one  daughter,  (/)rpha,  wIid  died 
aged  five  years. 

The  birth  of  the  Hon.  Josiah  Kerrick 
occurred  in  Franklin  county,  Indiana,  July 
20,  1848,  and  his  youth  was  chiefly  spent 
in  Woodford  and  Marshall  counties.  Illinois. 
After  leaving  the  comnio.i  schouls  it  was 
his  privilege  to  attend  the  Wesleyan  L'ni- 
versity  at  Bloomington,  and  tlius.  when  he 
eml)arked  in  business,  he  \\as  well  ecjuipped 
for  his  duties.  For  four  years  he  was  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  a^rricultural  pursuits, 
but  since  the  fall  of  1874  he  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Minonk.  At  present  he  is  a  luember 
of  the  firm  of  Kerrick  &  Humphrey,  owning 
;uid  running  the  only  mill  oiierated  in  the 
town.  Besides  this.  Mr.  Kerrick  organized 
the  Minonk  Electric  Light  and  I'ower  Com- 


674 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


pany,  in  1890,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
the  sole  manager  and  operator.  This  was 
the  first  electric  power  and  light  company 
in  Minonk,  and  he  may  well  be  prond  of  this 
enterprise.  The  plant,  which  is  well  equipped 
with  modern  machinery  and  apparatus,  has 
fine  engines  of  one-hundrod-and-fifty-horse 
power  and  everything  about  the  place  speaks 
well  for  the  energy  and  foresight  of  the 
owner. 

Many  of  the  minor  official  positions  of 
this  county  have  been  filled  by  ^Ir.  Kerrick 
in  a  most  creditable  manner,  and  as  he  "was 
faithful  in  a  few  things,  he  was  made  ruler 
over  many."  For  a  number  oi  terms  he 
served  as  supervisor  of  his  township,  and 
also  has  been  chairman  of  the  board  of 
county  supervisors.  He  also  held  the  office 
of  school  director  and  for  eighteen  consecu- 
tive years  was  an  efficient  member  of  the 
board.  In  short,  he  has  been  a  powerful 
factor  in  the  affairs  uf  this  region,  and  has 
exercised  his  influence  for  the  elevation  and 
permanent  welfare  of  his  fellow-men.  Fre- 
ciuently  he  has  attended  the  con\-entions  of 
the  Republican  party  in  this  county,  in  the 
capacity  of  a  delegate,  and  is  an  earnest  ad- 
vocate of  the  policy  pursued  by  that  party. 
The  people  of  this  twentieth  senatorial  dis- 
trict chose  him  to  represent  them  in  the 
state  legislature,  and  were  so  well  satisfied 
with  his  eft'orts  on  their  Ijehalf  that  he  was 
again  their  nominee  for  the  responsible  po- 
sition, in  1900.  For  a  period  of  two  terms 
he  was  the  mayor  of  Minonk,  and  during  his 
term  of  occupancy  of  that  post,  about  ten 
years  ago,  the  excellent  city  water-works 
plant  was  instituted.  Fraternally  he  is  an 
Odd  Fellow  of  high  standing,  and  has  passed 
all  the  chairs  in  the  local  lodge.  He  is  past 
chancellor   in   the  onler  of  the   IvniHits  of 


Pythias,  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  the  Mac- 
cabees and  is  the  president  of  the  Fraternal 
Alutual  Life  Reserve  Association. 

On  the  loth  of  March,  1870,  Mr.  Ker- 
rick married  Margaret  E.  Hollenback,  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Margaret  Hollen- 
back, of  \A'ashburn,  Illinois.  The  only  son 
of  our  subject  and  wife,  Harrison  S.,  is  a 
captain  in  the  army  of  the  United  States, 
in  Company  F,  Thirtieth  Regiment,  now  lo- 
cated in  the  Philippines.  He  was  one  of  the 
brave  soldier  boys  who  enlisted  in  the  ranks 
during  the  Spanish-American  war,  and  by 
meritorious  service  rose  to  the  lieutenancy 
of  Company  D,  Second  Illinois  Infantry. 
On  July  25,  1899,  he  was  commissioned 
Captain  of  Company  F,  Thirtieth  Regiment, 
Lnited  States  Infantry.  His  regiment  has 
been  in  the  Philippines  since  October,  1899, 
ha\-ing  sailed  from  San  Francisco,  September 
29,  1899.  Eva  L.,  Florence  E.  and  Elsie 
E.  are  living  at  home.  Florence  has  been 
successfully  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  local 
schools  for  the  past  five  A^ears,  and  at  present 
is  engaged  in  the  Minonk  city  schools.  Elsie 
is  a  member  of  the  class  of  1902.  Eva  L. 
is  president  of  the  Epworth  Junior  League, 
Normal  district. 

Mrs.  Kerrick  is  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
Hollenback,  who  was  born  in  Perry  county, 
Ohio,  July  14,  1827,  and  who  is  a  son  of 
Darjiel  Hollenback,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Daniel  Hollenback's  parents  re- 
moved to  Perry  county,  Ohio,  in  an  early 
day  and  there  spent  the  remaining  years  of 
their  lives.  Daniel  was  reared  in  Ohio  and 
upon  reaching  manhood  married  Martha 
Thralls,  a  native  of  Maryland.  He  and  his 
wife  resided  in  Ohio  until  1835,  when  they 
came  overland  to  Marshall  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  purchased  a  tract  of  partially  im- 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


67  s 


pruvcd  land  at  the  head  of  Crow  creek. 
Here  lie  reside<l  until  i860,  when  he  sold  his 
farm  and  removed  to  Minonk,  dying  Jan- 
uary 13.  1868,  when  over  seventy-two  years 
of  age.  His  wife  passed  away  March  ig, 
1864.  aged  sixty-nine  years. 

To  Daniel  Hollenback  and  wife  eight 
children  were  horn,  all  of  whcmi  grew  to 
maturity. 

Jacob  flollcnhack  was  hut  eight  years  of 
age  when  he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  par- 
ents, and  e.xperienced  all  the  pri\ations  and 
hardships  incident  to  pioneer  life.  He  le- 
sided  at  home  until  his  marriage  to  Margaret 
IMcCune.  who  was  born  in  Cumberland 
county.  Pennsylvania,  August  31,  1830. 
Her  father,  William  McCune,  also  a  native 
of  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  moved 
to  Ohio  in  1833,  where  he  resided  four  years 
and  then  came  west  to  Marshall  county, 
Illinois,  locating  eight  miles  southeast  of 
Lacon,  where  he  had  previously  purchased 
a  tract  of  land.  Later  he  returned  to  Ohio 
to  settle  some  business  matters  and  on  the 
journey  the  stage  was  overturned  and  he 
recci\ed  injuries  from  which  he  nc\er  re- 
c<)\ered,  dying  soon  after  his  return  iiome. 

William  McCune  married  Eleanor  Cul- 
bertson.  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  in 
1S13,  and  to  this  marriage  were  born  eight 
children :  Samuel  C,  ilary  Jane,  Emily, 
Jnhn.  Eleanor,  Elizalieth.  William  and  Mar- 
garet. William  McCune  was  a  son  of  John 
McCune.  burn  in  county  Ulster,  North  of 
Ireland,  about  1725,  and  who  was  a  minister 
of  the  Presbyterian  church.  After  the  death 
of  his  wife  he  emigrated  with  his  two  daugh- 
ters to  .America,  about  i  "Relocating  in  Cum- 
berland CMuniy.  Pennsylvania.  In  1761  he 
married  Mrs.  James  Fullerton,  a  native  of 
Scotland,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary 
Sliar])e.  and  who  had  emigrated  to  .\merica 


after  the  death  of  Mr.  Fullerton,  with  her 
three   sons,   James,   Alexander   and    .\dam. 

To  John  McCune  and  wife  four  children 
were  born,  Robert,  John.  William  (  father  of 
Mrs.  Hollenback),  and  Mary. 

To  Jacob  and  Margaret  I  lollenback  four 
children  have  been  born :  Margaret  Ellen, 
wife  of  our  subject :  Jacob  Henry,  a  resident 
of  Cameron.  Missouri :  Clara  Belle,  wife  of 
Frank  Combes,  of  I'airbury,  Lixingston 
county,  and  Charles  C,  married  Ida  Krull. 
They  reside  at  Fairbury  also.  After  their 
marriage,  which  occurred  in  October,  1848, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hollenback  began  housekeep- 
ing in  the  log  cabin  near  the  old  homestead, 
his  father  having  given  him  one  hundred  and 
fifty-four  acres  in  Linn  township.  Wood- 
ford county.  He  was  actively  engaged  in 
its  im])rovement  and  cultivation  until  1887, 
when  he  moved  to  Washb.irn.  where  he  is 
spending  his  declining  years  in  ease  and 
])lenty.  He  has  added  to  his  land  until  he 
now  owns  nearly  a  half  section  in  a  body 
in  Linn  township.  On  August  17,  1900, 
Mrs.  Hollenback  passed  to  her  final  reward, 
leaving  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances to  mourn  her  loss.  She  was  a  faith- 
ful member  nf  the  Metlmdist  F,pisc(ii)al 
church,  of  which  Mr.  Hollenback  is  als(j  a 
memhcr. 


EDWARD    l!L'RK()L"(illS. 

Ranking  foremost  among  the  enterpris- 
ing young  men  of  Panola  township  is  the 
subject  of  this  biography,  who  owns  and 
((perates  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
Woodford  countv's  most  productive  soil, 
which  he  keejjs  under  an  excellent  state  of 
cultivation.  He  is  well  known  throughout 
a  large  section  of  the  state  as  one  of  the  most 
successful  fine  stock  breeders  of  Illinois.    .\1- 


676 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


tlioiigh  lie  is  a  young  man  and  lias  been  in 
business  but  a  few  years  the  excellency  of  the 
fine  herd  of  Poland  China  hogs  found  on  his 
place  attests  his  success  as  a  fine  stock 
breeder.  He  usually  keeps  on  hand  about 
two  hundred  head,  the  value  of  some  being 
as  high  as  one  thousand  dollars  per  head, 
which  is  the  best  evidence  of  the  liigh  stand- 
ard of  his  stock. 

]\Ir.  Burroughs  is  a  native  of  Illinois, 
born  in  Washington,  Tazewell  county,  Au- 
gust 19,  1873,  3-"^  's  a  son  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  (Pinkham)  Burroughs,  natives  of 
Kentucky  and  Illinois,  respectively.  When 
four  years  old  he  was  brought  to  Woodford 
county  by  his  parents,  who  located  in  Pa- 
nola township,  on  the  farm  where  they  still 
reside.  Thev  are  among  the  most  promi- 
nent and  highly  respected  citizens  of  the 
community. 

Edward  Burroughs  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Woodford  county,  and  the 
I^ni\-ersity  of  Illinois,  where  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  the  class  of  1895.  Immediately  af- 
ter leaving  school  he  turned  his  attention  to 
farming  and  stock  breeding  on  his  present 
place.  He  was  united  in  marriage  Decem- 
ber 24,  1895,  with  Miss  Bessie  Mayne,  an 
accomplished  and  estimable  young  lady  of  El 
Paso,  Illinois,  and  b\-  this  union  have  been 
born  two  children :  Eleanor  Estes  and 
George  Earl. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Burroughs  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order,  and  politically  is 
an  uncompromising  Democrat,  being  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  active  and  influential 
workers  for  the  cause  of  his  party. 

\\'illiam  S.  Burroughs,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  is  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Panola 
township,  \\'oodford  county.  He  was  born 
in  Christian  countv,  Kentuckv,  June  2^, 
1846,  and  is  the  son  of  William  Cook  and 


^Martha  (Bondurant)  Burroughs,  the  for- 
mer being  born  near  the  Potomac  river,  in 
Mrginia,  in  1796,  of  English  extractiim,  and 
the  latter  a  native  of  Kentuck}-,  and  of 
French  descent.  William  Cook  Burroughs 
was  a  son  of  Traverse  Burroughs,  who 
served  as  a  commissioned  officer  under  Gen- 
eral Washington  during  the  Revolutionary 
vvar.  In  his  native  state  William  C.  Bur- 
roughs was  a  planter  and  sla\'e  nwner,  Ijut 
in  i860  he  moved  to  \\'ashington,  Tazewell 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  followed  farming" 
the  remainder  of  his  life  and  died  in  i879_. 
Flis  wife  died  in  Washington,  Illinois,  in 
1866.  They  reared  a  family  of  five  chil- 
aren,  of  whom  Elizabeth  married  James 
Strickland,  of  El  Paso,  Illinois;  Traverse 
died  at  the  age  of  five  years ;  John  resides 
near  Peoria,  Illinois;  Frances,  deceased, 
married  William  Brown,  of  Cloverdale,  Illi- 
nois; and  \\'illiam  S.,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject. 

\\'illiam  S.  Burroughs  settled  near  his 
present  place  in  1880,  and  has  met  with  good 
success  in  his  farming  operations.  He  now 
owns  one  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Panola 
and  Palestine  townships.  He  married  Eliz- 
abeth Pinkham,  of  Peoria,  Illinois,  October 
17,  1872,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
nine  children:  Edward.  our  subject; 
George,  a  farmer  in  Panola  townshii);  Cora 
Belle,  Omah  Elizabeth  and  Clarence  R.,  at 
home;  Jerry  F.,  deceased;  Lulu  and  Lester, 
at  home. 


JOSEPH    GETZ. 

The  well-known  and  efficient  superin- 
tendent of  the  \Voodford  county  poor  farm, 
on  section  28,  Metaniora  township,  was  born 
ir.  that  township,  on  the  24th  of  October, 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


677 


1871,  and  has  liekl  Lis  present  position  for 
the  p.'ist  three  years  with  cre(Ht  to  liimself 
and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  all  con- 
cerned. His  father,  Joseph  Getz,  Sr.,  was 
born  in  Ba\aria.  (lerinany,  May  /,  iii-i7, 
and  died  in  Woodford  county,  IlHnois,  Sep- 
tenilier  28,  1900.  Jn  his  native  country  he 
learned  the  blacksmith's  trade,  which  he 
made  his  life  work.  In  1854  he  emigrated 
to  America,  and  at  once  proceeded  to  Illi- 
nois, his  destination  l)eing-  Woodforil  county. 
He  opened  a  shop  in  Panola  township,  which 
he  conducted  for  some  time  and  then  moved 
to  JMetamora,  where  l.e  carried  on  business 
m.til  his  retirement  from  active  labor.  Here 
lie  marrietl  Maggie  W'aiil,  who  was  also  born 
and  reared  in  Germany,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  with  her  father,  Peter  W'ahl, 
who  was  ior  some  years  engaged  in  the  shoe 
business  in  Melamnra.  but  spent  his  last  davs 
in  Peoria. 

Our  subject  is  the  third  in  order  of  birth 
in  a  family  of  four  children  still  living,  the 
others  being:  Andrew,  a  resident  of  Okla- 
homa; Peter,  of  Kearney,  Nebraska;  and 
Frederick,  of  ^letamora.  Those  of  the  fam- 
ily now  deceased  are:  Kate,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  nine  years;  Rosa,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  three  \^ars;  Eva,  who  died  Sep- 
tember 6,  1900,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two 
years;  and  Henr)-  and  Frank,  who  died  in 
infancy. 

The  early  education  of  Joseph  Getz,  Jr., 
was  obtained  in  common  and  select  schools 
of  Metamora.  At  tiie  age  of  fourteen  years 
he  began  life  for  himself  as  a  farm  hand, 
and  has  since  devoted  his  time  and  energies 
to  agricultural  pursuits.  In  1891  he  com- 
menced work  for  Mr.  MeeTc,  then  superin- 
tendent of  tiie  poor  farm,  and  remained  in 
Ins  employ,  in  various  capacities,  for  seven 
vears.     He  rose  to  the  position  of  foreman 


and  became  thoroughly  familiar  with  the 
n-anagement  of  the  place  and  the  care  of 
the  inmates.  In  December,  1897,  he  was 
appointed  superintendent,  and  has  since  filled 
that  responsible  position  in  a  most  creditable 
and  satisfactory  manner. 

In  Chatsworth,  Livingston  county,  Mr. 
Getz  was  married,  October  5,  1897,  to  Miss 
Rosa  Rocke,  who  was  born  in  Woodford 
county,  but  was  reared  and  educated  in  Liv- 
irigston  county.  Her  father.  Henry  Rocke, 
dietl  in  the  latter  county.  Both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Getz  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
cluu-ch.  and  he  is  also  connected  with  the 
Mndcrn  Woodmen  camp  at  Metamora.  In 
his  political  affiliations  he  is  a  stanch  Demo- 
crat, and  as  a  public-spirited  and  progress- 
i\e  citizen  he  gives  his  support  to  every  en- 
terprise for  the  public  good. 


S.   L.   PETERSON. 

In  this  enlightened  age  when  men  of 
energy,  industry  and  merit  are  rapidly  push- 
ing their  way  to  the  front,  those  who,  by 
their  own  individual  efforts,  have  won  favor 
and  fortune  may  properly  claim  recognition. 
^Ir.  Peterson  eminently  deserves  classifica- 
tion with  the  self-made  men  of  Woodford 
count}-,  who  have  distinguished  themselves 
for  their  ability  to  master  the  opposing  forces 
of  life  and  to  wrest  from  fate  a  large  meas- 
ure of  success. 

He  was  born  in  Salem  county,  New  Jer- 
sey, in  1852,  and  is  one  of  a  family  of  eight 
children  whose  parents  were  Sanuiel  and 
Jane  Peterson,  also  natives  of  New  Jersey. 
In  1856  the  family  left  that  state  and  moved 
to  Indiana,  but  six  months  later  came  to  Illi- 
ncjis,    taking   up   their   residence   in    Peoria 


678 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


county,  where  tlie  father  was  engaged  in 
farming  for  over  a  year.  They  next  made 
their  home  in  Farmington.  and  in  1858  came 
to  Woodford  county,  where  the  father  en- 
gaged in  stock  raising  in  connection  with 
farming. 

During  his  boyhood  our  subject  went  to 
school  but  little,  his  time  being  devoted  to 
farming  and  herding  cattle.  He  often  let 
his  herd  graze  on  the  present  site  of  Ben- 
son, it  being  at  that  time  only  prairie,  and 
up  to  1879  farmed  within  three  miles  of 
Benson.  He  then  embarked  in  the  grain 
business  at  his  present  office  in  Benson,  and 
in  1883  bought  out  the  lumber  firm  of  Kipp 
&  Gordon,  taking  as  a  partner  George  Sauer, 
but  this  connection  was  dissolved  in  1886, 
and  Mr.  Peterson  has  since  been  alone  in 
business.  He  has  two  large  grain  eleva- 
tors with  a  capacity  of  one  hundred  thou- 
sand bushels,  and  in  connection  with  his 
other  business  carries  a  large  line  of  ready 
mixed  paints.  He  has  become  an  extensive 
stock  dealer,  and  handles  about  half  the  hogs 
shipped  from  Benson,  which  is  one  of  the 
largest  hog  shipping  points  in  this  section 
of  the  state.  In  June,  1900,  he  succeeded 
]\Ir.  Zinger  as  president  of  the  Benson  State 
Bank,  and  now  discharges  the  duties  of  that 
position  in  addition  to  his  other  business  en- 
terprises. He  is  one  of  the  most  energetic 
and  progressive  business  men  of  the  county, 
has  the  genius  for  devising  and  executing  the 
right  thing  at  the  right  time,  which  joined 
to  every  day  common  sense  and  guided  by 
resistless  will  power,  have  brought  to  him 
remarkable  success.  Connected  with  the 
leading  enterprises  of  the  village  the  place 
he  occupies  in  business  circles  is  in  the  front 
rank. 

^Ir.  Peterson  was  married,  January  13, 
1887,  to  Aliss  Emma  F.  Ray,  daughter  of 


Mrs.  Susan  Ray.  They  have  one  child, 
Ray,  a  bright  boy  of  eleven  years.  Another 
son,  Harold,  died  in  1895,  at  the  age  of 
two,  dying  but  a  few  days  after  his  grand- 
mother Ray's  death.  The  family  have  a 
l^eautiful  home  on  Front  street,  which  is  the 
finest  residence  in  the  town. 

Mr.  Peterson  has  been  called  upon  to  fill 
several  local  positions  of  honor  and  trust, 
such  as  president  of  the  town  board  of  trus- 
tees, and  school  director  for  three  vears.  He 
also  served  as  postmaster  during  President 
Cleveland's  last  administration,  and  by  his 
fellow  citizens  was  considered  the  best  post- 
master that  Benson  has  ever  had.  In  all 
the  relations  of  life  he  has  been  found  true 
to  any  trust  reposed  in  him,  and  is  upright 
and  honorable  in  all  his  dealings. 


FRANK  A.   VAN  ALSTINE. 

This  well-known  telegraph  operator  for 
the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Warsaw  Railroad  at 
El  Paso,  is  a  native  of  Woodford  county, 
born  in  Secor,  Palestine  township,  March 
27,  1870,  and  is  a  son  of  John  E.  and  ]\Iary 
E.  (Hart)  Van  Alstine,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Beardstown,  Illinois,  the  latter  of 
Palestine  township,  Woodford  county,  and 
both  representatives  of  pioneer  families  of 
this  section  of  the  state.  Our  subject's  pa- 
ternal grandfather,  Cornelius  Van  Alstine, 
conducted  a  general  store  and  served  as  the 
first  postmaster  at  Secor,  where  his  death 
occurred.  He  was  twice  married,  and  by 
one  union  had  two  sons,  of  whom  John 
E.  is  the  older.  There  are  two  daughters 
by  another  marriage:  Mamie,  wife  of  Jo- 
siah  Demsey,  a  grocer  of  Belvidere,  Illinois; 
and  Bessie,  wife  of  L.  D.  Carpenter,  of  Sen- 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


679 


eca,  Illinois.  Allen  Hart,  our  subject's  ma- 
ternal grandfather,  came  from  New  York 
and  settled  in  Woodford  county  at  a  very 
early  day  in  its  development.  He  was  also 
married  twice,  and  by  the  first  union  had 
two  daughters:  Mary  E.,  mother  of  our 
subject:  and  Mrs.  Lucy  Darst,  of  Blooming- 
ton.  Illinois.  The  children  by  his  second 
marriage  are :  Harvey,  an  attorney,  of 
Bloomington ;  William,  a  real  estate  dealer 
of  La  Junta,  Colorado;  Sallie,  a  resident  of 
Xew  York  city;  Clara,  wife  of  Judge  Ken- 
nedy, of  Minonk;  John,  a  resident  of  Bloom- 
ington; Edson,  a  physician  of  that  city;  and 
Hester,  a  resident  of  New  York  city.  They 
are  all  connected  with  the  leading  families  of 
Woodford  county. 

John  E.  Van  Alstine,  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, came  to  the  county  with  his  parents 
in  1856,  and  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
Secor.  On  starting  out  in  life  for  himself 
he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising,  and 
for  thirty-five  years  has  been  one  of  the  lead- 
ing stock  buyers  and  shippers  in  his  locality. 
He  makes  his  home  in  Greene  township, 
where  he  owns  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty-one  acres,  which  he  has  placed 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Politi- 
cally he  was  formerly  a  Democrat,  but  now 
supports  the  Republican  party,  and  relig- 
iously both  he  and  his  estimable  wife  are 
earnest  members  of  the  Christian  church. 
They  are  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  of 
whom  two  died  in  infancy.  The  others  are : 
Louis  H.,  who  married  Ida  Clay,  and  is  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Greene  township; 
Frank  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Elmer 
J.,  who  married  Sylvia  Arnold,  and  lives  in 
Carlock,  Illinois;  Clara  L..  wife  of  William 
Van  Scyoc,  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser  of 
Palestine  township;  Claura  R..  at  home; 
Florence  E.,  wife  of  Willis  McCord,  a  dray- 


man of  Roanoke.  Illinois:  Lida  O..  Harvey 
B.  and  Nellie  W..  all  at  home.  The  chil- 
dren have  received  good  common  school 
educations. 

Frank  .1.  A'an  Alstine  was  reared  on  the 
home  farm  and  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Palestine  township  until  seventeen  years 
of  age,  when  he  went  to  live  with  his  uncle, 
R.  M.  Darst,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Nor- 
mal township,  McLean  county,  Illinois,  with 
whom  he  remained  two  years,  continuing  his 
education  at  the  same  time.  He  then  re- 
turned to  his  father's  farm  in  Greene  town- 
ship, Woodford  county,  for  a  short  time, 
and  on  again  leaving  the  parental  roof  he 
commenced  learning  telegraphy  in  Secor. 
He  worked  as  an  extra  operator  for  a  short 
time,  and  was  then  given  a  permanent  posi- 
tion at  El  Paso,  being  made  night  operator 
and  ticket  agent  for  the  Toledo,  Peoria  & 
Warsaw  Railroad  Company,  July  21,  1893. 
That  position  he  has  since  most  satisfacto- 
rily filled.  By  his  ballot  Mr.  Van  Alstine 
supports  the  Republican  party,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1900  received  the  nomination  of  his 
party  for  circuit  clerk  in  Woodford  county. 
Since  1895  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Christian  church  of  El  Paso,  and  takes  an 
active  interest  in  church  and  Sunday  school 
work.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Royal  Arch  Ma- 
son, a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the 
Court  of  Honor  and  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America,  all  of  El  Paso. 


JOSEPH    DEARTH. 

This  well-known  and  prominent  agri- 
culturist has  lived  in  diflferent  parts  of  Olio 
township,  W'oodford  county,  since  1877,  ^"f' 
in  March,  1892,  purchased  the  fine  farm  of 


68o 


THE    BIOGRAPHICAL    RECORD. 


eighty  acres  on  section  21,  where  he  now 
resides.  A  native  of  Illinois,  he  was  born 
in  Danvers  township,  ^McLean  county,  in 
185s,  and  is  a  son  of  Randolph  and  Eliza- 
beth (Fuhrman  Dearth),  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Muskingum  county,  Ohio,  the  latter 
of  Pennsylvania.  They  were  among  the 
early  pioneers  of  McLean  county,  making 
their  home  in  Danvers  township,  where 
the  father  purchased  a  tract  of  wild  land, 
which  he  impro\-ed  and  placed  under  excel- 
lent cultivation.  L'pon  that  farm  he  con- 
tinued to  make  his  home  throughout  life, 
and  was  one  of  the  honored  and  highly  re- 
spected men  of  his  community.  In  his  po- 
litical views  he  was  a  Democrat.  He  died 
March  11,  1898,  but  his  wife  is  still  living, 
and  continues  to  make  her  home  in  Dan- 
vers. The  following  children  were  born  to 
them:  Mrs.  Hannah  Spickman,  a  resident 
of  Bloomington;  Mrs.  Rosina  StuUer;  Jo- 
seph; Martin,  of  Fort  Scott,  Kansas;  Ran- 
kin, of  Blomington;  Ed,  who  lives  on  the 
old  homestead  in  Danvers  township;  Perry, 
who  makes  his  home  near  Clarksville,  Iowa ; 
and  August,  of  Bloomington,  Illinois. 

Joseph  Dearth  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm,  and  acquired  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Danvers.  Since  starting  out 
in  life  for  himself  he  has  always  engaged  in 
farming,  and  has  met  with  fair  success  in 
his  hfe  work.  On  the  20th  of  February, 
1888,  in  Danvers,  he  married  Miss  Carrie 
Ellis,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Ellis,  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Cruger  township,  Woodford  county.  By 
this  union  were  born  two  children,  namely : 
Mable  and  Bessie. 

Politically  jMr.  Dearth  is  a  supporter  of 
the  Democratic  party,  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  politics.  He  is  a  worthy  repre- 
sentative of  one  of  the  honored  and  highly 


respected  families  of  McLean  county,  and  is 
a  man  of  exemplary  habits,  having  never 
drank,  swore,  used  tobacco  or  played  cards. 
In  this  respect  he  has  followed  in  the  foot- 
steps of  his  father,  who  never  had  any  of 
these  faults. 


J.   D.   JENKINS. 

This  well-known  jeweler  and  prominent 
business  man  of  El  Paso,  was  born  in  that 
place.  May  20,  1861,  and  is  a  worthy  repre- 
sentative of  an  old  and  honored  family, 
whose  ancestr}-  can  be  traced  back  about 
nine  hundred  years.  In  1690  four  brothers 
of  the  Jenkins  family  left  their  old  home  in 
Wales  and  started  for  America,  but  one  died 
on  the  voyage  across  the  Atlantic.  Of 
those  who  landed  safely  in  this  country  Da- 
vid Jenkins,  the  great-great-great-grand- 
father of  our  subject,  took  out  his  land  patent 
under  the  William  Penn  charter,  securing  a 
tract  of  land  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsyl- 
\'ania,  which  is  now  owned  by  \\'illiam  ^Ic- 
Cay,  whose  mother  was  a  sister  of  our  sub- 
ject's father.  This  property  has  never 
passed  out  of  the  familv.  The  great-grand- 
father, who  also  bore  the  name  of  David 
Jenkins,  spent  his  entire  life  in  Lancaster 
county.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  engage 
in  the  smelting  of  iron  ore  in  Pennsyhania 
and  the  product  of  pig  iron.  His  foundry 
was  probably  located  near  Bethlehem.  He 
made  the  first  iron  sto\-e  kneiwn  to  have  lieen 
manufactured  in  the  United  Slates,  ami  was 
also  engaged  in  the  molding  of  shells  and 
solid  shot  for  the  Continental  army  during 
the  Revolutionary  war. 

David  Jenkins,  our  subject's  grandfather, 
was  also  a  life-long  resident  of  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania,  though  he  once  visited 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


68 1 


his  children  in  lUimiis.  lie  was  born  in 
1775,  and  died  in  1847,  and  his  wife,  who 
bore  tlie  maiden  name  of  Sarah  McCammet, 
was  born  in  1777  and  died  in  1848. 

Robert  Jenkins,  our  su1)ject's  father,  was 
born  in  Churchtown,  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania,  June  23,  1812,  and  in  early 
life  learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  He  first 
came  west  in  1835,  but  soon  returned  to  his 
native  state,  and  did  not  locate  permanently 
in  Illinois  until  1840,  when  he  was  accom- 
panied by  his  two  brothers,  Isaac  ami  Will- 
iam. They  settled  in  Kickapoo  township, 
Peoria  county,  where  the  brothers  operated 
a  saw-mill  and  grist-mill  for  several  years, 
but  in  1856  came  to  Woodford  county.  For 
his  brothers  Robert  erected  a  store  building 
at  the  corner  of  what  is  now  Front  and  Main 
streets,  in  El  Paso,  it  being  the  second  frame 
structure  built  at  that  place.  He  framed  it 
in  Peoria,  and  the  timbers  were  the  first 
shipment  made  over  the  Peoria  &  Oquawka 
Railroad,  now  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Warsaw 
Railroad.  He  engaged  in  contracting  and 
building  at  El  Paso  until  1864,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Peoria  county.  During  all  this 
time  he  spent  the  winter  in  Xatchez,  Missis- 
sippi, superintending  the  erection  of  build- 
i!igs  for  a  relative  of  his  who  was  extensive- 
ly engaged  in  the  cotton  and  sugar  business 
at  that  place.  In  1868  Robert  Jenkins  re- 
nioNcd  to  Wyanet,  Bureau  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  until  the  fall  of  1869, 
and  then  went  to  Ladora,  Iowa.  In  1870 
he  moved  to  Viola,  Mercer  county,  Illinois, 
and  in  the  spring  of  the  following  year  re- 
turned to  El  Paso,  but  in  1882  he  again  went 
to  Wyanet,  where  he  died  June  6,  1883.  At 
Peoria  he  was  married,  in  1854,  to  Miss 
Ajalinda  Kindred,  of  that  place,  who  died 
August  4,  1870.  The  first  of  the  Kindred 
family  to  come  to  .America  were  two  broth- 


ers, weavers  by  trade,  who  came  from  Lon- 
don, England,  in  1583.  Mrs.  Jenkins' 
grandfather,  Thomas  Kindred,  Sr.,  was  a 
Kentuckian  by  birth,  but  spent  some  time 
ill  Virginia,  and  then  returned  to  Kentucky. 
He  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  the  gun  that  he  carried  in  the  service  is 
now  in  possession  of  our  subject.  It  was 
also  used  by  Mrs.  Jenkins'  father,  Thomas 
Kindred,  Jr.,  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  fought 
with  General  Jackson  in  the  battle  of  New 
Orleans,  and  was  a  man  of  exceptional  cour- 
age. He  was  born  in  X'irginia,  and  prior  to 
the  Civil  war  was  a  wealthy  distiller  and 
planter  in  Virginia,  but  during  the  struggle 
lost  his  property.  He  then  came  to  Peoria, 
Illinois,  and  spent  his  last  days  in  Pontiac, 
where  he  died  in  1873,  at  the  extreme  old 
age  of  one  hundred  and  three  years. 

After  coming  to  El  Paso,  in  1856,  Isaac 
and  Wilham  Jenkins  conducted  a  store  for 
many  years,  but  finally  sold  out.  Later 
William  bought  it  again  and  carried  on  busi- 
ness alone  until  1874.  He  served  as  the 
first  postmaster  of  the  place,  receiving  his 
appointment  from  President  Buchanan  in 
1857.  He  remained  a  resident  of  El  Paso 
until  1884,  when  he  moved  to  San  Bernar- 
dino, California,  where  he  is  now  living  a 
retired  life.  He  was  a  civil  engineer  and 
held  the  office  of  city  engineer  of  El  Paso 
for  some  time.  He  also  served  as  alderman 
and  as  mayor  two  terms,  and  as  a  Demo- 
crat he  took  an  active  part  in  county  politics. 
When  Isaac  Jenkins  retired  from  mercantile 
business  he  moved  to  a  farm  about  one  mile 
east  of  El  Paso,  where  he  spent  the  remain- 
der of  his  life  in  agricultural  pursuits,  dying 
there  in  1880.  lie  was  also  a  stanch  Demo- 
crat. His  widow  is  still  a  resident  of  El 
Paso  township. 

J.  D.  Jenkins,  of  this  review,  is  the  fourth 


682 


THE   BIOGRAPHICAL   RECORD. 


ill  order  of  birth  in  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren, the  others  being  Mary,  wife  of  E.  1'. 
Sellers,  of  Creston,  Iowa ;  William,  of  Wya- 
net,  Bureau  county,  Illinois ;  John,  of  Chero- 
kee, Iowa;  Kate,  wife  of  Will.iam  Bailey,  of 
the  same  place ;  Anderson,  also  of  Cherokee, 
Iowa;  and  James,  a  jeweler  of  Peoria, 
Illinois. 

J.  D.  Jenkins  is  practically  self-educated, 
as  he  attended  school  but  two  years.  He 
commenced  life  as  an  apprentice  to  the 
printer's  trade  in  the  office  of  the  "El  Paso 
Jotirnal,"  when  about  twelve  years  old,  and 
followed  that  occupation  from  1873  to  1879. 
He  worked  at  the  trade  in  Chillicothe  for  a 
while,  and  has  often  assisted  in  the  work  of 
his  home  paper.  He  set  up  and  printed  the 
first  fair  daily  special  of  the  "Journal."  In 
the  fall  of  1879  he  commenced  learning  the 
jeweler's  trade  at  El  Paso,  and  has  since  de- 
voted his  attention  to  that  busii'Less,  working 
as  a  journeyman  in  Streator  for  a  time  in 
1884,  in  Minonk  for  about  a  year,  and  Janes- 
ville,  Wisconsin,  six  months.  In  1887  he 
returned  to  Minonk  for  a  short  time,  and 
then  opened  a  store  of  his  own  in  El  Paso, 
where  today  he  is  the  leading  jeweler. 

On  the  1 2th  of  October,  1886,  Mr.  Jen- 


kins married  Miss  Duckie  Ross,  a  descend- 
ant of  General  Ross  of  Revolutionary  fame, 
whose  sword  is  now  in  possession  of  our  sub- 
ject. Her  parents  were  James  and  Kate 
(Burger)  Ross.  The  mother  is  now  de- 
ceased, but  the  father  is  still  living  and  makes 
liis  home  in  El  Paso.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jen- 
kins have  four  children :  Edith,  Adelina, 
Grover  C.  and  Julius  D.  Socially  Mr.  Jen- 
kins is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the 
Court  of  Honor.  He  is  one  of  the  promi- 
nent Democrats  of  El  Paso,  and  has  been  a 
member  of  the  county  central  committee 
since  1894,  being  elected  chairman  of  the 
same  in  1900. 

Mr.  Jenkins  has  the  finest  collection  of 
antique  curios  in  this  section  of  the  state, 
including  an  extensive  collection  of  valuable 
old  coins,  watches,  firearms,  two  thousand 
geological  specimens,  and  over  six  thousand 
Indian  relics,  including  a  rock  crystal  arrow 
for  which  he  has  been  offered  fifty  dollars. 
He  has  a  finely-carved  ivory  jewel  box  once 
owned  by  Lord  Byron,  and  a  knife  which 
was  once  the  property  of  Colonel  Bowie,  and 
many  other  relics  of  great  interest  and 
value. 


inde::^. 


PAGE 

Adams,  John 508 

Albrecht,  Joseph  O 339 

Allen,  Dr.  Joel 21 

Andrews,  Georgre 574 

Andrews,  Thomas 325 

Armitage,  William 202 

Armstiong,  John  T 161 

Baird,  Henry  C 455 

Baker,  Alpha 270 

Balmer,  John 201 

Bangs,  J.  E 308 

Barickman,  Benjamm  ;i37 

Barickman,  Charles  M 298 

Barickman,  \V.  H 424 

Barnhizer.Dr.Jay  G 279 

Barr,  Josiah  N 13(> 

Barton,  Thomas  K 34(5 

Baleman,  W.  X 627 

Bauman,  Peter 156 

Belsley,  Moses 599 

Belsley,  Peter .Wl 

Bennett,  Aaron  J   324 

Bennett  George  E 425 

Bentley,  George  W 429 

Biddle,  William 381 

Bischoff.Wilhelm 85 

Bocock,  William  H 552 

Boyer,  Samuel  H 127 

Brace,  William  H 1.55 

Bradle,  Uavid   576 

Bradley,  Joseph  M 412 

Briggs,  Francis  F 567 

Broadhead,  James  J 268 

Brownson,  G.  B 347 

Brown,  Jacob  E 209 

Brown,  James 276 

Brown.  Joseph   313 

Brubaker,  A.  H 619 

Bruce,  John  H   389 

Bruner.John  W 199 

Brunskill,  Wm.  S 434 

Buck,  Nelson 204 

Burns,  Charles  T 2,59 

Burroughs,  Edward 675 

Buttler,  Dr.  Gustavus 662 

Button,  Harvey 242 

Caldwell,  James  A 86 

Call,  The  Roanoke 606 

Camp,  Apollos  108 

Capes,  David  E 146 

Carson,  John 628 

Cavan,  Judge  A.  M 560 

Chapman,  George  H 248 

Childs,  Edwin  A 569 

Clandin,  Joseph  R 522 

Cleary,  Michael   320 

Collins,  Jeremiah 180 

Conrad,  H 571 

Converse,  Orlin   174 

Cornell,  Henry  M 360 

Countryman,  Nelson 140 

Cowan,  Augustus  W 104 

Crabb,  Archie 24 

Crabb,  John 129 

Crawford,  Napoleon  B.,  M.  D..  470 
Crawford,  William  T 133 


VAGE 

Cribben,  Thomas 642 

Crumbaker,  John  H 116 

Dahl,  James  P 13 

Damman,  Henry 6.50 

Daniels,  Thomas  A 444 

Darst,  Homer  E 490 

Davenport,  William  H 520 

Davidson,  E.  K .581 

Davidson,  W.  A 688 

Davidson,  W.  0 585 

Dearth,  Joseph 579 

Dearth,  S.  B 617 

Defenbaugh,  Amnion 424 

Defenbaugh,  Elijah 3.52 

Denehe,  John   134 

Dennis.  Alichael   615 

Desire,  Miles 299 

Dierking,  Henrv 663 

Dixon,  Charles  Albert 383 

Duckett,  Frederick 11 

Dunham,  Solon  C 117 

Dunmire,  W.  W 6.57 

Earp.  Charles  S 402 

Eckhart,  J.  E 476 

Eichhorn,  Dr.  H.  G .595 

Eilts,  Tjark 540 

EUinger,  John 2.57 

Ellingwood,  C.  v..  M.  D 436 

Ellis,  Cyrus  S 378 

Ellis, Thomas 612 

Engel,  Joseph 611 

Engelsen,  Lars 125 

Erickson,  Alfred 416 

Evans,  David .524 

Fagot,  Peter 587 

Farley,  Job 105 

Farmers  Bank  The,  of  Roan- 
oke     449 

Farney,  Joseph 211 

Faw,  lacob  J 547 

Feehan,  Owen 189 

Fellows,  John  W 235 

Finchman,  H.  L.,  D.  D.  S 481 

Finley,  John  M 107 

Fisher,  Josiah 6.55 

Fisher,  James  N 467 

Fitzgerald,  M.,  Sr 6.56 

Flagler,  George  Z 69 

Flessner,  Enno 318 

Fosdick,  Joel  D   168 

Foster,   IJenjamin 609 

Fox,  Captain  Henry 260 

Frakes,  Francis  F 166 

Francis,  Joseph  S 2;W 

Frederick,  F'rnest .594 

Frederick,  Wm.  H 597 

Fry,  George 221 

Gaff,  James  H 14 

Gardner,  William  T 280 

George,  Newell  P 415 

( letz,  Joseph 676 

Gibbons,  Austin 76 

Gingerich,  Daniel 634 

Gingrich,  Jacob ;)81 

Gish,  Charles  H .5.58 

Glinnen,  Dennis 369 


PAGE 

Goembel,  William  P 245 

Goodman,  Stephen  A 71 

Goodwin,  I.  B .537 

Gordon,  R.  Earl,  M.  D 5.59 

Gourlev,  James  P 333 

Graftt,  David   477 

(iraham,  lames  K   340 

Grandy,  Nathan  S 62 

Gregory,  Charles  H 407 

Grieser,  Henry .370 

Grove,  Benjamin .562 

Guenther,  Christian   699 

Guihrie,  John 115 

Hack,  F.  K 426 

Hall,  Riley  H 641 

Hancock,  John 142 

Harms,  Louis  W 490 

Hart,  Walter 141 

Hartnian,  Elias 290 

Hau.sslar,  F.  X 631 

Hawk,  Alexander .538 

Hayes,  H.  C 630 

Haynes,  Rev.  Nathaniel  S....  578 

Hays,  Luther  C 50 

Heisner,  Paul 373 

Hemstreet,  George  W 442 

Hertlein,  Rev.  George 306 

Hester,  Hon.  Robt.  S 492 

Hodgson,  Edwin 666 

Hogelucht,  W.  C 6,58 

Hoke,  Charles  H 292 

Hoke,  Samuel 278 

Hoke,  William  E   327 

Holman,  Joseph  A .544 

Holt,  Richard  M 401 

Hoobler,  Andrew  J 106 

Hoobler,  Erastus 114 

Hoover,  John  W 64 

Horneman,  Fred  -S 468 

Horton,  George  W 430 

Hoshor,  Perrv  W ,544 

Hotaling,  Miller 47 

Houder,  Ephraim 173 

Huffman.  A.  W 463 

Hughes.  Thomas 330 

Humiston.  Bennet 158 

Huxlable,  J.H 460 

Irving,  James  Castner 5.54 

Ivins,  John  A 568 

Jac(|uin,  D 626 

lamison,  Simon 357 

Jenkins,  J.  D 680 

Jeter,  Gideon 636 

Johnson,  George 655 

Johnson,  John  Q 80 

lohnson,  Sherman  H 267 

Johnston,  Thomas 122 

Jones,  Albert  C 651 

Jones,  Henry  C   48 

Jury,  William 514 

Kahe,  Patrick  H    126 

Karr,  Lyon .504 

Kellog,  Joseph  W 621 

Kellogg,  N.  M.  and  T.  M 73 

Kenney,  Thomas 441 

Kent,  Lester  E 92 


684 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Kerrick,  James -^O!) 

Kerrick,  Hon.  Josiah tJU8 

Ketcham,  Williain  H Ki^ 

Kimber,  \ViUiani 42 

Klein,  John 192 

Kleen,  Garner hbl 

Knisht,  IraM 3.58 

KuU,  John 84 

Kuntz,  Joseph 291 

Large,  Leonard 299 

Large,  William   233 

Lawrence,  Nelson  D 178 

Learned,  Frank  E .W3 

Leffers,  Herman .528 

Leggate,  John 3U3 

Leggaie,  Walter 296 

Leiserovvitz,  Samuel  A   26.5 

Lehmann,  William  F.C   191 

Lemon.  Oscar  J .597 

Leonard,  Christopher  C 3B2 

Lewis,  Herbert  D -543 

LinviUe,  Prof.  LG 542 

Lommatch,  Herman 135 

Long,  Charles  H    74 

Louderback,  Liberty 374 

Lovell,  John  Thomas   247 

Lower,  .A.bram 212 

Lucus,  Edwin  R 400 

Liming,  William      408 

McCabe,  George  \V    234 

McClmtock,  E^  L 618 

McCormick,  James 287 

McCormick,  Theodore .  418 

McGregor,  Charles  A 130 

McGuire,  Hon.  John  L 534 

McGiiire,  Joseph  A 500 

McKinney,  A.  Smith 588 

iMcKinnev,  William 403 

McMillan,  William  D 2.56 

McOneber,  H.  L 636 

Manhser,  Albert   427 

Marshall,  Arthur   334 

Marshall,  Elijah  R 600 

Meek,  Col.  Bazel  D 450 

Meek,  U.  R 046 

Meek,  William  M 464 

Michels,  John  B 573 

Miller,  William  M 302 

Moore,  Joseph 616 

Moore,  R.  B 617 

Morgan,  Philander 387 

Morris,  W'illiam  R 349 

Morrison,  Adam  F 368 

Morrison,  Samuel  G 146 

Mourer,  Andrew  J 613 

Munson,  John 187 

Murphy,  James , l'^4 

Murtaugh,  Owen 236 

Mver,  Nelson  J 33 

Myers,  David  S .54 

Myers,  Henry  A 486 

Naffziger,   Louis   A   102 

Nelhs,  Peter  G   336 

Nichols,  Samuel  H 186 

Nicol,   lames 114 

O'Brien,  Rev.  M.  P 443 

O'Connor,   Thomas  J 325 

Oleson,  John  H 198 

Oleson,  John  K 20 

Oliver,    Franklin 420 

Ore,  Benjamin  K 584 


PAGE 

Oughton,  John   R 165 

Owen,  Maria 96 

Parker,  Jackson 517 

Patterson,  F.  M 384 

Patterson,  Stephen  A 391 

Patton,  George  W 9 

Patton,  Silas  D 639 

Pearson,  E.  W 118 

Pearson,  Hammond  A 351 

Perryman,  William 480 

Peterson,  S.  L 677 

Pettett,  John   A 224 

Phillips,  John  T 390 

Pifer,   Michael 629 

PiUsbury,  Nathaniel  J 176 

Piper,  Alexander  S 431 

Potter.  Elvie  T 2.53 

Potter,  S.  H 80 

Prisk,  Samuel  J  152 

Quinn,  Rev.  James  J 223 

Quinn,  William  L   331 

Rabe,  Df.  William  Louis 282 

Radford,  Prof.  Benjamin  J. . .  .   548 

Ray,  Jeremiah 661 

Reed,   Edward  O   94 

Reed,  Henrv  B 51 

Reed.  John  E   ,5.33 

Reineke,  Fred 428 

Reising,  Michael 218 

Ringler,  Henry 221 

Riss,  Frederick .■ilt8 

Robeson,  Columbus  A 4.58 

Robinson,  Augustus  288 

Robinson,  Sylvanus  S 577 

Rohrer,  G.  E 363 

Romberger,  Charles  L 60 

Rook,  William 207 

Roth,  William  H 364 

Rumbold,  Robert 214 

Ryerson,  Thomas  G 367 

Saemisch,  Henry  A 393 

Santelman,  Henry  J 3.50 

Schafer,  Christian 583 

Schlosser,  A.  C 448 

Schoenbeck,  Frederick .53 

Schroeder,  C.  G 593 

Schweizer,  J.  B 6.53 

Seamans,  Henry 447 

Shaf er,  Adam 306 

Shantz,  David   300 

Shedd,  William  W 422 

Siegert,  Herman  E 316 

Simmons,  Emile  A 31 

Simpson,  G.  M 540 

.Simpson,  J.  A   497 

Skinner,  George 81 

Skinner,  Dr.  William  S 281 

Smith,  Frank  L 32 

Smith,  lames  A 413 

Smith,  John  H HI 

Smith,  Rudolph  G   410 

Sneyd,  Albert  J 2.55 

Snyder  Brothers 680 

Somers,  Michael 432 

Springer,  Nathan 394 

Stephenson,  C.  M 647 

Starry,  Christopher  W 34 

Stewart,  Frank  R ■. .  <371 

Stewart,  Hamilton  R 10 

.Stewart,  John 143 

St.  John,  William  1 157 


PAGE 

Stoddard,  Bela  M 4.56 

Streid,  B.  F 667 

Stroud,  Laban  M 131 

Sullivan,  John  Francis 203 

Sullivan.  Lott  .530 

Sumner,  Jarvis  C 162 

Sutton,  [ohn  B 437 

Swartz,  C.  T..... 649 

Swatsley,  Henry 666 

Talbott,  Will  L 439 

Tallyn,  Frederick  N 523 

Tambling,  Myron  W 406 

Tanquary,  Isaac  Q   414 

Taylor,  John  C 163 

Taylor,  William  H 328 

The  Leslie  E.  Keeley  Co 25 

Theena,  Joseph 571 

Thomson,  Thomas  H 410 

Throne  &  Hatfield  ,• 269 

Tiffany,  Rev.  Horace 379 

Tombaugh,  Charles  R   '   30 

Tombaugh,  Mathias 29 

Torrance,  George 16 

Trecker,  Conrad 315 

Truitt,  Charles  R   179 

Tucker,  F.  J 478 

Turner,  A.  B   669 

Tuttle,  Albert  Grant 294 

\"ahev,  Eugene  A 345 

VanAlstine,  F.  A 678 

\'ance,  Rev.  Samuel  E 219 

Van  .Scyoc,  A 622 

Vaughan,  Horatio  X 188 

Veerkamp,  Rev.  Isadore 466 

Vercler,  Christian 198 

A'incent,  Jean  P.  A 167 

Von  Nordheim,  A 503 

Wagenseller,  Harry  W 435 

Watkins,  Jonathan  D 612 

Wallace,  Robert  R 44 

Walsh  Brothers 332 

Walter,  George  J 295 

Warner,  John  L 653 

Wassom,  William  W 43 

Watson,  Charles  E 197 

Watson,  Henry  B 395 

Watson,  John  H .596 

Weber,  Leonard 93 

Welte,  Christian 377 

Whalen,  Thomas  397 

Whitham,  George 342 

Whitmire,  JoelW 319 

Wilcox,  Hon.  E.  A.,  M.  D . . . .  482 
WiUems,  George  Herman. . . .   5.50 

Williamson,  William  A 244 

Wilder,  .Marshall  DeF 446 

Wilson,  M.  W .590 

Winkler,  George 608 

W'Itt,  Silas  M 39 

Womeldorff,  George  W 90 

Woodling,  William 123 

Worthington,  S.  H 656 

Wright,  Rev.  E.  F 23 

Wyatt,  James  T.,  M.  D 499 

Wylie,  Samuel 501 

Yates,  Albert  L 185 

Zeller,  Dr.  J.  G 607 

Zimmerman,  Ernest 519 

Zinser,  Harley  A.,  M.  D 479 

Zollinger,  William  W 438 


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